Edit defined names in Excel for Mac 2016

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Level 1

19 points

Edit defined names in Excel for Mac 2016

Hi there:

I am trying to understand how to edit the name of a defined name in Excel 2016 for Mac.

First question:

I am copying a worksheet template within a workbook. I have a defined name that is something like: lkup_SepSales, I want to change it to lkup_OctSales. I can do that really easily in Excel for Windows, but I need to understand if is possible in Excel 2016 for Mac

Second question:

Is it even necessary to do this? Are the names workbook-based (global) or worksheet-based (local) - to me they seem to be local, in which case this becomes irrelevant?

Guidance would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

-Michael

MacBook Pro, macOS High Sierra (10.13.1)

Posted on Nov 8, 2017 5:16 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Allan Jones

Level 9

72,728 points

Nov 9, 2017 9:25 AM in response to mwmentor

As Office and Excel are not Apple products, allow me to recommend you ask in the MS user forums here:

Results in Office - Microsoft Community

I find there are not a lot of Office users in these Apple forums and, in the MAS forums, you will be talking to other Mac users who are all Office users.

NOTE: As seems common to all forums lately, MS has recently made theirs harder to use. When you go to the link I posted you need to use the "Show Filters" link to ferret out Mac questions:

The "Office Sub-Topic" filter (on the right) is the one that narrows the inquiry to Mac questions,

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Answer 2

mwmentor Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 9, 2017 9:25 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thanks folks.

I have asked and had a reply that was mostly satisfactory. If anyone is interested, go the Formulas menu, click on <Define Name>, select the name that you want to change, make the change and click <OK>. You will notice that you now have two names pointing at the same cell-range - delete the name no longer required.

And herewith the caveat/sting in the tail: unlike the Windows version, the Mac version will not update any formulas containing the replaced name. That will have to be done manually, however, what you can do is Show Formulas (also found in the Formulas menu) and then use the Search-and-Replace tool to update formulas as required. Can make life a lot easier than digging around and doing things completely manually.

Hope that this helps someone.

Cheers.

-Michael

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Answer 3

Nov 8, 2017 7:29 AM in response to mwmentor

You might try asking your Microsoft Office questions in the Microsoft Office help communities located here:

Microsoft Community

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Answer 4

Nov 9, 2017 9:27 AM in response to mwmentor

There are many differences between Excel for Mac and Excel for Windows:

Compare Excel 2016 for Mac with Excel 2013 for Windows - Excel for Mac

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