Copy file to excel vba

Excel VBA FileCopy

There are many ways to copy or move a file from one folder to another. We can do it manually from Copying and cutting the file icon and pasting it into the destination folder. But when it comes to automating this process of copying the file, we can do that in VBA as well. To copy the file, we have a function available in VBA named as same “File Copy”.

Syntax of FileCopy in Excel VBA

It is very easy to apply File Copy in VBA. The syntax of File Copy is as shown below.

File Copy has only two components to feed. Which are:

• Source – Here we will put the source location from where we need to copy the file.
• Destination – And this will be the destination folder where we will be pasting the copied file.

The complete syntax will be in String datatype. Because we will be using the path of the file which will be as text.

How to Copy a File in Excel VBA?

Now let us try with some examples on VBA File Copy in Excel.

You can download this VBA Copy a File Excel Template here – VBA Copy a File Excel Template

Example #1 – FileCopy In VBA

In the first example, we will see how to copy a file from a source location and paste it in a destination location in a very simple way.

For this, we need a file of any kind or extension. Here we are considering an Excel file with extension xlsx. As we can see, we have placed that excel file into a location which is easy to access named as Test.

Now we will copy this file with the help of FileCopy to the below destination folder.

Step 1: For this, go to VBA and open a Module from Insert menu drop-down option as shown below.

Step 2: Now in the opened module, write the subcategory of VBA FileCopy or in any other name as per your choice.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy1()

End Sub

Step 3: Now directly open the FileCopy function as shown below.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy1()

FileCopy(

End Sub

Step 4: Now in quotes write the source location address followed by file name and extension as shown below.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy1()

FileCopy "D:Test1Hello.xlsx",

End Sub

Step 5: For the Destination location, again put the path in inverted commas followed by file and extension.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy1()

FileCopy "D:Test1Hello.xlsx", "D:VPB FileApril FilesHello.xlsx"

End Sub

Step 6: Now compile the code and run it by clicking on the Play button which is located below the menu bar. We will see, the excel file with name Test is now copied from the source location to destination location as shown below. As there was nothing in the file so the size of the file is coming as 0 KB.

Example #2 – FileCopy In VBA

In another example, we will see how to copy the file from Source location to Destination by defining the variable. This process is little lengthy but more reliable as we will be fixing the parameters and variable.

Step 1: Now first open a new module and write the subcategory of VBA File Copy as shown below.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

End Sub

Step 2: First, define a variable where we will be putting the source location of the file same excel file which we have used in example-1 as String.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String

End Sub

Step 3: In a similar way, we will be needing another variable for the Destination location.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

End Sub

Step 4: Now put the location in the first defined variable which is “FirstLocation” along with file name and its extension.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:Test1Hello.xlsx"

End Sub

Step 5: In a similar way, do that same thing for Destination location using variable “SecondLocation” which we have defined above.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:Test1Hello.xlsx"
SecondLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesHello.xlsx"

End Sub

Step 6: Now it is the time to use FileCopy function.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:Test1Hello.xlsx"
SecondLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesHello.xlsx"

FileCopy

End Sub

As per syntax of the FileCopy first, we have to put source location, where we have kept the file. But as we have already defined the source and destination location folders in above for both variables.

Step 7: So here we can directly select those variables. First select source location variable which is FirstLocation.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:Test1Hello.xlsx"
SecondLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesHello.xlsx"

FileCopy FirstLocation

End Sub

Step 8: Again in a similar way, select the destination location variable which is SecondLocation as shown below.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:Test1Hello.xlsx"
SecondLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesHello.xlsx"

FileCopy FirstLocation, SecondLocation

End Sub

Step 9: Once done, we will compile the code by pressing F8 functional key. And if there is no error found, then run the code. We will see, the file from source location is copied and pasted in the destination folder as shown below.

We can try different location path as well. For test let’s consider another source location where we will be having a word file.

As we can see, the file doesn’t have any data so the size is again showing as 0 KB.

And the destination folder will be Output Location folder which is under Input Location folder. If we see inside the file, there is no data available.

Now we will replace the source and destination in variables FirstLocation and Second Location respectively followed by the file name and its extension.

Code:

Sub VBA_Copy2()

Dim FirstLocation As String
Dim SecondLocation As String

FirstLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesNew ExcelTest Case.docx"
SecondLocation = "D:VPB FileApril FilesFinal locationTest Case.docx"

FileCopy FirstLocation, SecondLocation

End Sub

Now run the code.

We will see, the Test word file is now copied from the Input Location folder to Output location folder with the same size which is 0 KB.

Pros of FileCopy In VBA

• It can be used for copying more than 1 file in one shot.
• It takes a similar amount of time for 10 files as it takes for copying one file.
• We can use any extension file type which we want to copy.

Things to Remember

• Always put the file name and its extension at the end of the location name.
• Quote the destination and source location links into inverted commas.
• Once done, save the code in Macro enable excel to use and retain the code for future purpose.
• Always grant the permission to code so that it could copy the file from the source location and paste it in a destination location.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to FileCopy in VBA. Here we discuss how to Copy an Excel file using VBA Code along with practical examples and downloadable excel template. You can also go through our other suggested articles –

1. VBA Active Cell
2. VBA XML
3. VBA Transpose
4. VBA RGB

This tutorial will demonstrate how to copy a file using VBA.

VBA allows you to copy a file, using the FileSystemObject.

If you want to learn how to rename a file, you can click on this link: VBA Rename File

Copy A File / Workbook

We will show how to copy the existing file Sample file 1.xlsx in the folder VBA Folder. In this example, we won’t rename the file, just copy and overwrite it. The folder currently has only this one file:

Image 1. File in folder C:VBA Folder

Here is the code:

Dim oFSO As Object
 
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
 
Call oFSO.CopyFile("C:VBA FolderSample file 1.xlsx", "C:VBA Folder", True)

You first need to create the object of the class Scripting.FileSystemObject:

Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Then we can use the method CopyFile:

Call oFSO.CopyFile("C:VBA FolderSample file 1.xlsx", "C:VBA Folder", True)

The first parameter of the method is the source path and the second is the destination path. The third parameter is Overwrite. As we have the same source and destination paths, we need to set Overwrite to True or False. In this example, we put True, which means that the original file is overwritten.

Let’s look now what happens if we have the same destinations, but set Overwrite to False. You just need to change this line of the code:

Call oFSO.CopyFile("C:VBA FolderSample file 1.xlsx", "C:VBA Folder", True)

As a result, you will get an error as you can see in Image 2:

Image 2. Error when copying the file

Copy and Rename a File

Another possible option when copying a file is to rename it. It’s similar to copying a file, but now you just need to set destination path with a different name. Here is the code:

Dim oFSO As Object

Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Call oFSO.CopyFile("C:VBA FolderSample file 1.xlsx", "C:VBA FolderSample file Copy.xlsx")

As you can see from the last line of the code, we want to copy file Sample file 1.xlsx in the same folder and name it Sample file Copy.xlsx:

Call oFSO.CopyFile("C:VBA FolderSample file 1.xlsx", "C:VBA FolderSample file Copy.xlsx")

Now we have two files in the VBA Folder. The result of the code is in Image 3:

Image 3. Copy and rename the file

Excel VBA FileCopy Function

FileCopy is a built-in VBA function used to copy the file from one location to another mentioned location. To use this function, we need to mention the current file path and destination file path.

Let us look at the syntax of the FileCopy function.

• Source: This is nothing but from where we need to copy the file. We need to mention the fully qualified folder path.
• Destination: This is the destination folder where we must paste the copied file.

Examples

Below are examples of how to copy files using VBA CodeVBA code refers to a set of instructions written by the user in the Visual Basic Applications programming language on a Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to perform a specific task.read more.

You can download this VBA File Copy Excel Template here – VBA File Copy Excel Template

Example #1

Let us start with a simple example. We have a file named “Sales April 2019” in the folder. Below is the image of the same “Source.”

We want to copy and paste this file to a different folder from the above location. Below is the image of the same, “Destination Source.”

Let us write the code for it.

Open the FileCopy function inside the Sub procedure.

Code:

Sub FileCopy_Example1()

FileCopy

End Sub

For the first argument, we need to mention the file path where our currency is in.

Code:

Sub FileCopy_Example1()

FileCopy “D:My FilesVBAApril Files

End Sub

After mentioning the folder path, we need to mention the file with a file extension. So, mention the file name by putting a backslash ().

Code:

Sub FileCopy_Example1()

FileCopy "D:My FilesVBAApril FilesSales April 2019.xlsx",

End Sub

The second argument mentions where we need to paste the copied file.

Code:

Sub FileCopy_Example1()

FileCopy "D:My FilesVBAApril FilesSales April 2019.xlsx", "D:My FilesVBADestination FolderSales April 2019.xlsx"

End Sub

One thing we need to do hereafter mentioning the folder path at the end is mention the file name in the destination argument.

Now, run the code using the F5 key or manually. Then, it will copy the file from the below location to a destination location.

“D:My FilesVBAApril FilesSales April 2019.xlsx”

“D:My FilesVBADestination FolderSales April 2019.xlsx”

Example #2 – Use Variables to Store Source Path and Destination Path.

In the previous example, we supplied the source and destination paths directly to the formula. But this is not the best practice to continue, so let’s store them in variables.

For example, look at the below code.

Code:

Sub FileCopy_Example2()

Dim SourcePath As String
Dim DestinationPath As String

SourcePath = "D:My FilesVBAApril FilesSales April 2019.xlsx"
DestinationPath = "D:My FilesVBADestination FolderSales April 2019.xlsx"

FileCopy SourcePath, DestinationPath

End Sub

Let me explain the code in detail for you.

First, we have declared two variables.

Dim SourcePath As String

Dim DestinationPath As String

Then, for the first variable, we have assigned the folder path from where it has to copy the file and its name along with its extension.

SourcePath = "D:My FilesVBAApril FilesSales April 2019.xlsx"

Similarly, we have assigned the destination folder path with the file name and excel extension.Excel extensions represent the file format. It helps the user to save different types of excel files in various formats. For instance, .xlsx is used for simple data, and XLSM is used to store the VBA code.read more

DestinationPath = "D:My FilesVBADestination FolderSales April 2019.xlsx"

Then for the formula FileCopy, we have supplied these variables instead of lengthy folder path strings.

FileCopy SourcePath, DestinationPath

Like this, we can use variables to store the paths and use them efficiently.

Example #3 – Error with File Copy Function

Sometimes the FileCopy function encounters an error of “Permission denied.”

We get this error when the copying file is open. Therefore, always close the file and execute the code if you try to copy the above error.

Recommended Articles

This article has been a guide to VBA FileCopy. Here, we discuss copying Excel files from one directory to another using the FileCopy function and examples. Below you can find some useful Excel VBA articles: –

• INSTRREV Function in VBA
• VBA Chr
• File System Object in VBA
• VBA Delete File