Hi Michelle

Maybe you can use this add-in to get the values when you need them
There is a option to fill in the password

http://www.rondebruin.nl/merge.htm

Maybe you could have another workbook contains a macro that opens the other 20
workbooks.  The macro would need to know all the names and passwords for the
files.

(Saved from a previous post.)

Option Explicit
Sub testme()

   Dim myFileNames As Variant
   Dim myPasswords As Variant
   Dim iCtr As Long
   Dim myRealWkbk As Workbook
   Dim myRealWkbkName As String
   Dim wkbk As Workbook
   
   myRealWkbkName = "C:\my documents\excel\book1.xls"
   
   myFileNames = Array("C:\my documents\excel\book11.xls", _
                       "C:\my documents\excel\book21.xls", _
                       "C:\my other folder\book11.xls")
                       
   myPasswords = Array("pwd1", _
                       "pwd2", _
                       "pwd3")
                   
   If UBound(myFileNames) <> UBound(myPasswords) Then
       MsgBox "check names & passwords--qty mismatch!"
       Exit Sub
   End If
       
   Set myRealWkbk = Workbooks.Open(Filename:=myRealWkbkName, UpdateLinks:=0)
   
   For iCtr = LBound(myFileNames) To UBound(myFileNames)
       Set wkbk = Nothing
       On Error Resume Next
       Set wkbk = Workbooks.Open(Filename:=myFileNames(iCtr), _
                                   Password:=myPasswords(iCtr))
       On Error GoTo 0
       
       If wkbk Is Nothing Then
           MsgBox "Check file: " & myFileNames(iCtr)
           Exit Sub
       End If
     
       wkbk.Close savechanges:=False
   Next iCtr
   
End Sub

Does anyone know why this happens? I will soon be writing similar
summary files, so it may be apropros for me. But when I test it, my
links update without requiring the passwords.