# Pasting excel charts into word changes the currency



## Mentally_Hilarious (Jul 28, 2011)

Hi,

I'm tearing my hair out over this because I can't see the obvious solution that I'm missing.

I have a load of very simple charts that I want to copy and paste into an word document. They paste fine, keep the formatting and size, but when I save and reopen the word file it's changed all my currency symbols from £ to $ and it's driving me mad.

It's only on a reopen, it's not to do with the system regional settings because I've checked that; the currency symbol is automatically a £ sign in excel. I've tried linking the axis number to the source, unlinking it but that doesn't help.

What is word doing, deciding to change the currency symbol? Is it converting the document somehow on opening?

I'm on Office Mac 2011, and I can't find anyone else having this issue. Someone put me out of my misery!!!

Thanks


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## Mentally_Hilarious (Jul 28, 2011)

Actually, checking again - if I don't link the axis number format to the source in the chart, excel will change the currency on reopen as well.


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## SydneyGeek (Jul 28, 2011)

You can copy the charts as pictures or use Paste Special to paste them as pictures; then they will not update, but neither will any fonts or currencies change. 

Denis


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## Mentally_Hilarious (Jul 28, 2011)

SydneyGeek said:


> You can copy the charts as pictures or use Paste Special to paste them as pictures; then they will not update, but neither will any fonts or currencies change.
> 
> Denis



I tried that and because it's a picture it stays in the same currency format as it started. But because this needs to be printed out, and fairly small, it means that the labels and numbers become pretty fuzzy. They're clearer when you paste as an excel object.

Oddly enough I think I've found a solution but I don't know why it works. The system region settings mean that excel chooses '£' as the currency. When reopening, it changes it to a custom format with dollar signs. (I've tried deleting the custom format but it comes back!!).

However, if rather than choosing '£' as the symbol, and you pick '£ English (United Kingdom)' it seems to stick, even after reopening.

Now all I need to know is how to change that to the default.


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## SydneyGeek (Jul 28, 2011)

Do you need this custom format in Word or Excel?

Denis


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## Mentally_Hilarious (Jul 28, 2011)

That's the thing, I don't need a custom format at all - I just want my £-signs to stay as £-signs.

Using the '£ English (United Kingdom)' does work, but because the system defaults just back to the regular '£' currency option, I'd have to change it every time I do the graphs. Unfortunately this seems to be the only one that doesn't screw up my graphs after saving.


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## SydneyGeek (Jul 28, 2011)

Hmmm... 

I can't say that I have come across this before. Maybe that's because I use $ symbols so any conversion is not apparent, if it happens at all. 

How many graphs are you working with?

Denis


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