Changes Excel doesn't track or highlight - Help and How-to

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Changes Excel doesn't track or highlight

Applies to: Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Change tracking records changes you make to cell contents, including moves and copies, and also row and column insertions and deletions. Microsoft Excel does not keep track of the following types of changes:

Untracked change	Alternatives
Change sheet names	Changes aren't highlighted on the sheet tabs, but are tracked in the History worksheet (History worksheet: A separate worksheet that lists changes being tracked in a shared workbook, including the name of the person who made the change, when and where it was made, what data was deleted or replaced, and how conflicts were resolved.).
Insert or delete worksheets	Changes to a worksheet after it's inserted are tracked, but the insertion itself is not tracked.
Format cells or data	None
Hide or unhide rows or columns	None
Add or change comments	None
Cells that change because a formula calculates a new value	To find cells that change due to recalculation, use the tools on the Auditing toolbar.
Unsaved changes	You can highlight changes as you make them, but changes appear in the History worksheet only after they're saved.

Change tracking is available only in shared workbooks (shared workbook: A workbook set up to allow multiple users on a network to view and make changes at the same time. Each user who saves the workbook sees the changes made by other users.). As a result, features that are unavailable for use in shared workbooks also are not tracked as changes.

Show Features unavailable in shared workbooks

You can access the following features only if you stop sharing the workbook.

You cannot use shared workbooks (shared workbook: A workbook set up to allow multiple users on a network to view and make changes at the same time. Each user who saves the workbook sees the changes made by other users.) on Web servers.

Unavailable feature	Alternatives
Insert or delete blocks of cells	You can insert entire rows and columns.
Delete worksheets	None
Merge cells or split merged cells	None
Add or change conditional formats	Existing conditional formats continue to appear as cell values change, but you can't change these formats or redefine the conditions.
Add or change data validation	Cells continue to be validated when you type new values, but you can't change existing data validation settings.
Create or change charts or PivotChart reports	You can view existing charts and reports.
Insert or change pictures or other objects	You can view existing pictures and objects.
Insert or change hyperlinks	Existing hyperlinks continue to work.
Use drawing tools	You can view existing drawings and graphics.
Assign, change, or remove passwords (password: A way to restrict access to a workbook, worksheet, or part of a worksheet. Excel passwords can be up to 255 letters, numbers, spaces, and symbols. You must type uppercase and lowercase letters correctly when you set and enter passwords.)	Existing passwords remain in effect.
Protect or unprotect worksheets or the workbook	Existing protection remains in effect.
Create, change, or view scenarios	None
Group or outline data	You can continue to use existing outlines.
Insert automatic subtotals	You can view existing subtotals.
Create data tables (data table: A range of cells that shows the results of substituting different values in one or more formulas. There are two types of data tables: one-input tables and two-input tables.)	You can view existing data tables.
Create or change PivotTable reports	You can view existing reports.
Write, record, change, view, or assign macros	You can run existing macros that don't access unavailable features. You can record shared workbook operations into a macro stored in another nonshared workbook.
Add or change Microsoft Excel 4 dialog sheets	None
Change or delete array formulas (array formula: A formula that performs multiple calculations on one or more sets of values, and then returns either a single result or multiple results. Array formulas are enclosed between braces { } and are entered by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.)	Existing array formulas continue to calculate correctly.