Link to spreadsheet - Re-saving Excel file overwrites InDesign table

[cprovancher66]

I have a multi-tabbed Excel spreadsheet I've imported into InDesign and formatted as several tables. Every time I make ANY changes to the Excel file – re-save, rename, move to a different folder – all the table links in my InDesign file get broken. I can relink to the .XLSX file, but then any changes to the tables I'd previously made in InDesign (e.g., deleted columns, resized columns, text edits) revert back to what I had in the original .XLS. 

This is turning into a huge time suck, since I need to update the spreadsheet periodically. Even if I try not to edit the spreadsheet, what happens if I accidentally move or save it in the future? Will every table in my document revert and blow up every time? Is there a way to "embed" a spreadsheet into InDesign to prevent this from happening? Thanks.

[Diane Burns · Accepted solution]

Not sure your exact goal, however...By default, Excel files are not linked to your InDesign file. See Preferences > File Handling > Link Spreadsheets, etc. This checkbox is OFF by default. 

If you want this setting on, so that your InDesign table updates when the Excel file is updated, the only way to preserve the formatting is to use Table Styles (with Cell styles), but certain settings cannot be maintained and have to be re-set. 

If you have a subscription to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), I have a lesson on this in my InDesign Tables course that covers details: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/indesign-tables/working-with-linked-word-and-excel-documents?u=212...

[cprovancher66]

Thanks, Diane. Sure, enough, that feature had been turned on in Preferences. No idea how.