Reseller Mike: thanks for the great TIP !!!! I found a neat freebie program on the web called "tabs2spaces". It can run directly against the clipboard, so all I have to do is copy, run and paste. The run part takes just a few seconds. http://bluefive.pair.com/tabs2spaces.htm Now my excel tables come out with all columns alligned perfectly ! The imbedded tabs were the problem just as you surmised.