Excel 2013 screen refresh problem

Question

I have been upgraded at work to Office 2013, and I find that Excel 2013 has a problem with screen refreshing.

While a macro runs, I turn off screen updating for speed, then turn it back on at the end. Been working fine in 2007 for years. However with Excel 2013, the ribbon does not get repainted, including the "File / HOME / INSERT / ..." line and the minimise/size/close "buttons" [_^X] in the top right corner.

This area seems to be white (or maybe a light shade of grey). There are no active areas left, so one cannot click where it expects something (such as "close", or any ribbon element) to cause anything to happen. I've tried searching Microsoft etc for news on a fix but no joy (it could be my poor search thoughts that doesn't find anything).

..

Has anyone else run across this screen refresh issue?

..

Excel is patched up to date, so there's no outstanding fixes to be applied. I found by experimenting the only way to get things restored is to run a quick macro at the end to resize the Excel window then put it back the way it was.

1. Using a macro to minimise the ribbon (twice .. it toggles the setting) does not fix the display problem, I just end up with cloned 'picture' of the formula bar area above the real one, and still no ability to click on anything to "do something".
2. If I don't turn off screen updating, the problem does not occur .. but ... the macro runs very slow (as one would expect) so is not the solution.
3. Until the real cause is found & fixed, I have had to write this simple VBA macro that I call at the end of the main macro to nullify the problem, but shouldn't have to do this.  It does cause a quick flicker but at least Excel remains usable after the macro runs.

---

Sub Repaint4Excel_Ribbon_Bug()

' THE FOLLOWING CODE ALL DUE TO EXCEL 2013 BUG ... force the window to shrink and restore back to get the ribbon etc painted correctly...

wk_Curr_Window_State = Application.WindowState

wk_Curr_Window_Width = Application.Width

wk_Curr_Window_Height = Application.Height

Application.WindowState = xlNormal 'Collapse the excel window

Application.Width = 225 ' make the window really small to force Excel rethink ribbon content ...

Application.Height = 271.5 ' both vertically and horizontally

' now restore the original window settings

Application.Width = wk_Curr_Window_Width

Application.Height = wk_Curr_Window_Height

Application.WindowState = wk_Curr_Window_State

End Sub

---

Answer 1

Apologies for taking so long to reply.  Somehow missed the emails about the update to the post.

..

No, I never figured it out.   Just had to leave the macro I included in the post in place, fortunately it doesn't slow the macro down (maybe an extra second or less to "run" the extra few lines before the main macro ends).

Just a right pain!

Answer 2

Did you ever figure this out?  I am experiencing the issue?

My solution is to select the sheet at the end of the macro.  (after you turn screen updating on again)  Which slows the macro.

Answer 3

Still a major issue for me, and it's not just with macros.

Sometimes buttons disappear.

Sometimes buttons get reallllllly tiny.

Sometimes I adjust the column width at the top of the column, but the visible cells don't change until I scroll them off the screen and back on.

Sometimes I click on a tab, it highlights, but the visible screen content doesn't change. If I type in a visible cell,

it goes into the highlighted tab, not the visible one.

Sometimes a button from another sheet "shows through" onto another tab.

It's as if the little video station master inside isn't paying attention, doesn't acknowledge that change has come down the track and arrived at the platform until he somehow gets slapped upside the head, then, "Oh yeah, I guess I better refresh!!".

It's makin me crazy.

I've run back to earlier video drivers to no avail.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having problems like this,

but  I'm sorry others are having this problem.

Know what I mean?

It   is   making   me   crazy.