How can I permanently prevent Excel from setting all new documents to R1C1 mode?

Question

Every time I create a new excel sheet, I have to go in and change it's cell reference mode to the familiar A1, B1, etc. I can't seem to find a way to permanently set it to A1 style.

Is there a macro I can write or a way to use templates or something, so that I don't have to keep changing the R1C1 setting?

Answer 1

In Office 2007, Click the Office button and click Excel Options which you will find at the end near Exit Excel.

Go to Formulas tab and under Working with formulas, Check or uncheck R1C1 reference style to use it or to change it to A1 reference style.

If it doesn't stick you have some problem with a personal.xls or the default template or something I guess...

EDIT:

Try this first: Close all spreadsheets down. Assuming you have created one previously, unhide your Personal.xls workbook (Window>Unhide) and then uncheck the R1C1 reference style. Save your Personal.xls, rehide & close down Excel (clicking Yes to save changes to Personal.xls). With any luck you should now have your default A1 style back. You will have to repeat the above with any other workbooks in your XLSTART directory and/or the start up location in Tools>Options>General tab.

Then this: Help > Detect & Repair.
If no good, try http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291288

Last resort: Use Start > Run excel /regserver
NOTE the space after "excel"

Answer 2

You could create a toolbar button that allows you to change the worksheet to A1 type referencing. This Excel macro will do the job:

  Sub useA1references ()
      Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1
  End Sub

If that works, you can set the macro to run whenever you open Excel or create a new workbook.

Answer 3

I suppose the template has been saved with the R1C1 option. Maybe you can open it, change the option and overwrite the original template?

Answer 4

As In.Spite mentioned, it's probably a default template issue. If you overwrite the default with one that has the R1C1 reference box unchecked, it should remember the setting.

Here's as KB describing where you can find the default template: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924460

Locate the template, open it, untick the `R1C1 reference box, and overwrite the old template.

Answer 5

Not directly applicable, but...

For some of my purposes R1C1 notation is very useful, so I made a macro that toggles it and attached it to a toolbar button:

With Application
    If .ReferenceStyle = xlA1 Then
        .ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1
    Else
        .ReferenceStyle = xlA1
    End If

End With ' Application