Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is Microsoft technology for placing content created in one application—such as an Excel worksheet or chart—inside a document made in another. The key choice is whether the document links to separately stored source data or contains an embedded copy: a link can reflect later source changes, while an embedded object stays with the document and does not automatically update.
What does OLE mean?
OLE originally stands for Object Linking and Embedding. Microsoft describes it as “a mechanism that allows users to create and edit documents containing items or ‘objects’ created by multiple applications.” In practical terms, it lets a document use content made in another application. Microsoft documentation generally calls the technology OLE today; some parts that were not about linking and embedding became known as Active technology.
For example, a Word document can contain worksheet cells or a chart created in Excel. The content can be linked to its source or embedded in the Word file, and those choices affect storage, updates, and portability.
How are linked and embedded objects different?
The distinction is where the object’s source data lives and whether changes to that source can flow into the destination document.
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| Choice | Where the data lives | What happens when the source changes? | Portability and file size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linked object | The data remains in its source file; the destination stores a reference to the source and a representation of the content. | The linked information can be updated from the source. | The destination depends on access to the source, which may become unavailable if its location changes. The destination can be smaller because it does not contain the source data. |
| Embedded object | The object’s data is stored inside the destination document. | Changes made later to the original source do not automatically change the embedded copy. | The object travels with the destination, making it more self-contained. The destination can be larger because it contains the data. |
These are different storage and update behaviors, not simply different ways to display the same content. Choose linking when the destination should reflect a separately maintained source and that source will remain accessible. Choose embedding when the document should carry its own copy or later source changes should not flow into it.
What does OLE look like in Word and Excel?
Microsoft’s example is inserting Excel worksheet cells into Word as an Excel object. Double-clicking the object can open Excel so you can work with the worksheet content. If the Word report should reflect a separately maintained worksheet, linking lets source updates flow through. If the report should keep a contained copy, embedding stores the object’s data in the Word document.
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In short, a linked Excel object is useful when the worksheet remains the maintained source; an embedded one is useful when the Word file should carry the worksheet content with it. The destination document’s behavior follows the choice made when inserting the object.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are OLE’s technical foundations?
Microsoft describes three foundations for OLE compound documents: COM, structured storage, and uniform data transfer. OLE objects expose COM interfaces, including IOleObject and IOleLink; storage interfaces manage persisted object data; and OLE data-transfer formats support creating linked and embedded objects from transferred data.
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These internals matter chiefly to developers working with OLE objects and compound documents; users deciding between linking and embedding can focus on where the data is stored and how updates behave. Microsoft’s [MS-OLEDS] Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Data Structures specifies structures used to create documents containing linked or embedded objects. The specification page lists revision 13.0 dated 2024-04-23.
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