We theoretically investigate the properties of neutral and charged excitons in vertically coupled quantum dots, as a function of the in-plane magnetic field. The single-particle states are computed by numerically solving the 3D effective-mass equation, while the neutral- and charged-exciton states are obtained by means of a configuration interaction approach. We show that the field determines an enhancement of the interdot correlations, resulting in unexpected carrier localization. The field effect on the excitonic binding energies is also discussed, and is shown to strongly depend on the charging. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.