RefTreeAnalyser: What's New

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Current version: 6.0, build 258

Fixed an issue pertaining to scroll wheel support.

Release history

6.0, build 258 (2026-10-20)

Fixed an issue pertaining to scroll wheel support

6.0, build 257 (2026-10-19)

Released October 19, 2026. This release adds two new ways to support a workbook review:

Audit Workbook reports formula issues, data-validation and conditional-formatting rule issues, and missing or inaccessible links. Findings distinguish review warnings from confirmed defects.
Save Formulas and Compare Formulas capture snapshots and report added, changed and removed formulas. This compares formulas, not calculated values or all workbook content.

See the report examples or download the current version. Existing users should check their update entitlement before replacing an older installation.

5.1, build 256 (2026-09-25)

Updated the look and feel of the style picker dialog
Updated the detailed worksheet references report

5.1, build 255 (2026-09-18)

All dialog screens will open on the same screen and position where they were last closed (Windows only)

5.1, build 254 (2026-09-16)

Two small bugs fixed

5.1, build 253 (2026-09-14)

Internal build

5.1, build 252 (2026-09-14)

A small bug was fixed in the "Find a Sheet" dialog
Now you can use the mouse wheel to scroll in the dialog screens (Windows Excel only)
Optimized cleanup routines to avoid unnecessary cleanup calls when a workbook is saved or closed
Fixed compile issues in older versions of Excel

5.1, build 251 (2026-08-11)

3D worksheet references are now properly detected and are shown as a one parent node, with child nodes for each worksheet
The Sheet finder has been updated so it is clearer where the search characters are found in the worksheet names
Added a debugging log option to the project

5.1, build 250 (2026-07-07)

The accuracy of the formula parser has been improved
Improved the performance of finding object references
The Formula report now lists the number of cells with that formula

5.1, build 249 (2026-05-27)

Updated Insert ToC form
Added an option to Style Picker which automatically extends the selection to cells with the same formula

5.1, build 248 (2026-05-21)

Fixed bugs in Insert ToC

5.1, build 247 (2026-05-15)

New feature: Style Picker
Improved startup time
Fixed issue regarding registration
Added tooltips to several buttons

5.1, build 246 (2026-03-30)

Improved Object References dialog
Improved performance of translating the interface
Speeded up cell animation and made it system independent
Fixed issue regarding grouped shapes getting ungrouped

5.1, build 245 (2026-02-23)

Ensured view does not change when a workbook is saved

5.1, build 244 (2026-02-03)

Added an option to check for updates, but manually download them (to avoid issues with malware detection)

5.1, build 243 (2026-01-27)

Fixed a small bug in the Interface translation engine
Fixed a bug pertaining to having both FastExcel and RefTreeAnalyser installed

5.1, build 242 (2026-01-07)

Enhanced the search in 'Find a sheet'
The RefersTo formula of a name is now shown in the Excel interface language

5.1, build 241 (2026-01-05)

Added localization. Languages: English, Dutch, German, French.

5.1, build 240

Fixed issue calling functions in Name Manager when user also has Fast Excel installed

5.1, build 239

Ensure active selection is retained rather than active cell
Improved finding UDF functions
Added option to list Queries and Connections in ToC
Optimized the unhiding of worksheets
Fixed flexfind issue: Clicking on "Change short-cut key" only works after first loading the add-in.
You can now disable the Name Manager and Flexfind short-cut keys

5.1, build 238

Updated label on Find a Sheet to indicate it searches all sheets, not just worksheets
Changed hot-key to open the find-a-sheet dialog to ctrl+Alt+PgDown
Cell Error report now includes the formulas
Made Find a Sheet form sizable and updated its colors
Enabled changing FlexFind short-cut key

5.1, build 237

Added Search worksheets feature
Precedents to include objects references by default (Hyperlink, Validation and Conditional Formats, PQ Queries)
Better display of object references in the tree
Objects on Chart sheets are now also analyzed

5.0, build 236

Added smaller precedents dialog

5.0, build 235

Fixed a bug affecting Excel 2024 and older

5.0, build 234

Added keyboard shortcuts to fully expand and collapse the trees (see tooltip on hover over the expander icons of the tree)

5.0, build 233

Optimized RTA ribbon for smaller width screens
Fixed bug, Flexfind window now stays visible when switching worksheets

5.0, build 232

Some improvements:

Adds boxes around cells with literals in their formulas and around cells sharing the same formula.
Fixed Name Manager short-cut key issue.

5.0, build 231

A new version with all sorts of improvements:

Updated design of dialogs and reports
Turn on focus cell when traversing references
Fixed issue with progress screen
Made dialogs sizeable for Mac
Ensured Short-cut keys for FlexFind and Name Manager work immediately
Updated cell error report to cater for merged cells and hidden cells
Fixed issue with finding references used by charts
Some bugfixes and enhancements to selecting cells with the same formula

4.0, build 230

Fixed a bug in the Circular reference finder

4.0, build 229

Added "Select cells with same formula" to the Select menu in the References group

4.0, build 228

Fixed small bug

4.0, build 227

Improved performance of Cell error report. Improved update process so less messages appear. Hide Cell Highlighter button when ActiveX controls are disabled.

4.0, build 226

Fixed issue with the Objects dialog

4.0, build 225

Fixed issue for workbooks returning an Out of Memory error on the Names collection

4.0, build 224

Fixed an issue regarding handling the Name Manager and Flexfind companion add-ins.Fixed a bug in the Cell Error report

4.0, build 223

Fixed some startup issues with protected documents. Added count of objects on objects tree. Added Cell Error report.

4.0, build 222

Fixed issue when Excel is set to show its start screen.
Visualize: Improved display of table columns so the header is included.

4.0, build 221

Fixed bug: the tables drop-down on the RefTreeAnalsyer ribbon didn't always display the current table name.
Added What's new button to the Help drop-down.
Fixed issues for people also having FastExcel installed.
Fixed compile error for old Excel versions.

4.0, build 220

Added work-around for an Excel bug caused by merged cells which caused incomplete analysis of formulas on sheets with merged cells.

4.0, build 219

Improved selecting cells with formulas with hard-coded numbers
Fixed small bug (highlighting of the reference in the dialog)
Updating process works with new asp.net website

4.0, build 218

Removed short-cut keys for Name Manager and FlexFind (these are now controlled by these add-ins)
Fixed bug in Object references
Improved Tile function
Fixed bug in finding references when the active cell is a named range.

4.0, build 217 (2024-11-11)

- Integrated two popular addins (which also auto-update):
o FlexFind
o Name Manager
- Added sheet and table drop-downs to the ribbon for quick navigation
- Improved the UI, like tooltips
- Detects when a policy disables ribbon customization (which causes the RefTreeAnalyser tab not to appear)
- The question to purchase a new license will only be shown twice. After that, automatic updates is turned off.

3.1, build 216 (2024-10-18)

Several bug fixes regarding ribbon handling and menu creation

3.1, build 215 (2024-10-11)

Updated right-click cell menu.
Added RefTreeAnalyser to right-click menu of Tables.
Some users experienced crashes, due to the option to display buttons on Formulas tab of the ribbon. Therefore this option has been removed

3.1, build 214 (2024-10-07)

If a formula contains a named range, it now displays the formula of that named range and its precedents

3.1, build 213

Improved error tracing
No longer removes hotkey preferences when add-in is uninstalled
Handle new 'trim empty cells' reference .:.
Improved display of values in precedents tree
Improved design of precedents/dependents form for better readability
Removed $ signs from cell references in some labels for better readability
Fixed issue with @ references.

3.1, build 212

Fixed issue where visible area changes when tracing dependents. Fixed range selection when reference is outside of the viewable range. Improved filtering of found objects

3.1, build 211

Fixed issue with OK button of the ToC dialog not responding to a mouse click.

3.1, build 210

Shows "What's new", the first time an updated version is loaded. When timing formulas takes very long, RefTreeAnalyser will temporarily show an option to stop the timing. When you click the Precedents button (or its short-cut key) and an object is selected and not a range of cells, RefTreeAnalyser will show the references used by the object.

3.1, build 209

Small bugfix

3.1, build 208

Added option in Settings to disable animation of selection

3.1, build 207

Fixed error on hard-coded number cells when sheet has no formulas. Improved performance of selecting nodes in the precedents tree. Fixed issue when running off-sheet references on a workbook with workbook protection.

3.1, build 206

New menu item: Select cells with hard-coded numbers

3.1, build 205

Fixed an issue with protected sheets when analysing sheet links

3.1, build 204

Updated functions list; Fixed bug pertaining to perpetual licenses; Fixed bug dependents error; Fixed bug circular references OneDrive files

3.1, build 203

Added search in conditional formatting: databars, color scales and icon sets, Added Python support, Fixed bug in highlighting reference in formula, Fixed bug in Visualize, Fixed bug in insert link to ToC, Fixed bug in Formula report, now ignores text values starting with =

3.1, build 202

Improved sheet interaction report. Added option to settings to keep pre-existing report sheets or overwrite them

3.1, build 201

Fixed form positioning for Mac

3.1, build 200

RefTreeAnalyser tries to prevent windows from appearing off-screen when you change from a large to a smaller display

3.1, build 199

Fixed wording of report sheet dialog. Fixed report sheet causing display of gridlines to change. Fixed bug in insert ToC for Excel in different languages.

3.1, build 198

Asks to re-use existing report sheets. Cancel the unprotect workbook or worksheet dialog and it will not reappear for other worksheets. You can now filter the Objects list.

3.1, build 197

Fixed some issues regarding the size of the dialogs. Fixed Mac registration bug

3.1, build 196

Cater for EnableCalculation setting of worksheets, improved Sheet stats report, improved Formula report, unprotect sheets before all sheet stats.

3.1, build 195

Enabled perpetual licenses (available on request)

3.1, build 194

ToC now shows if a table is part of the Data Model and if a pivot table uses the Data Model

3.1, build 193

Fixed an issue in Off-sheet references.

3.1, build 192

Fixed a display issue in Analyze Objects.

3.1, build 191

Fixed bug regarding highlighting named ranges containing . Characters. Added option to hide the display of cell values in the reference tree

3.1, build 190

Fixed a bug that caused run-time errors when using the Check Formulas option. Made the dialogs compatible with screen reader software for the visually impaired. First build that is Mac compatible!

3.1, build 189

If the formula returns a range reference (like the INDIRECT, INDEX and XLOOKUP functions do), this is shown in the dependents tree

3.1, build 188

Improved display of object references

3.1, build 187

Improved highlighting feature: changed highlighting method

3.1, build 186

Improved highlighting feature: limit how often it causes scrolling

3.1, build 185

Improved highlighting feature by reducing how often it recalculates. Added more levels to the dependents/precedents dialog

3.0, build 183

Improved cell highlighting feature

3.0, build 182

New feature: highlight cells with the same formula

3.0, build 181

Fixed bug in Circular reference feature

3.0, build 180

Fixed that the VBA Editor Control toolbox opens up when tracing dependents.

3.0, build 179

Added a Report button to the Check formulas feature. Changed ToC behavior: don't insert row for sheets already containing a hyperlink to the ToC.

3.0, build 178

Now also finds references in ColosScales Conditional formats

3.0, build 177

RefTreeAnalyser now adds External links to the Table of Content.

3.0, build 176

Fixed a bug pertaining to older Excel versions (2007-2016)

3.0, build 175

New version number! The new feature to count all udfs and LAMBDAs in your file has been vastly improved. Now uses top-left cell of a spill range to find formula precedents.

2.0, build 174

Improved 'Select cells with dependents'; Added counting UDF and LAMBDA functions.

2.0, build 173

Added warning message if you ask to find too many cells with dependents

2.0, build 172

Fixed a bug in "Off-sheet references"

2.0, build 171

Not published

2.0, build 170

Improved sorting of chart series nodes on Objects dialog

2.0, build 169

Fixed an issue with the Analyze off-sheet references tool

2.0, build 168

Worked around a bug which Microsoft introduced

2.0, build 167

Fixed a bug which I introduced in build 166 :-(

2.0, build 166

Two updates: 1. The link back to the ToC is now independent of the name of the file. 2. If you press Precedents when a chart is selected, you get all references pertaining to that chart.

2.0, build 165

Added Tables to the table of content option

2.0, build 164

Added Form and ActiveX controls to the table of content option

2.0, build 163

Ensured obscure reference containing both a table total row and a cell outside the table works.

2.0, build 162

Bug fix for 64 bit Office.

2.0, build 161

Workaround for rare error regarding SAP add-in.

2.0, build 160

Small bug fix to ensure backward compatibility with Excel 2013 and older.

2.0, build 159

The display of objects has been improved.

2.0, build 158

RefTreeAnalyser now recognizes external references in charts and no longer ignores them.

2.0, build 157

Fixed bug in Search Objects feature: chart titles with formulas are now properly listed with their charts.

2.0, build 156

Small fix for Excel 64 bit.

2.0, build 155

Added two new options: 1. Generate a Table of Contents and 2. Added a feedback button which takes you to a small survey so you can tell me what you like and what you do not like.

2.0, build 154

Fixed a bug relating to 64 bit Office. This is a recommended update if you are using 64 Office, which nowadays is the default version installed with a Microsoft 365 license

2.0, build 153

Internal version

2.0, build 152

Improved performance and added an option to prevent the tool from offering to unprotect worksheets

2.0, build 151

Added PowerQuery M code to Object search. Fixed a bug regarding finding cell references in Objects

2.0, build 150

Added a Reset button to the settings screen to remove registration details

2.0, build 149

You can now choose whether or not to display references in your formula more than once

2.0, build 148

Fixed the wrong calculation setting (use 1 core only) of the add-in

2.0, build 147

Improved the layout of the Object references dialog

2.0, build 146

Fixed problem with not finding reference due to an alt+enter character in the formula

2.0, build 145

Fixed problem with not finding reference to total row of tables in the format Table1[[#Totals],[May-2019]]

2.0, build 144

VBA Project is now signed with a trusted code signing certificate

2.0, build 143

Improved the Check Formulas interface

2.0, build 142

Fixed a bug regarding handling of string literals in a formula

2.0, build 141

Couple of bugs fixed

2.0, build 140

Enabled selecting pivot table belonging to pivot chart

2.0, build 139

Changed check for registration

2.0, build 138

Fixed a registration issue

2.0, build 137

Fixed a visualization issue

2.0, build 135

Fixed an issue with finding references in chart SERIES formula

2.0, build 134

Improved finding, displaying and reporting of cell references used by Objects

2.0, build 133

Not published

2.0, build 132

Updated the tool so it works with the new Excel Data Types (Geography and Stock) and with the new Dynamic Array references

2.0, build 131

Improved display of Object dependencies, improved tiling windows next to Excel.

2.0, build 130

Not published

2.0, build 129

Improved performance of formula checking and reporting significantly

2.0, build 128

Added code to improve updating experience

2.0, build 127

Adapted site addresses to use https

2.0, build 126

Fixed runtime error due to third-party add-ins when checking if tool is installed

2.0, build 125

Included Array formulas in circular reference checks

2.0, build 124

Updated "phone home" for registration

2.0, build 122

Fixed a bug with finding Dependents introduced with build 121

2.0, build 121

Improved performance of Dependents search

2.0, build 120

Fixed a small bug

2.0, build 119

Added Report Function Count, which reports a count of all Excel functions used in your model

2.0, build 118

Added an option to settings to enable or disable automatic unhiding of worksheets

2.0, build 117

Improved working of Tile option placing the dialog next to the Excel window, Improved reporting of formulas

2.0, build 116

Enabled Cyrillic (and other non-western) character set for table names

2.0, build 115

Fixed a small bug only occurring when you have a chart sheet selected

2.0, build 114

Improved performance on analyzing conditional formatting formulas

2.0, build 113

Finally fixed an intermittent issue with the Visualize functionality on Excel 2016

2.0, build 112

Fixed progress bar problems (Excel 2013, 2016) by enabling user to use taskbar instead

2.0, build 111

Improved performance for Excel 2013 and 2016

2.0, build 110

Build 109 caused 64 bit versions of Excel to crash, this is fixed in this build.

2.0, build 109

Fixed repositioning of screen when re-activating dialog from Excel

2.0, build 108

Added jump to pivotsource when you trace precedents when in a pivottable

2.0, build 107

Fixed bug where range names were no longer listed (introduced with build 105)

2.0, build 106

Fixed issue with short-cut keys not responding immediately after opening Excel

2.0, build 105

Fixed bug, Pivottables were not listed when pointing to a table name

2.0, build 104

Improved scrolling the selected cells into the viewable area of the screen

2.0, build 103

Fixed not selecting off-sheet references from the precedents/dependents trees (bug introduced in build 102)

2.0, build 102

Fixed bug changing objects hotkey; added work-around for people having issues with the Visualize option; fixed an issue with selecting objects from the tree view.

2.0, build 101

Added workaround for Excel bug affecting the "Display Equation" function in non-English Excel versions

2.0, build 100

Fixed bug regarding visualizing merged cells

2.0, build 099

Fixed small bug in report formulas

2.0, build 098

Added a new function: Display formula as a mathematical equation

2.0, build 097

Improved scrolling within a table

2.0, build 096

Added back double-click functionality to the tree view (same action as clicking Do ActiveCell

2.0, build 094

Fixed a bug causing crashes of Excel 2013 and 2016 when other certain add-ins are loaded

2.0, build 093

Fixed a bug pertaining to unhiding worksheets

2.0, build 092

Fixed a bug related to Excel 2013 and 2016; Improved Off-sheet references report to include checks for Tables and range names

2.0, build 091

Fixed a number of bugs

2.0, build 088

Added an off-sheet references report which visualizes the inter-sheet formula links of your workbook

2.0, build 087

VBA code signed with new certificate

2.0, build 085

Fixed bug regarding setting error tracing hotkey

2.0, build 084

Fixed objects bug and added automatic update of precedents/dependents tracking

2.0, build 083

Fixed a bug in the sheet stats module

2.0, build 082

Fixed a bug regarding whole-column references

2.0, build 081

Improved error tracing, fixed bug regarding sheet names with a pipe character

2.0, build 080

Improved performance finding dependents, improved how Objects are listed

2.0, build 079

Fixed a number of windowing problems related to Excel 2013 and 2016, fixed a bug in the Find Object references

2.0, build 078

Fixed hang when using check formulas

2.0, build 077

Fixed asking for passwords when saving files

2.0, build 076

Fixed error message when quitting Excel without open workbooks.

2.0, build 075

Added unprotecting/protecting of workbook and worksheets, Fixed issue with removal of arrows

2.0, build 073

Fixed small bug regarding editing the formula in the dialog

2.0, build 072

Fixed window handling for Excel 2013 and up

2.0, build 071

Fixed small issue with formula report and worksheet names that resemble dates

2.0, build 070

Fixed a small bug

2.0, build 069

Fixed bug (tree view not responding)

2.0, build 068

Added Alt key support for hotkeys

2.0, build 067

Avoid trying to remove arrows when no arrows have been added

2.0, build 066

Improved grouping in the Objects dialog, fixed screen updating bug

2.0, build 065

Improved calculation timer

2.0, build 064

Fixed a window resizing bug

2.0, build 063

Fixed bug regarding startup screen not appearing in Excel 2013 (caused by an Office 2013 Update)

2.0, build 062

Fixed a bug regarding registration of hotkeys

2.0, build 061

Fixed bug regarding startup screen not appearing in Excel 2013

2.0, build 060

Added the "Formula Report" functionality

2.0, build 059

Fixed a compile error

2.0, build 058

Changed registration behavior, registered copies no longer access the Internet to check for registration

2.0, build 057

Small optimizations

2.0, build 056

Fixed bug regarding local range names

2.0, build 055

Added highlight formula blocks on "Check formulas" dialog, Improved performance of Check formulas.

2.0, build 053

Added ability to disable hotkeys

2.0, build 052

Added double-click functionality to the tree views

2.0, build 051

Added hotkey support for Objects and Check Formulas.

2.0, build 050

Improved reporting by adding hyperlinks; fixed some bugs

2.0, build 049

Improved progress bar for searching objects, prevented blank workbook when opening files from network shares

2.0, build 048

Made object search optional in find precedents/dependents

2.0, build 047

Beta version

2.0, build 046

Fixed a bug regarding Visualization

2.0, build 045

Objects are now also analyzed when tracing dependents and precedents.

2.0, build 044

Added new Object References option

2.0, build 043

Fixed an issue with opening empty workbooks in 64 bit Excel 2013

Fixed issue with leaving an entry in the find dialog

2.0, build 042

Visualization: Improved placement of pictures of cells which are out of view

2.0, build 041

Added an option to change the visualization colors

2.0, build 040

Visualize now also available for Excel 2003

2.0, build 039

Fixed a bug pertaining to Excel 2003 and 2007

2.0, build 037

Added a new option to the tool: Visualize precedents. The precedents of a cell are visualized directly on the worksheet, a vast improvement on the built-in show precedents option.

2.0, build 036

Improved reporting

2.0, build 035

Improved tracing errors function

2.0, build 034

Minor bug fix regarding Excel 2013 windows.

2.0, build 033

Important update: fixed some bugs in the multi-level precedents searching

2.0, build 032

Improved the error trace tool and the functioning of the stop button.

2.0, build 031

Fixed a bug for Excel 2013, prevented another message from being covered by the application's screens

2.0, build 030

Fixed bug where RefTreeAnalyser removed the License registration information when unchecking the add-in

2.0, build 029

Fixed a bug for Excel 2013, prevents messages being covered by the application's screens

2.0, build 028

Fixed a compile error in Excel 2003

2.0, build 027

Minor bug fix

2.0, build 026

Fixed bug regarding files opened in protected mode

2.0, build 025

Fixed bug with absolute cell references to multiple columns.

2.0, build 024

Prevented unnecessary scrolling

2.0, build 023

Minor bug fix

2.0, build 022

Improved returning to previous selection after closing the tool

2.0, build 021

Fixed an Excel 2007 issue

2.0, build 020

Added a separate add-in file (.xla) for Excel 2003 and before.

2.0, build 019

Fixed that the about button in Excel 2003 sometimes opened the About screen of another add-in.

2.0, build 018

Fixed some problems related to Excel 2003.

2.0, build 017

Fixed some problems related to Excel 2003.

2.0, build 015

Fixed that the About screen does not show proper registration status

2.0, build 014

Fixed a compile error that only Excel 2003 exhibits.

2.0, build 013

Fixed a problem related to setting hotkeys.

Made sure form position is remembered (and can be reset).

2.0, build 012

It is now possible to change the hotkeys.

I have also made sure that when an update is available, the help file is automatically updated.

2.0, build 011

64 bit version

Improved circular reference algorithm

Error tracing added

Time range calculations

Check range for inconsistent formulas

Sheet statistics added

1.0.26

RefTreeAnalyser does not error out when started whilst editing a cell

1.0.25

Show message if no precedents/dependents have been found

1.0.23

Prevent error message when workbook has protected worksheets

1.0.21

RefTreeAnalyser now handles structured tables references

1.0.18

Fixed a small screen resizing problem

1.0.17

Fixed a minor issue regarding double operators such as >=

1.0.16

Hotkeys to start the tool

Improved reporting

1.0.14

Included Help file and a Help button on both the find references and the find circular references screens

Added an entry on the cell right click menu to access the tool.

Updating your installation

Check for updates from Settings. A standard license includes one year of updates; after that, keep a backup of the version covered by your license. See automatic and manual update checks.

For supported Excel versions and platform differences, use the compatibility summary. Historical release notes describe the versions available at the time, not the current support policy.

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