Button for macro in excel

You can use a Form control button or a command button (an ActiveX control) to run a macro that performs an action when a user clicks it. Both these buttons are also known as a push button, which can be set up to automate the printing of a worksheet, filtering data, or calculating numbers. In general, a Form control button and an ActiveX control command button are similar in appearance and function. However, they do have a few differences, which are explained in the following sections.

Button (Form control)

Command button (ActiveX control)

In the sections below, learn how to add a macro to a button in Excel—for Windows or the Mac.

Note: ActiveX controls are not supported on the Mac.

Macros and VBA tools can be found on the Developer tab, which is hidden by default.

The first step is to enable it. For more information, see the article: Show the Developer tab.

Add a button (Form control)

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Insert, and then under Form Controls, click Button .

2. Click the worksheet location where you want the upper-left corner of the button to appear. The Assign Macro popup window appears.

3. Assign a macro to the button, and then click OK.

4. To specify the control properties of the button, right-click the button, and then click Format Control.

Add a command button (ActiveX control)

1. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Insert, and then under ActiveX Controls, click Command Button .

2. Click the worksheet location at which you want the upper-left corner of the command button to appear.

3. In the Controls group, click View Code. This launches the Visual Basic Editor. Ensure that Click is chose in the drop-down list on the right. The sub procedure CommandButton1_Click (see the figure below) runs these two macros when the button is clicked: SelectC15 and HelloMessage.

   

4. In the subprocedure for the command button, do either of the following:

   • Enter the name of an existing macro in the workbook. You can find macros by clicking Macros in the Code group. You can run multiple macros from a button by entering the macro names on separate lines inside the subprocedure.

   • As necessary, add your own VBA code.

5. Close the Visual Basic Editor, and click Design Mode to ensure design mode is off.

6. To run the VBA code that is now part of the button, click the ActiveX command button that you just created.

7. To edit the ActiveX control, make sure that you are in design mode. On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, turn on Design Mode.

8. To specify the control properties of the command button, on the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties . You can also right-click the command button, and then click Properties.

   Note: Before you click Properties, make sure that the object for which you want to examine or change properties is already selected.

   
   The Properties box appears. For detailed information about each property, select the property, and then press F1 to display a Visual Basic Help topic. You can also type the property name in the Visual Basic Help Search box. The following table summarizes the properties that are available.

If you want to specify	Use this property
General:
Whether the control is loaded when the workbook is opened. (Ignored for ActiveX controls.)	AutoLoad (Excel)
Whether the control can receive focus and respond to user-generated events.	Enabled (Form)
Whether the control can be edited.	Locked (Form)
The name of the control.	Name (Form)
The way the control is attached to the cells below it (free floating, move but do not size, or move and size).	Placement (Excel)
Whether the control can be printed.	PrintObject (Excel)
Whether the control is visible or hidden.	Visible (Form)
Text:
Font attributes (bold, italic, size, strikethrough, underline, and weight).	Bold, Italic, Size, StrikeThrough, Underline, Weight (Form)
Descriptive text on the control that identifies or describes it.	Caption (Form)
Whether the contents of the control automatically wrap at the end of a line.	WordWrap (Form)
Size and Position:
Whether the size of the control automatically adjusts to display all the contents.	AutoSize (Form)
The height or width in points.	Height, Width (Form)
The distance between the control and the left or top edge of the worksheet.	Left, Top (Form)
Formatting:
The background color.	BackColor (Form)
The background style (transparent or opaque).	BackStyle (Form)
The foreground color.	ForeColor (Form)
Whether the control has a shadow.	Shadow (Excel)
Image:
The bitmap to display in the control.	Picture (Form)
The location of the picture relative to its caption (left, top, right, and so on).	PicturePosition (Form)
Keyboard and Mouse:
The shortcut key for the control.	Accelerator (Form)
A custom mouse icon.	MouseIcon (Form)
The type of pointer that is displayed when the user positions the mouse over a particular object (standard, arrow, I-beam, and so on).	MousePointer (Form)
Whether the control takes the focus when clicked.	TakeFocusOnClick (Form)

Macros and VBA tools can be found on the Developer tab, which is hidden by default, so the first step is to enable it

1. Go to Excel > Preferences… > Ribbon & Toolbar.

2. In the Customize the Ribbon category, in the Main Tabs list, select the Developer check box, and then click Save.

   

Add a button (Form control)

Follow these steps:

1. On the Developer tab, click Button .

2. Click the worksheet location where you want the upper-left corner of the button to appear. The Assign Macro popup window appears.

   Note: If you have already inserted a button, you can right-click on it, and select Assign Macro.

3. Assign a macro to the button and click OK.

4. To specify the control properties of the button, right-click it, and then select Format Control….
    

Add a command button (Visual Basic control)

1. On the Developer tab, click Button .

2. Click the worksheet location where you want the upper-left corner of the command button to appear.

   Note: If you have already inserted a button, you can right-click on it, and select Assign Macro.

3. In the Assign Macro dialog box, select New, which will open the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to a pane with the following code:

     Sub ButtonX_Click() 
   
     End Sub

4. In the subprocedure for the command button, between the Sub and End Sub lines, do either of the following:

   • Enter the name of an existing macro in the workbook. You can run multiple macros from a button by typing the macro names on separate lines inside the sub procedure

   • Add your own VBA code.

5. Click Design Mode to ensure that design mode is off, then close the Visual Basic Editor window.

6. To edit the button, right-click it and choose Visual Basic.

7. To specify the control properties of the button, right-click it, and then select Format Control….

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

• Add or edit a macro for a control on a worksheet

• Enable or disable macros in Office files

• Enable or disable ActiveX settings in Office files

Bottom Line: Learn how to create macro buttons in a worksheet that run VBA code when clicked. Includes how to format buttons and prevent them from moving and resizing on the sheet.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Video Tutorial

Download the Excel File

Here’s the Excel workbook that I use in the video so you can follow along and practice what you’re learning.

Making User-Friendly Macro Buttons in Your Spreadsheets

Macros make life easier. Buttons make life easier. It’s only natural to marry the two and make the processes you repeatedly have to perform as simple as possible.

You can literally run through a hundred steps with just one small click using macros and buttons–which, of course, is both empowering and gratifying.

Kristen, a member of our VBA Pro Course, loves to add buttons to her spreadsheets for this reason.

You can watch the entire video to learn more about Kristen’s story with learning VBA, and how she uses macro buttons.

For this tutorial, we’re using macros that have already been created. If you don’t know how to create macros yet, then checkout one of my free webinars to learn the basics getting started with macros & VBA.

So let’s take a look at how to create a button and assign a macro to it.

3 Types of Macro Buttons for Worksheets

In this post I explain three different types of buttons you can place on a worksheet.

1. Shapes
2. Form Control Buttons
3. ActiveX Control Buttons

We’ll start with my favorite…

1. Using Shapes to Create Macro Buttons

In my opinion, the best way to create macro buttons is to use shapes. Shapes give us the most styling/formatting options, and we can make them look like buttons you click every day on modern web pages.

Below, we will create the button on a worksheet and assign a macro to it. Here are the steps to create the macro button:

1. Draw a shape on the sheet (Insert tab > Shapes drop-down > Rectangle shape).

2. Add text to the shape (Right-click > Edit Text | or double-click in the shape).

3. Assign the macro (Right-click the border of the shape > Assign Macro…)

4. Select the macro from the list. It’s important to note that the macro should be selected from the This Workbook list so that when you share the workbook with other users, the macro will be shared as well.

If you assign the macro from another workbook, the button will not work for the people you share the workbook with.

5. Press OK.

When you hover your mouse over the shape it will now turn into the hand pointer cursor.  Clicking the shape will run the macro.

That’s it! That’s how you assign a macro to a button that you’ve created right on the worksheet.

Modifying the Button

If you need to select the shape to change its look or move it, hold the Ctrl key while clicking the shape.  This will prevent the macro from running and allow you to modify the shape. Excel offers a ton of options on the Format tab for changing the shape style, shape effects, font color or size, etc.

Preventing the Button from Resizing with Cell Changes

Depending on your settings, it’s likely that when you change the size of the column or row that your button is on, the button size will change as well. If you don’t want that to happen, you can easily adjust the settings to keep the button static.

First, just right click on the button and choose Size and Properties…

This will bring up the Format Shape pane. There are options for you to choose from in the Properties section, depending on whether or not you want the button to move or resize when changes are made to your sheet.

2. Using Form Controls to Create Macro Buttons

The next option for macro buttons is Form Controls. They are essentially the same in terms of set-up.

The difference between Controls and Shapes is the styling.

Form Control buttons do give the appearance of being pressed when you click on them, which is kind of cool. However, they unfortunately look like a button you’d find on an early version of Windows.

We cannot change the color of the button either. The only formatting options are for the font type, size, and color.

Insert a Form Control Button

To add a Form Control button, just go to the Developer tab and click on the Insert button. A drop-down gives you options under Form Controls.

3. Using ActiveX Controls for Macro Buttons

The last option is ActiveX Control buttons.

The ActiveX Control buttons do have more formatting options and you can change the button color.

They also require you to add an event macro in the sheet module that will run when the button is clicked. This is done by right-clicking the button and choosing View Code.

You can add other event triggers like double-click. This could perform a different action/macro when the button is double-clicked.

However, I don’t recommend the ActiveX Control buttons. In my experience they are glitchy in terms of consistent appearance. They can end up really big or really small when changes are made to the sheet or when the file is shared back and forth between users.

Placing Buttons in the Ribbon or Toolbar Instead

Another option is to place your macro buttons on any of the tabs in the Excel Ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar.

This is video #3 in my 4-part video series on the Personal Macro Workbook. This technique is best for macros that you will only run on your computer because the ribbon button customizations do not travel with the workbook.

If you do want the ribbon buttons to travel with the workbook then you can use XML code to customize the ribbon. I’ll write an article on that in the future, and I do cover extensively in my VBA Pro Course, along with how to create add-ins.

Related Tutorials

I have a couple other posts for you to check out on this topic. Take a few minutes to give them a look!

• How to Create VBA Macro Buttons for Filters in Excel
• Macro Buttons to Add Fields to Pivot Tables
• How to Add a Yes No Pop-up Message Box to a Macro Before It Runs
• How to Enable the Developer Tab in Excel

Conclusion

My overall recommendation is to keep it simple and stick to using shapes for macro buttons. They give you the most formatting options, and are easy to setup and modify.

What will you create macro buttons for? I’d love to hear how you plan to put these buttons to work. If you have any comments or questions about running a macro button that you’ve created, please leave a comment below.

Thank you! 🙂

Is this article up to date?

Do you repeat various Excel actions like copy & pasting data, formatting, putting borders, etc?

Do you know that you create button in Excel and automate your tasks in Excel with a couple of mouse clicks?

If you keep on repeating the same thing over and over again, creating an Excel Macro is perfect for you!  It saves you time so you can do things that you like doing, like going home early 🙂

Click a button and all your tasks are done for you!

I will show you 3 different ways using which you can enable the Macro Creation and create button in Excel!

• Using ActiveX Control Buttons
• Using Shapes
• Add to Quick Access Toolbar

I explain how you can do this below:

Follow a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a button in Excel and download this Excel workbook to follow along:

Using ActiveX Control Buttons

Running a macro can sometimes be a tedious task. The fastest way to run a macro will be to assign a macro to a button. You can use ActiveX controls to create button in Excel.

STEP 1: Right-click anywhere on your Ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon:

STEP 2: Make sure the Customize Ribbon is selected.

Then select the Developer option under Main Tabs.

Click OK.

STEP 3: Now go to Developer > Insert > ActiveX Controls > Button

Drag anywhere in the Excel spreadsheet to create button in Excel.

STEP 4: Right-click on your new button and select View Code.

STEP 5: Type in this code:  Range(“A6”).Value = “Hello”

What this will do is to set the value of cell A6 to Hello.

STEP 6: Time to test it out! Make sure Design Mode is deselected.

STEP 7: Click on the button now and you will see Hello pop up on your screen!

In this way, you can create button in Excel and assign a macro to it. Using VBA codes, you can also assign a different task for a different trigger like double-click single-click, right-click, etc.

You can even change the formatting of this button by right-clicking on the button and selecting the option Format Control.

But the only issue with this method is that the size of the button may change when you make changes to the worksheet or share it with someone else.

Using Shapes

Shapes provide you the flexibility to format and customize the appearance of the buttons on your Excel spreadsheet.

You can use different shapes, icons, WordArt images, and objects as per the theme of your worksheet. The formatting will also remain consistent using this method.

In my opinion, this is the simplest and most adaptable option to create button in Excel and run a macro.

Let’s look at a detailed tutorial on how we can go about this:

STEP 1: Go to Insert Tab > Select Illustrations > Under shapes dropdown > Select rectangle shape.

STEP 2: Right-click the shape and select Edit Text to add text to the button.

Or, you can double click on the button to edit text.

STEP 3: Provide a name to this button – Highlight Max Value.

STEP 4: Go to Developer >Visual Basic.

STEP 5: Type the following code in the module.

 
Copy Source Code:

<em>Sub HighlightMaxValue()</em>

<em>Dim cell As Range</em>
<em>For Each cell In Selection</em>

<em>'If it matches the highest value, then change the style to be Note</em>
<em>If cell = WorksheetFunction.Max(Selection) Then</em>
<em>cell.Style = "Note"</em>
<em>End If</em>
<em>Next cell</em>

<em>End Sub</em>

HighlightMaxValue will now be saved!

STEP 6: You can easily add a macro to this button by right-clicking on the button and select Assign Macro.

STEP 7: In the Assign Macro dialog box, you can select one macro (here, HighlightMaxValue) from the list saved in the Excel Workbook. Click OK.

This HighlightMaxValue will highlight the cell with maximum value with yellow color.

STEP 8: Select the range and then press the Excel Macro button.

STEP 9: Select the maximum value from the range i.e. 947 will be highlighted.

This is how you can easily use shapes to create button in Excel and assign a macro to it.

You can also customize these buttons by following the steps below:

• Hold the Ctrl key and click on the button.
• Go to Shape Format Tab
• Select an appropriate option from the list – shape fill, shape outline, shape effects, text fill, text outline, text effects, size, etc.

To provide the button a 3-D effect – Go to Shape Format > Shape Effects > Bevel > Round.

This is how your 3-D Excel Macro button will look like:

You can also prevent these buttons from changing their size when you change the size of a column or row.

Now, even if you change the size of the rows or columns, the button will remain intact.

Add to Quick Access Toolbar

You can easily add a macro as a button on the Quick Access Toolbar and use it on any of the sheets present in the workbook.

STEP 1: Right-click on the arrow next to the Quick Access Toolbar and select More Commands.

STEP 2: In the Choose commands from list, select Macros.

STEP 3: Select HighlightMaxValue from the list and click on Add>>.

STEP 4: Click on Modify to change the symbol of this macro.

STEP 5: Select an appropriate symbol and click OK.

STEP 6: Click OK.

Your Quick Access Toolbar will now contain the macro – HighlightMaxValue. Simply, click on this icon and your macro will run!

Make sure to download our FREE PDF on the 333 Excel keyboard Shortcuts here:

You can learn more about how to use Excel by viewing our FREE Excel webinar training on Formulas, Pivot Tables, Power Query, and Macros & VBA!