Knowledge Base

XL97: Unable to Delete or Hide Sheet1

Article ID: 155209

Article Last Modified on 10/19/2000

Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q155209

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, when you open a workbook that was created in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or 7.0, you may experience the following two problems:

You get a worksheet, titled Sheet1 inserted into the workbook. -and-
You cannot delete or hide "Sheet1" from the workbook unless you insert another visible sheet first.

CAUSE

You may experience the aforementioned problems if the workbook you created in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or 7.0 was a workbook containing one or more module sheets and no other sheets.

RESOLUTION

You will not initially be able to delete or hide the worksheet that is inserted into your workbook when you open your workbook in Microsoft Excel 97. You must always have one or more visible sheets in a workbook, and in Microsoft Excel 97, there is no way to unhide module sheets that were inserted in previous versions of Microsoft Excel. If you insert another visible sheet, you can delete or hide the "Sheet1" sheet.

STATUS

This is by design of Microsoft Excel 97.

MORE INFORMATION

If you encounter the aforementioned behavior, and you try to delete the inserted Sheet1, you receive the following error message:

A workbook must contain at least one visible worksheet.

To hide, delete, or move the selected sheet(s), you must first insert a new sheet or unhide a sheet that is already hidden.

In Microsoft Excel 97, you cannot insert new module sheets or unhide module sheets that were inserted into a workbook that was created in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel. Therefore, you must retain this extra worksheet that is inserted into your workbook. If you insert another visible sheet into the workbook (such as a chart sheet or a Microsoft Excel 5.0 dialog sheet), you can then delete or hide the "Sheet1" sheet that Microsoft Excel created.

REFERENCES

For more information about opening workbooks created in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

worksheets, overview

and then double-click the selected text to go to the "About workbooks and worksheets" topic.

Additional query words: off97 xl97

Keywords: kberrmsg KB155209