Microsoft Knowledge Base

• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel version 5.0, when you open a worksheet created in Microsoft Excel version 4.0, values on the worksheet may be displayed as # characters instead of as the values that are displayed in Microsoft Excel version 4.0.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the column width required to display a value on a worksheet in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 is slightly greater than that required in version 4.0. Because of this, values that are displayed in version 4.0 may not be displayed in version 5.0 because the text is detected as being too wide for the column.

For example, a cell that contains the value 13, formatted with Times font, with point size 9, is displayed with a cell width of 1.29 in Microsoft Excel version 4.0. However, when you open the file in Microsoft Excel version 5.0, the cell that contains this value is displayed as # instead of as the value 13, indicating that the cell is not wide enough to display the value. In this example, the cell width in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 must be 1.43 to display the value in this font and size. The "best fit" value for the column is 1.71 in both version 4.0 and 5.0 in this case.

NOTE: Column width, font size, and the "best fit" feature (AutoFit in version 5.0) are the same in Microsoft Excel version 4.0 and 5.0. The only difference is in the width of a cell required to display a particular value.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this problem, increase the width of the affected column in Microsoft Excel version 5.0.

You can use the AutoFit Selection feature by doing the following:

1. Select the column that contains affected cell, or, to correct the entire worksheet, choose the Select All button.

2. From the Format menu, choose Column, and then choose AutoFit Selection.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

REFERENCES

For more information about Adjusting Column Widths, choose the Search button in Help and type:

   column width