ICDL-EXCEL helper - The ICDL L4 excel Updated: 2023

Updates and Help

The Excel Workbooks, Excel Add-ins, and screencasts on this site will be updated and corrected regularly so head there if you are merely looking for the latest versions of a file.

As far as mistakes in the printed book, this page will maintain a list of errata (since I know that typos are like jelly, it is inefficient to get them all out). I am not maintaining a list of bad URLs in the book, but I will fix broken links in the Excel workbooks when I see them. If you get a dreaded Error 404, please email me and let me know.

If you are here looking for help, remember that Excel is a rather complicated beast. You should be sure to have the latest patches for your version of Excel (and other Office and Windows products). You can find these and other resources at support.office.com.

Before emailing me with a problem (which I promise I will try my best to fix), please take a look at these common issues and their solutions.

Issues and Solutions

If none of the above address your issue or you can't figure it out, email me.

We know how to convert Excel files into PDF or how to convert Excel data into PowerPoint slides, but today we will learn how to convert an Excel spreadsheet into a Word document.

What is an Excel Spreadsheet

An Excel Spreadsheet is a file that contains columns and rows. All the rows are numbered (row 1, row 2, row 3, etc) and the columns are listed alphabetically (column A, column B, etc.) Each cell is named as per the subsequent row and column name. For example, the highlighted cell in the screenshot below is named B3, because it is in the third row and column B.

Uses of an Excel Spreadsheet

Excel Spreadsheets are widely used in big and small businesses, organizations, educational institutes, institutions, etc worldwide. It is a great business and accounting tool which can be used to sort, arrange, manage and calculate data. One can easily organize and categorize any type of data in the best possible way. The most common uses of spreadsheets include-

• Business data organization (data entry, data management)
• Budgeting and managing expenses
• Calculation and accounting
• Generating reports
• Making and analyzing growth charts
• Time management and
• Programming.

While working on excel spreadsheets is very easy and quick, we sometimes need to convert it into a Word document. There is. however, no direct way to convert an excel file into a Word document but you can do that by using the copy-paste option or by inserting it as an object. Let’s see how.

Convert Excel to Word by copying and pasting

This is the easiest and quickest way to convert an Excel file into a Word document.

Open the Excel sheet you want to convert and select the whole file by pressing Ctrl+A. Drag your cursor if you want to select a specific range of data and not the entire sheet.

Copy it by pressing Ctrl+C on your keyboard OR right-click and select the Copy option.

Now open a black Word document and right-click.

From the Paste Options, select the paste type you need. Take your cursor over each option and you can see what it will look like after pasting. 

Once you are done with pasting, save your Word document, and congratulations, you have successfully converted the excel spreadsheet into a Word document on your PC.

Convert Eexcel to Word by inserting an object

Another method to convert your excel sheet into a Word document is by inserting it as an object. Remember that you have to close your open worksheet before inserting it into Word.

Open a blank document in MS Word.

Click on the Insert tab in the main menu ribbon and go to the Object tab, click on the tiny arrow.

Browse your excel worksheet on your PC and insert it as an object in Word.

Your entire excel sheet is now pasted in MS Word.

You can now edit the worksheet here itself in MS Word. Right-click and go to Worksheet Object and click on Edit.

The entire Excel spreadsheet will open here in MS Word and you can edit it. You can open and edit multiple sheets in the Word document itself.

Press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard and it will be a Word document again. Save and you are done.

Can I convert an Excel spreadsheet to a Word document?

There is no direct way to convert an Excel sheet into a Word document but you can do it either by using the copy-paste method or by inserting the excel sheet as an object in MS Word.

Read: Microsoft Excel Online tips and tricks to help you get started

How can I convert Excel to Word without the table?

Open your Excel sheet, and press Ctrl+A to copy the entire sheet. Launch MS Word and open a blank document. Right-click and use the pasting option- Keep text only. This will press your excel data simply as text without the table. You can then save it as a Word document.

It isn’t news that [s0lly] likes to do ray tracing using Microsoft Excel. However, he recently updated his set up to use functions in a C XLL — a DLL, really — to accelerate the Excel rendering. Even if ray tracing isn’t your thing, the technique of creating custom high-performance Excel functions might do you some good somewhere else.

We’ve seen [s0lly’s] efforts before, and you can certainly see that the new technique speeds things up and produces a better result, which isn’t especially surprising. In addition to being faster, the new routines produce more detail.

The Microsoft documentation on doing this is pretty clear if you want to deliver it a go. One of the things you can do in your C code is to take advantage of things like threads to get better performance, which [s0lly] shows in his example.

Of course, you could argue that you don’t need Excel here, but what fun would that be? Besides, then you’d need to handle all the data input and output which would be a pain in its own right.

If you need a simple explanation of ray tracing, we just covered that. We aren’t above abusing spreadsheets, ourselves.

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Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular spreadsheets used across the globe for both individual and business purposes. It is the one-stop destination for storing, organizing, and manipulating data in an organized way. MS Excel comes mainly in two extensions i.e. XLS and XLSX format. However, apart from its incredible popularity, runtime errors are a common nuisance for many Windows users – and one of the most common ones is the Runtime Error 1004.

In this guide, we will discuss this common Runtime error 1004 and some of the best fixes to resolve it effortlessly.

What is Runtime Error 1004 in Excel?

Runtime error 1004 is an error code relating to Microsoft Visual Basic that has been known to disturb Microsoft Excel users. This error is faced by any version of MS Excel, such as Excel 2021, 2019, etc. No version of Microsoft Excel is safe from the menace of Runtime Error 1004. In some cases, you may see the runtime error 1004 in Excel after opening a worksheet. Such types of runtime errors usually occur due to a problematic add-in.

Users mainly encounter this error while they are working on an Excel file or trying to generate a Macro in the Excel document. It can cause serious trouble while working with Visual Basic Applications and can completely crash a program or even the entire system; sometimes it may freeze the system, prohibiting the users from doing anything on their system.

Types of Runtime error 1004 messages:

The error messages that are most associated with this runtime error are as follows:

• Runtime error 1004 Paste method of worksheet class failed
• Programmatic access to Visual Basic Project is not trusted
• Run-time error 1004, Cannot run the Macro in Excel
• VB: run-time error 1004, Application-defined or object-defined error
• Excel VBA Runtime error 1004, Select method of Range class failed
• Runtime error 1004, Method range of object _global failed visual basic
• Runtime error 1004 method open of object workbooks failed
• Run-Time error 1004, Method ‘Ranger’ of Object’ Worksheet’ Failed
• Run-time error 1004, Activate method of Worksheet class failed

If you encounter any of these above errors, then you can fix the error using our guide.

What causes Runtine Error 1004?

Error 1004 is a general code related to MS Excel but is not specific to one exact cause. Hence, in this case, the exact reason why this error might pop up will vary from case to case and circumstance to circumstance. From configuration issues to software problems, below we listed a synopsis of common reasons for runtime error 1004 in Excel:

• MS Excel Desktop Icon might be corrupted
• VBA Excel File is clashing with other application
• Due to application or object-specified error
• Due to missing dependent file
• Due to Virus, Trojan or malware
• Due to Invalid Registry Keys and so on.

These were a few of the most common reasons behind getting the runtime error 1004 in MS Excel; now, let us understand the different fixes.

Here, we have detailed both manual and automatic solutions to fix the Runtime Error 1004. You can follow any one of the next methods to resolve the issue.

1. Create a new Excel template
2. Launch Excel in Safe Mode
3. Run a Virus Scan
4. For VB: run-time error ‘1004’, Resize legend entries
5. Fix for Run-time error 1004, Cannot run the Macro in Excel.

Let’s look at each of these methods in detail.

1] Create a new Excel template

In some cases, fixing this issue can be as simple as inserting a new worksheet from a template instead of creating a copy of an existing worksheet. Here is what you need to do:

1] Open MS Excel on your system

2] Press ‘CTRL + N’ to create a new Microsoft Excel worksheet or simply select a ‘Blank workbook’ from the first screen.

3] Once done, delete all the sheets on the workbook except one.

4] Now, format the workbook which has been left. Also, note that this workbook can be modified to suit your needs.

5] Finally, go to ‘File > Save As’ to save the new worksheet with the Excel Template (.xltx or .xlt) file format.

6] Once you have successfully created the template, you can insert it programmatically by using the following line of code:

Sheets.Add Type:=path\filename

Please note: Do not forget to replace the new filename with the real name of the document.

2] Launch Excel in Safe Mode

If Excel is showing you the runtime error 1004 after opening an Excel file, there might be a problematic add-in causing the issue. The affected users received the error message given below:

Run-time error ‘1004’: Activate method of Worksheet class failed

To check if the problem is caused by an add-in or not, launch Excel in Safe Mode. If Excel opens successfully in the Safe Mode, the problem occurs due to an add-in. Now, you have to identify the problematic add-in. To do that, follow the steps provided below:

1. In Safe Mode, go to “File > Options > Add-Ins.”
2. Select COM Add-ins in the drop-down on the right side and click Go.
3. In Safe Mode, some add-ins are disabled. You have to enable the disabled add-ins one by one. Enable one of the disabled add-ins and restart Excel in normal mode. See if the error occurs.

If the error occurs, repeat the above steps again. After you find the problematic add-in, consider removing it from Excel.

Read: Fix Runtime Error 1004 in Excel.

3] Run a Virus Scan

It is very important to scan your computer system for malware and viruses as these can corrupt files and important documents and show the runtime error 1004 in MS Excel. Sometimes, using a good antivirus program helps a lot.

4] For VB: run-time error ‘1004’, Resize legend entries

If you come across a Runtime Error 1004 when running a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro, then you can use this method to work-around.

Generally, you get this error when you try to run a VBA macro that uses the LegendEntries method to make changes to legend entries in a Microsoft Excel chart. That time, you may receive the following error message:

Run-time error ‘1004’: Application or object-defined error

This error occurs when the Excel chart contains more legend entries than there is space available to display the legend entries on the Excel chart. When this behavior occurs, Microsoft Excel may truncate the legend entries.

To work around this behavior, create a macro that reduces the font size of the Excel chart legend text before your VBA macro changes the chart legend and then restore the font size of the chart legend so that it is similar to the following macro example.

Sub ResizeLegendEntries()
With Worksheets("Sheet1").ChartObjects(1).Activate
      ' Store the current font size
      fntSZ = ActiveChart.Legend.Font.Size
'Temporarily change the font size.
      ActiveChart.Legend.Font.Size = 2
'Place your LegendEntries macro code here to make
         'the changes that you want to the chart legend.
' Restore the font size.
      ActiveChart.Legend.Font.Size = fntSZ
   End With
End Sub

5] Fix for Run-time error 1004, Cannot run the Macro in Excel

The first thing you will be required to do is to open Excel Options, which is easy. Just open Microsoft Excel, then click on File, and from there, select Options.

Once you’re in the Options area, please click on Trusted Center, then Trust Center Settings.

Right away the Trust Options section should appear. From there, please select Macro Settings.

Finally, click on Trust access to the VBA project object model, then hit the OK button and that’s it for that.

We hope this article helps you fix the runtime error 1004 in Microsoft Excel. This guide gives you manual as well as automatic solution to get rid of this error; you can make use of any solution based on your need.

Related: Runtime Error 76: Path not found in Excel

How do I fix a Runtime error?

Runtime errors occur at the time of running a program. The runtime errors usually freeze or crash the affected program or software. To fix a runtime error, you can use general fixes, like installing the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, running the SFC and DISM scans, troubleshooting in a Clean Boot state, etc.

Read next: Arrows keys not working in Microsoft Excel.

Millennials are quickly becoming the largest employee demographic. In less than two years they’ll be the majority, and by 2025, they’ll account for 75% of the entire workforce. It’s important to address the changes that come from having a younger workforce now so that companies are prepared for the wave of change as their senior staff starts to retire.

Set clear expectations

Millennials like to know what to expect at work, and what’s expected from them. For Millennials, having a clear picture of their day-to-day responsibilities helps them focus and prioritize tasks at work. This process starts with onboarding. The clearer the expectations from the start, the better prepared they’ll be to successfully integrate into the company. Periodic check-ins enforce accountability and help both managers and employees stay on track and manage expectations.

Offer guidance and support

Especially early on in their career, Millennials may need some extra guidance. Let them know who they can go to for help. It’s important that this help is not simply telling them what to do and how to do it. Teach them so that they can use the skills they’re learning to solve another problem in the future. Balance out the times you help with times where you let them work through a problem on their own with minimal guidance. Support them by helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Deliver feedback more frequently

Millennials expect a lot of feedback on how they’re doing. Feedback is what they grew up with, starting from their years at school with people constantly doling out positive reinforcement, to instant gratification from social media and their peers. Frequent feedback helps Millennials stay on track with their goals and addresses problems as they arise. Ongoing discussions also make your Millennial employees much more receptive to critiques.

Millennials, like everyone else, like to share their ideas. They want to be part of the discussion, not an afterthought. The disconnect comes from them not knowing who or where to direct these ideas to, so sometimes it seems like they’re challenging things for no particular reason. Many times their reason for speaking up is to Boost a process, propose a solution, or suggest a way that technology could streamline an existing process. Create an outlet where all of your employees can go to share their ideas.

These ideas help all employees excel at work, not just Millennials. Each of these actions show employees that their companies are invested in them and their development. To initiate the change, identify which idea best addresses the biggest challenge you’re seeing at work. Begin by implementing the solution to that idea, then slowly introduce the others.

Which solutions worked best for you or your company? Join the conversation with me on Twitter.

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