Replacing an Excel file in Excel2Word (E2W)
If you’ve uploaded a new Excel file and your Word document isn’t updating, you likely missed the final Replace step in the E2W add-in. Follow the steps below to correctly replace the source file so all defined names refresh in your document.
When to use this
Use this flow when:
- You have a new version of an Excel file that your Word document references via defined names
- You want all existing references to point to the new file
Prerequisites
- You can sign into the Excel2Word add-in in Word
- You have the new Excel file available and accessible
Steps
- Open the Excel2Word add-in and go to “All Excel files”.
- Find the file you want to replace and click the replace icon.
- Click “Replace all” to confirm that every reference should switch to the new file.
- Accept changes when prompted.
Tip: Submitting only the new file link isn’t enough. You must click “Replace all” and then accept changes to complete the replacement
Troubleshooting
- Still seeing old values after replacing?
- Reopen the add-in and confirm you used “Replace all”, not just submitted the link.
- Make sure the new Excel file contains the same defined names your Word document expects.
- If the issue persists, contact support and we’ll set up a troubleshooting session.
FAQ
-
Will my defined names break?
As long as the new Excel file contains the same defined names, your Word document will update normally after “Replace all”. -
Can I replace only some named ranges ?
“Replace all” updates every matching named range that is found in the excel file . If you only want to update some of them, scroll through the list of defined names and choose which ones to replace and which ones to leave unchanged.