I'm wondering if this is a security feature. Presumably, a document containing a link to an external file would be a security risk because it contains the file path and allows more than just the visible table to be viewed when you open the workbook for editing.

Are you using the document inspector to cleanse your docx file? Are there security settings applied to this doc?

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Nothing like that at all, I have been using the same template (a docx document itself not a dotx) for 2 years, the excel object is not linked to any other document at all, just a worksheet saved within the document. I just open the document, the excel object works, then I save as, which it then continues to work, but when I then close it an reopen it the object has then changed to a picture.

All of this doesnt happen 100% of the time, it is at about 50% at the moment, the other 50% I can still access the object. It was happening randomly a few months ago, but in recent days it is really escallating, I am wondering if Microsoft has put an update out which is causing it