Microsoft KB Archive/214342

= Error message in Excel: "Unable to save external link values" =

Article ID: 214342

Article Last Modified on 7/24/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Excel 2003
 * Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q214342





SYMPTOMS
When you try to save a workbook that contains either a link to a large range of cells in another workbook (approximately 16,000 cells) or too many cells that are linked to a cell in another workbook, you receive the following error message in Microsoft Excel 2000:

Not enough memory.

Then, you receive the following error message:

Unable to save external link values.

In Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and in Microsoft Excel 2002, you receive the following error message:

Excel cannot complete this task with available resources. Choose less data or close other applications.

Then, you receive the following error message:

Unable to save external link values.



CAUSE
This problem occurs when you save a workbook that contains a link to a range of cells in a different workbook, and the range is more than 16,000 cells. This problem occurs because Microsoft Excel 2000 cannot save a workbook that contains a link to an external range of more than 16,000 cells.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, link to multiple smaller ranges instead of one large range.

If you do not need to save a copy of the external link values, you can disable the option to save a copy of the external link values by following these steps:
 * 1) Switch to the workbook that contains the link formulas.
 * 2) On the Tools menu, click Options.
 * 3) Click the Calculation tab in the Options dialog box.
 * 4) Under Workbook options, click to clear the Save external link values check box, and click OK.

To work around this problem, you can also move the sheet or the sheets that contain the external data range that you are referencing in the VLOOKUP into the same workbook that contains the VLOOKUP formulas.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Additional query words: XL2000

Keywords: kberrmsg kbbug kbpending KB214342

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