How to use for function in excel

This Excel tutorial explains how to use the Excel FOR…NEXT statement to create a FOR loop in VBA with syntax and examples.

Description

The Microsoft Excel FOR…NEXT statement is used to create a FOR loop so that you can execute VBA code a fixed number of times.

The FOR…NEXT statement is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as a Logical Function. It can be used as a VBA function (VBA) in Excel. As a VBA function, you can use this function in macro code that is entered through the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

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Syntax

The syntax to create a FOR Loop using the FOR…NEXT statement in Microsoft Excel is:

For counter = start To end [Step increment]
   {...statements...}
Next [counter]

Parameters or Arguments

counter

The loop counter variable.

start

The starting value for counter.

end

The ending value for counter.

increment

Optional. The value that counter is incremented each pass through the loop. It can be a positive or negative number. If not specified, it will default to an increment of 1 so that each pass through the loop increases counter by 1.

statements

The statements of code to execute each pass through the loop.

Returns

The FOR…NEXT statement creates a FOR loop in VBA.

Example (as VBA Function)

The FOR…NEXT statement can only be used in VBA code in Microsoft Excel.

Let’s look at how to create a FOR loop in Microsoft Excel, starting with a single loop, double loop, and triple loop, and then exploring how to change the value used to increment the counter each pass through the loop.

Single Loop

The simplest implementation of the FOR loop is to use the FOR…NEXT statement to create a single loop. This will allow you to repeat VBA code a fixed number of times.

For example:

Sub Single_Loop_Example

   Dim LCounter As Integer

   For LCounter = 1 To 5
      MsgBox (LCounter)
   Next LCounter

End Sub

In this example, the FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter variable. It would loop 5 times, starting at 1 and ending at 5. Each time within the loop, it would display a message box with the value of the LCounter variable. This code would display 5 message boxes with the following values: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Single Loop — Changing Increment

By default, the FOR loop will increment its loop counter by 1, but this can be customized. You can use STEP increment to change the value used to increment the counter. The FOR loop can be increment can be either positive or negative values.

Positive Increment

Let’s first look at an example of how to increment the counter of a FOR loop by a positive value.

For example:

Sub Increment_Positive_Example

   Dim LCounter As Integer

   For LCounter = 1 To 9 Step 2
      MsgBox LCounter
   Next LCounter

End Sub

In this example, we’ve used Step 2 in the FOR loop to change the increment to 2. What this means is that the FOR loop would start at 1, increment by 2, and end at 9. The code would display 5 message boxes with the following values: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Negative Increment

Now, let’s look at how to increment the counter of a FOR loop by a negative value.

For example:

Sub Increment_Negative_Example

   Dim LCounter As Integer

   For LCounter = 50 To 30 Step -5
      MsgBox LCounter
   Next LCounter

End Sub

When you increment by a negative value, you need the starting number to be the higher value and the ending number to be the lower value, since the FOR loop will be counting down. So in this example, the FOR loop will start at 50, increment by -5, and end at 30. The code would display 5 message boxes with the following values: 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30.

Double Loop

Next, let’s look at an example of how to create a double FOR loop in Microsoft Excel.

For example:

Sub Double_Loop_Example

   Dim LCounter1 As Integer
   Dim LCounter2 As Integer

   For LCounter1 = 1 To 4
      For LCounter2 = 8 To 9
         MsgBox LCounter1 & "-" & LCounter2
      Next LCounter2
   Next LCounter1

End Sub

Here we have 2 FOR loops. The outer FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter1 variable. The inner FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter2 variable.

In this example, the outer FOR loop would loop 4 times (starting at 1 and ending at 4) and the inner FOR loop would loop 2 times (starting at 8 and ending at 9). Within the inner loop, the code would display a message box each time with the value of the LCounter1—LCounter2. So in this example, 8 message boxes would be displayed with the following values: 1-8, 1-9, 2-8, 2-9, 3-8, 3-9, 4-8, and 4-9.

Triple Loop

Next, let’s look at an example of how to create a triple FOR loop in Microsoft Excel.

For example:

Sub Triple_Loop_Example

   Dim LCounter1 As Integer
   Dim LCounter2 As Integer
   Dim LCounter3 As Integer

   For LCounter1 = 1 To 2
      For LCounter2 = 5 To 6
         For LCounter3 = 7 To 8
            MsgBox LCounter1 & "-" & LCounter2 & "-" & LCounter3
         Next LCounter3
      Next LCounter2
   Next LCounter1

End Sub

Here we have 3 FOR loops. The outer-most FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter1 variable. The next FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter2 variable. The inner-most FOR loop is controlled by the LCounter3 variable.

In this example, the outer-most FOR loop would loop 2 times (starting at 1 and ending at 2) , the next FOR loop would loop 2 times (starting at 5 and ending at 6), and the inner-most FOR loop would loop 2 times (starting at 7 and ending at 8).

Within the inner-most loop, the code would display a message box each time with the value of the LCounter1—LCounter2—LCounter3. This code would display 8 message boxes with the following values: 1-5-7, 1-5-8, 1-6-7, 1-6-8, 2-5-7, 2-5-8, 2-6-7, and 2-6-8.

Example#1 from Video

In the first video example, we are going to use the For…Next statement to loop through the products in column A and update the appropriate application type in column B.

Sub totn_for_loop_example1()

   Dim LCounter As Integer

   For LCounter = 2 To 4
      If Cells(LCounter, 1).Value = "Excel" Then
         Cells(LCounter, 2).Value = "Spreadsheet"

      ElseIf Cells(LCounter, 1).Value = "Access" Then
         Cells(LCounter, 2).Value = "Database"

      ElseIf Cells(LCounter, 1).Value = "Word" Then
         Cells(LCounter, 2).Value = "Word Processor"

      End If
   Next LCounter

End Sub

Example#2 from Video

In the second video example, we have a list of participants in column A and we’ll use two FOR Loops to assign each of the participants to either Team A or Team B (alternating between the two).

Sub totn_for_loop_example2()

   Dim LCounter1 As Integer
   Dim LCounter2 As Integer

   For LCounter1 = 2 To 9 Step 2
      Cells(LCounter1, 2).Value = "Team A"
   Next LCounter1

   For LCounter2 = 3 To 9 Step 2
      Cells(LCounter2, 2).Value = "Team B"
   Next LCounter2

End Sub

If you’re looking to automate your Excel spreadsheets, macros are a good way to do so. Macros are automated scripts, typically written using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), to help you perform certain actions in Excel, such as automate a button press or perform a calculation.

VBA is a useful programming language for new data analysts to learn as it supercharges the functionality of Excel, making it easier to perform certain tasks automatically (and repeatedly) with custom-made macro scripts. For instance, if you want a macro that repeats an action by a certain number of times, you can use a VBA For Loop.

Loops like this aren’t unique to VBA—indeed, they’re a common feature in most programming languages, allowing a program or script to run continuously in a sequence with a start and end point. For Excel data analysts, a VBA For Loop can allow you to loop through cells or perform a set number of actions once the criteria to do so are met.

This could be once a certain calculation is inserted or value reached, or when you perform a certain action in your spreadsheet itself (such as, for instance, pressing a custom-inserted button). Using a VBA For Loop is essential for creating macros that will run continuously as you work through your spreadsheet.

If you’re new to VBA programming and you’re looking to create a basic (or even advanced) macro using a VBA For Loop, this guide should help you. In this article, we’ll explain:

1. What are VBA For Loops in Microsoft Excel and what are they used for?
2. How do VBA For Loops work in Excel?
3. Things to consider before using a VBA For Loop in Excel
4. How to add a VBA For Loop in Excel using the Visual Basic Editor

How do VBA For Loops work in Excel? Let’s get familiar with the basics.

1. What are VBA For Loops in Microsoft Excel and what are they used for?

As we’ve mentioned already, loops are a programming concept that allows a program to repeat itself. They help to refract your code, reducing the number of specifically-coded actions that are written to help improve the speed and efficiency of your applications.

Loops are flexible tools, giving you the option to repeat a certain action (such as changing cell values) a set number of times. A loop could also be combined with other statements, such as For and If, that help to determine how often, and for how long, a script should run.

In VBA, a For Loop repeats an action (or set of actions) for a set number of times in a sequence. For instance, if you had a macro (written in VBA) that inserted values into a column, you could use a For Loop to do so, filling each cell sequentially (eg. A1, A2, A3, etc) until an end value is reached.

For instance, the VBA code snippet shown previously demonstrates such an action. In this example, the VBA macro is designed to insert values into cells in column A, from 1 to 10, and increase in single-digit increments. Once 10 is reached, the script stops.

This is a basic example, but For Loops are powerful enough to perform almost any action you desire in Excel repeatedly. While this guide isn’t a full VBA tutorial (and it assumes you have a certain level of basic VBA experience already), it should allow you to create basic VBA loops using For to repeat an action in sequence.

2. How do VBA For Loops work in Excel?

Let’s assume that you already have an idea in mind as to how your VBA macro should work. Introducing a For Loop into the mix allows you to set your code (or part of your code) to repeat itself a certain number of times.

We’ll explain the process using a simple-to-understand example. As VBA For Loops are useful for finite repetitive actions, let’s assume you want a pop-up to appear when you press a button (with the class name Button).

Pressing the button causes a pop-up box to appear a set number of times, in sequence, using the variable varButton as the end number (in this case, 10). This pop-up box displays the current variable, starting with zero. It then repeats this 9 more times until the varButton variable (10) is reached.

The action of pressing the button begins the loop. As the test has a start and end variable, the loop has a finite number of runs before it finishes. By default, the values increase by 1 (starting with 0, 1, 2, etc) but this can be changed by adding a Step value. For instance, changing this to 5 would mean only three pop-ups appear.

Once the end value is reached, the loop exits and the macro stops. You could, however, add additional actions to perform at this point, such as changing another cell’s value or creating a different pop-up message. You could nest the For Loop within other logical tests, such as a Do While or If statement.

This example contains all of the typical criteria needed to complete a For Loop using VBA, however. The code identifies how many times the action will be performed in a sequence (varButton) and the increment value used to iterate through the sequence (Step).

The only optional part of this example is the button used to start the macro. You don’t necessarily need to link your macro code to a button press, as you could easily begin this loop and activate the macro manually by pressing Developer > Macros > Run instead. 

3. Things to consider before using a VBA For Loop in Excel

A VBA For Loop is a flexible and wide-ranging method that allows your code to perform an action sequentially and only stopping if (and when) certain criteria are met. To help you create this kind of macro in Excel, there are some pointers you’ll need to consider. These include:

• If you want to create a way for your For Loop to end before the final value is reached, you’ll need to add an Exit For statement to your code. This exits the loop and moves on to the next line of code outside of the loop (if your code continues). For instance, you could stop the loop when you press a button.
• A VBA For Loop can be used to cycle through a set number of numerical values in sequence in a basic way using a For Next Loop, but you can also cycle through more complex objects (such as workbooks in your spreadsheet) in sequence using a more complex VBA For Each Loop.
• VBA For Loops can be nested with other logical statements, such as an If or Do While statement. This allows you to integrate more complex decision-making into your code.
• A VBA For Loop will iterate in a sequence, but by changing the Step value, you can change how much the loop counter increases by during each iteration. For instance, if you want your loop to move ahead in a sequence that increases the value by 2, you’d need to use a Step value of 2. If you don’t provide a Step value, the loop counter will increase in increments of 1.
• If your VBA For Loop can’t be performed, or if your code has errors, VBA will exit into debug mode with an error. You’ll need to troubleshoot your code to fix this problem in Excel’s built-in VBA Editor.

While these examples are important, you should also consider any known VBA limitations that aren’t listed here (such as a lack of an undo function when using VBA) before you write your code.

4. How to add VBA For Loops in Excel using the Visual Basic Editor

You can create, test, and run a VBA For Loop in Excel by using the Visual Basic Editor. This is Excel’s built-in VBA editor that allows you to create your own macros using VBA, or edit existing macros created using the Macro Recorder tool.

To begin creating a VBA macro using a For Loop in the Visual Basic Editor, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the VBA Editor

You’ll need to start by opening the Visual Basic Editor in your Excel workbook.

You can do this by pressing the Alt + F11 keys on your keyboard (or Option + F11 on Mac). If you’ve already enabled the Developer tab on the ribbon bar in your Excel’s settings menu, you can also press Developer > Visual Basic to open the editor instead.

Step 2: Create a new VBA Module

The VBA Editor will open in a new window at this point. The next step is to insert your VBA For Loop (and additional code) as a new VBA module. Modules are used to organize VBA code into groups.

To do this, right-click your workbook listed in the tree menu on the left. From the drop-down menu, select Insert > Module.

Step 3: Insert your VBA For Loop code

A new window for your code will appear on the right. This is where you can type or insert the VBA code containing your For Loop. For instance, the following code will insert sequential values into cells A1 to A20 on any active worksheet:

Sub LoopVal()

Dim i As Integer

For i = 1 To 10

Range(“A” & i).Value = i

Next i

End Sub

Step 4: Rename your module and test your code

Once you’ve inserted your code, you’ll need to rename the module which contains the code in order to make it easy to refer to later. To do this, select the module name in the tree menu on the left, then rename it by typing a new module name into the Properties box underneath.

When you’re ready to test your code, press the Run Sub/User Form button. This will run the code in your active worksheet, allowing you to see the macro in action.

Assuming your VBA code worked as intended, you can then proceed to save your workbook with the macro included. If it doesn’t work, a debug message will appear, and you’ll need to troubleshoot the issue further.

Step 5: Save your workbook

With your VBA macro ready, you’ll need to save your Excel workbook as a Macro-enabled workbook in the XLSM format. To do this, press Ctrl + S on your keyboard, or press File > Save As.

Step 6: Run your VBA code

Your macro (containing a VBA For Loop) is ready to run once you’ve saved your workbook. To do this, press Alt + F8 on your keyboard to open the Macro window (or Option + F8 on Mac).

Select your macro (matching the Module name) from the list provided, then press Run. Alternatively, if your VBA For Loop is scheduled to activate based on another action (such as a cell value being reached, a button being pressed, etc), you’ll need to perform this action to begin the process.

Final thoughts

Once you’ve mastered VBA For Loops, you can take things further by experimenting with Do Until Loops, custom worksheet events, and more. VBA tricks like these allow data analysts to create complex applications inside Excel workbooks that can automate tasks or speed up calculations, but you’ll need to master VBA first.

If you’re new to Excel or you’re interested in a career in data analysis, our five-day short course can help you learn more about the fundamentals. If you’re curious to learn more about Excel, you can check out these articles next:

• How to use conditional formatting in Excel
• How to calculate variance in Excel
• How to convert texts to numbers in Excel

This post provides a complete guide to the standard VBA For Loop and the VBA For Each Loop.

If you are looking for information about the VBA While and VBA Do Loop then go here.

If you want some quick info about the For loops then check out the Quick Guide table in the section below.

If you are looking for information on a particular topic then check out the Table of Contents below.

“History is about loops and continuums” – Mike Bidlo.
 

Related Links for the VBA For Loop

The Complete Guide to Ranges in Excel VBA.
The Complete Guide to Copying Data in Excel VBA.
VBA Do While Loop.

A Quick Guide to the VBA For Loop

The VBA For Loop Webinar

If you are a member of the website, click on the image below to view the webinar for this post.

(Note: Website members have access to the full webinar archive.)

Introduction to the VBA For Loop

Loops are by far the most powerful component of VBA. They are the rocket fuel of your Macros. They can perform tasks in milliseconds that would take humans hours. They also dramatically reduce the lines of code your applications need.

For Loops have been part of all major programming languages since they were first used with Fortan in 1957.

If you have never used loops before then this post is a great place to start. It provides an in-depth guide to loops, written in plain English without the jargon.

Let’s start with a very important question – what are loops and why do we need them?

What are VBA For Loops?

A loop is simply a way of running the same lines of code a number of times. Obviously running the same code over and over would give the same result.

So what is important to understand is that the lines of code normally contain a variable that changes slightly each time the loop runs.

For example, a loop could write to cell A1, then cell A2, A3 and so on. The slight change each time is the row.

Let’s look at a simple example.

VBA For Loop Example 1

 
The following code  prints the values 1 to 5 in the Immediate Window(Ctrl + G to view).

Debug.Print 1
Debug.Print 2
Debug.Print 3
Debug.Print 4
Debug.Print 5

The Immediate Window

If you have not used the Immediate Window before then this section will get you up to speed quickly.

The function Debug.Print writes values to the Immediate  Window. To view this window select View->Immediate Window from the menu( the shortcut is Ctrl + G)

VBA For Loop Example 2

Now imagine we want to print out the numbers 1 to 20. We would need to add 15 more lines to the example above.

 
However, using a loop we only need to write Debug.Print once.

    For i = 1 To 20
        Debug.Print i
    Next i

 
The output is:

 
If we needed print the numbers 1 to 1000 then we only need to change the 20 to 1000.

Normally when we write code we would use a variable instead of a number like 20 or 1000. This gives you greater flexibility. It allows you to decide the number of times you wish to run the loop when the code is running. The following example explains this.

VBA For Loop Example 3

A common task in Excel is read all the rows with with data. 

 
The way you approach this task is as follows

1. Find the last row with data
2. Store the value in variable
3. Use the variable to determine how many times the loop runs

 
Using a variable in the loop makes your code very flexible. Your will work no matter how many rows there are.

Let’s have a look at an example. Imagine you receive a sheet with a list of fruit types and their daily sales. You want to count the number of Oranges sold and this list will vary in size depending on sales.

 
The following screenshot shows an example of this list

 
We can use the code to count the oranges

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub CountFruit()

    ' Get the last row with text
    Dim LastRow As Long
    LastRow = Sheet1.Cells(Sheet1.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row

    Dim i As Long, Total As Long
    ' Use LastRow in loop
    For i = 2 To LastRow
        ' Check if cell has text "Orange"
        If Sheet1.Cells(i, 1).Value = "Oranges" Then
            ' Add value in column B to total
            Total = Total + Sheet1.Cells(i, 2).Value
        End If
    Next i

    ' Print total
    Debug.Print "Total oranges sold was:"; Total

End Sub

 
You can try this code for yourself. Change the number of fruit items and you will see that the code still works fine.

If you were to increase the number fruit items to a large value like 10,000 then you will hardly notice the difference in the time it takes to run – almost instantly.

Loops are super fast. This is what makes them so powerful. Imagine performing a manual task on 10,000 cells. It would take a considerable amount of time.

Advantages of the VBA For Loop

4To conclude this section we will list the major advantages of using loops

• They reduce the lines code you need
• They are flexible
• They are fast

 
In the next sections we will look at the different types of loops and how to use them.

The Standard VBA For Loop

The VBA For loop is the most common loop you will use in Excel VBA. The For Loop is used when you can determine the number of times it will be run. For example, if you want to repeat something twenty times.

YouTube Video For Loop

Check out this YouTube Video of the For Loop:

Get the workbook and code for this video here
 

Format of the Standard VBA For Loop

The Standard VBA For Loop has the following format:

For <variable> = <start value> to <end value>
Next <variable>

The start and end values can be variables. Also the variable after Next is optional but it is useful and it makes it clear which for loop it belongs to.

How a For Loop Works

Let’s look at a simple for loop that prints the numbers 1 to 3

    Dim i As Long
    For i = 1 To 3
        Debug.Print i
    Next i

 
How this code works is as follows

i is set to 1
The value of i(now 1) is printed

 
i is set to 2
The value of i(now 2) is printed

 
i is set to 3
The value of i(now 3) is printed

 
If we did not use a loop then the equivalent code would be

    Dim i As Long
    i = i + 1
    Debug.Print i
    i = i + 1
    Debug.Print i
    i = i + 1
    Debug.Print i

 
The i = i + 1 line is used to add 1 to i and is a common way in programming to update a counter.

Using Step with the VBA For Loop

You can see that i is increased by one each time. This is the default. You can specify this interval using Step keyword.

 
The next example shows you how to do this:

    ' Prints the even numbers i.e. 2,4,6,8 ... 20
    For i = 2 To 20 Step 2
        Debug.Print i
    Next i

 
You can use a negative number with Step which will count in reverse

    ' Prints the even numbers in reverse i.e. 20,18,16,14 ... 2
    For i = 20 To 2 Step -2
        Debug.Print i
    Next i

 
Note: if Step is positive then your starting number must be lower than you ending number. The following loop will not run because the starting number 20 is greater than 10. VBA therefore, thinks it has already reached the target value 10.

    ' Will not run as starting number already greater than 10
    For i = 20 To 10 Step 1
        Debug.Print i
    Next i

 
If Step is negative then the start number must be greater than the end number.

Exit the For Loop

Sometimes you may want to leave the loop earlier if a certain condition occurs. For example if you read bad data.

 
You can use Exit For to automatically leave  the loop as shown in the following code

    For i = 1 To 1000

        ' If cell is blank then exit for
        If Cells(i, 1) = "" Then
            MsgBox "Blank Cell found - Data error"
            Exit For
        End If

    Next i

Using the VBA For Loop with a Collection

The For loop can also be used to read items in a Collection.

 
In the following example, we display the name of all the open workbooks

    Dim i As Long
    For i = 1 To Workbooks.Count
        Debug.Print Workbooks(i).FullName
    Next i

Using Nested For Loops

Sometimes you may want to use a loop within a loop. An example of this would be where you want to print the names of the worksheets of each open workbook.

The first loop would go through each workbook. Each time this loop runs it would use a second loop to go through all the worksheets of that workbook. It is actually much easier to do than it sounds.

 
The following code shows how:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub ListWorksheets()

    Dim i As Long, j As Long
    ' First Loop goes through all workbooks
    For i = 1 To Workbooks.Count

        ' Second loop goes through all the worksheets of workbook(i)
        For j = 1 To Workbooks(i).Worksheets.Count
            Debug.Print Workbooks(i).Name + ":" + Worksheets(j).Name
        Next j

    Next i

End Sub

 
This works as follows:

 
The first loop sets i to 1

 
The second loop then uses the workbook at 1 to go through the worksheets.

 
The first loop sets i to 2

 
The second loop then uses the workbook at 2 to go through the worksheets.

 
and so on

 
It the next section we will use a For Each loop to perform the same task. You will find the For Each version much easier to read.

The VBA For Each Loop

The VBA For Each loop is used to read items from a collection or an array. We can use the For Each loop to access all the open workbooks. This is because Application.Workbooks is a collection of open workbooks.

 
This is a simple example of using the For Each Loop

    Dim wk As Workbook
    For Each wk In Workbooks
        Debug.Print wk.FullName
    Next wk

 Format of the VBA For Each Loop

You can see the format of the VBA for each loop here(See Microsoft For Each Next documentation):
For Each <variable> in <collection>
Next <variable>

To create a For Each loop we need a variable of the same type that the collection holds. In the example here we created a variable of type Workbook.

If the collection has different types of items we can declare the variable as a variant.

VBA contains a collection called Sheets. This is a collection of sheets of type Worksheet(normal) and Chart(when you move a chart to be a full sheet). To go through this collection you would declare the variable as a Variant.

 
The following code uses For Each to print out the name of all the sheets in the current workbook

    Dim sh As Variant
    For Each sh In ThisWorkbook.Sheets
        Debug.Print sh.Name
    Next sh

Order of Items in the For Loop

For Each goes through items in one way only.

For example, if you go through all the worksheets in a workbook it will always go through from left to right. If you go through a range it will start at the lowest cell e.g. Range(“A1:A10”) will return A1,A2,A3 etc.

This means if you want any other order then you need to use the For loop.

 
Both loops in the following example will read the worksheets from left to right:

    ' Both loops read the worksheets from left to right
    Dim wk As Worksheet
    For Each wk In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        Debug.Print wk.Name
    Next

    Dim i As Long
    For i = 1 To ThisWorkbook.Worksheets.Count
        Debug.Print ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(i).Name
    Next

 
As you can see the For Each loop is neater to write. However if you want to read the sheets in any other order e.g. right to left then you have to use the for loop:

    ' Reading the worksheets from right to left
    Dim i As Long
    For i = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets.Count To 1 Step -1
        Debug.Print ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(i).Name
    Next

Using the VBA For Each Loop With Arrays

One thing to keep in my is that the For Each loop is that it is read-only when you use it with arrays.

 
The following example demonstrates this:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub UseForEach()

    ' Create array and add three values
    Dim arr() As Variant
    arr = Array("A", "B", "C")

    Dim s As Variant
    For Each s In arr
        ' Changes what s is referring to - not value of array item
        s = "Z"
    Next

    ' Print items to show the array has remained unchanged
    For Each s In arr
        Debug.Print s
    Next

End Sub

 
In the first loop we try to assign s to “Z”. When happens is that s is now referring the string “Z” and no longer to the item in the array.

In the second loop we print out the array and you can see that none of the values have changed.

 
When we use the For Loop we can change the array item. If we change the previous code to use the For Loop you it will change all the array values to “Z”

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub UsingForWithArray()

    ' Create array and add three values
    Dim arr() As Variant
    arr = Array("A", "B", "C")

    Dim i As Long
    For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
        ' Changes value at position to Z
        arr(i) = "Z"
    Next

    ' Print items to show the array values have change
    For i = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
        Debug.Print arr(i)
    Next

End Sub

If your Collection is storing Objects the you can change the items using a For Each loop.

Using Nested For Each Loops

We saw already that you can have a loop inside other loops. Here is the example from above:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub ListWorksheets()

    Dim i As Long, j As Long
    ' First Loop goes through all workbooks
    For i = 1 To Workbooks.Count

        ' Second loop goes through all the worksheets of workbook(i)
        For j = 1 To Workbooks(i).Worksheets.Count
            Debug.Print Workbooks(i).Name + ":" + Worksheets(j).Name
        Next j

    Next i

End Sub

This time we will use the For Each loop to perform the same task:

' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub ReadAllWorksheets()

    Dim wk As Workbook, sh As Worksheet
    ' Read each workbook
    For Each wk In Workbooks

        ' Read each worksheet in the wk workbook
        For Each sh In wk.Worksheets
            ' Print workbook name and worksheet name
            Debug.Print wk.Name + ": " + sh.Name
        Next sh

    Next wk

End Sub

As you can see this is a neater way of performing this task than using the For Loop:

This code run as follows:

1. Get the first Workbook from the Workbooks collection
2. Go through all the worksheets in this workbook
3. Print the workbook/worksheet details
4. Get the next workbooks in the collection
5. Repeat steps 2 to 3
6. Continue until no more workbooks are left in the collection

How to Loop Through a Range

In Excel VBA, the most common use of a For Loop is to read through a range.

Imagine we have the data set in the screenshot below. Our task is to write code that will read through the data and copy the amounts to the column J. We are only going to copy amounts that are greater than 200,000.

' Read through an Excel Range using the VBA For Loop
' https://excelmacromastery.com/
Sub ForLoopThroughRange()

    ' Get the worksheet
    Dim sh As Worksheet
    Set sh = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")
    
    ' Get the Range
    Dim rg As Range
    Set rg = sh.Range("A1").CurrentRegion
    
    ' Delete existing output
    sh.Range("J1").CurrentRegion.ClearContents
    
    ' Set the first output row
    Dim row As Long
    row = 1
    
    ' Read through all the rows using the For Loop
    Dim i As Long
    For i = 2 To rg.Rows.Count
    
        ' Check if amount is greater than 200000
        If rg.Cells(i, 4).Value > 200000 Then
        
            ' Copy amount to column m
            sh.Cells(row, "J").Value = rg.Cells(i, 4).Value
            
            ' Move to next output row
            row = row + 1
            
        End If
        
    Next i
    
End Sub

 
This is a very basic example of copying data using Excel VBA. If you want a complete guide to copying data using Excel VBA then check out this post

Summary of the VBA For Loops

The Standard VBA For Loop

• The For  loop is slower than the For  Each loop.
• The For loop can go through a selection of items e.g. 5 to 10.
• The For loop can read items in reverse e.g. 10 to 1.
• The For loop is not as neat to write as the For Each Loop especially with nested loops.
• To exit a For loop use Exit For.

The VBA For Each Loop

• The For Each loop is faster than the For loop.
• The For Each loop goes through all items in the collectionarray.
• The For Each loop can go through items in one order only.
• The For Each loop is neater to write than a For Loop especially for nested loops.
• To exit a For Each loop use Exit For.

What’s Next?

Free VBA Tutorial If you are new to VBA or you want to sharpen your existing VBA skills then why not try out the The Ultimate VBA Tutorial.

Related Training: Get full access to the Excel VBA training webinars.

(NOTE: Planning to build or manage a VBA Application? Learn how to build 10 Excel VBA applications from scratch.)

Loops are used in VBA for repeating a set of statements multiple times. Loops form an essential part of any programming language, and VBA is no exception. There are five different types of loops that can be used in VBA. These are as follows:

• For Loop
• For Each Loop
• Do While Loop
• Do Until Loop
• Wend Loop (obsolete)

In this post, I will explain all these VBA Loops with examples. But before jumping into the topic, let’s understand what a loop is and why it is used.

What is a loop, and what are its uses?

Loop is an instruction that can continually repeat a set of statements until a particular condition is reached.

Loops can serve the following purposes:

• It helps in iterating a set of statements.
• It helps in checking a particular condition multiple times.
• It can also help in developing custom sleep and wait logic in code.

VBA FOR LOOP

For loop is one of the most important and frequently used loop in VBA. For Loop is sometimes also called ‘For Next Loop’.

For Loops allow you to iterate a set of statements for a specified number of times.

Syntax of VBA For Loop

The basic syntax of a VBA For loop or structure of For Loop is as follows:

For loop_ctr = start_num To end_num [step_increment]
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Next loop_ctr

How does a VBA For Loop Work?

Let’s say we have a simple For Loop in VBA as shown below:

For loop_ctr = 1 To 100
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Next loop_ctr

• When the program control reaches the statement ‘For loop_ctr = 1 To 100’, it reserves a space for the variable ‘loop_ctr’ in the memory and initializes it to 1.
• After this, it executes the statements inside the For Loop sequentially.
• Finally, the program control reaches the statement ‘Next loop_ctr’, here it increments the variable ‘loop_ctr’ by 1. And the control again goes to the statement ‘For loop_ctr = 1 To 100’, where it checks if the value of ‘loop_ctr’ has reached 100 or not. If the value is less than 100, then it continues the next iteration; otherwise, the loop stops.

Still not clear with the working of a For Loop? No Worries. Let’s try to understand this with the help of a flow diagram.

VBA For Next Loop Flow Diagram

Let’s try to understand the control flow as depicted in the above flow chart:

1. First of all, the FOR statement is executed. This step allows the ‘loop_ctr’ and ‘step_increment’ values to be initialized.
2. After this, the condition is evaluated. If the condition is TRUE, all the statements inside the loop ‘Code Block’ are executed. However, If the condition evaluates to FALSE, then the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the For loop.
3. When the ‘code block’ inside the For Loop executes, the loop starts to get ready for the next iteration and increments the ‘loop_ctr’ value.
4. Finally, the condition is again evaluated with the incremented ‘loop_ctr,’ and the process repeats itself.

Few Simple Examples of For Loop In VBA

Let’s see some simple examples of For Loop in VBA.

Example 1: Use VBA For Loop to print numbers from 1 to 10 in excel.

In this example, we have a range «A1:A10”, and we have to fill this range with numbers from 1-10.
To accomplish this, we can use the below code:

Sub ForLoopPrintNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
For loop_ctr = 1 To 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, first of all, we have declared the loop counter ‘loop_ctr’ for our For loop. Next, along with the For statement, we have initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ to 1 and set the ‘end_num’ as 10.

Inside the For Loop body, we have written the code to write the loop_ctr value on the excel sheet in the A column. After this, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

Note that since we have not specified an explicit ‘step_increment’ value, so every iteration, the ‘loop_ctr’ will be incremented by 1. The For loop in the above code iterates 10 times and populates the cells in the range A1:A10 with numbers from 1-10 serially.

Example 2: Use For Loop in VBA to find the sum of all the numbers between 1 to 10.

In this example, we will loop through all the numbers between 1 to 10 and sum them. Finally, we will be displaying the sum of the numbers from 1 to 10 on the screen.

To do this we can use the following code:

Sub ForLoopSumNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim result As Integer
result = 0
For loop_ctr = 1 To 10
result = result + loop_ctr
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "Sum of numbers from 1-10 is : " & result
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, first of all, we have declared the loop counter ‘loop_ctr’ for our For loop. Next, we have declared another integer variable as ‘result’ for storing the sum of numbers from 1 to 10.

After this, along with the For statement, we have initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ to 1 and set the ‘end_num’ as 10.

Inside the For Loop body, we have added the value of ‘loop_ctr’ along with the result. This means that in the first iteration, the result will be: 1, and in the second iteration, it will be : (1+2) = 3. Similarly, in the third iteration, the value will be: (3 + 3) = 6 and so on.

After the For loop body, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

Note that since we have not specified an explicit ‘step_increment’ value, hence with every iteration, the ‘loop_ctr’ will be incremented by 1.

The For loop in the above code iterates 10 times and sums all the numbers from 1 to 10, and finally displays the sum of these numbers in msgbox.

Example 3: Use VBA For Loop to print numbers, all even numbers from 1 to 10.

In this example, we will fill all the even numbers between 1 and 10 into cells A1 to A5.

To do this, we can use the below code:

Sub ForLoopToPrintEvenNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim cell As Integer
cell = 1
For loop_ctr = 1 To 10
If loop_ctr Mod 2 = 0 Then
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(cell - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
cell = cell + 1
End If
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, first of all, we have declared the loop counter ‘loop_ctr’ for our For loop. After that, we have declared another variable ‘cell’. This variable is initialized with a value of 1.

Next, along with the For statement, we have initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ to 1 and set the ‘end_num’ as 10.

Inside the For Loop body, we have used an IF statement to check if the ‘loop_ctr’ value is even or not.

If the ‘loop_ctr’ value is Even then, we have written a statement to print the value out to the spreadsheet in the A column.

After this, we are incrementing the cell variable by 1. We have used the cell variable in our loop to print the values in the appropriate cell in the A column.

Next, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

Note that since we have not specified an explicit ‘step_increment’ value, after every iteration, the ‘loop_ctr’ will be incremented by 1.

The For loop in the above code iterates 10 times and populates the cells in the range A1:A5 with even numbers from 2-10.

Alternate Logic

There is another better way to accomplish the same, let’s see how.

Sub ForLoopToPrintEvenNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim cell As Integer
cell = 1
For loop_ctr = 2 To 10 Step 2
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(cell - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
cell = cell + 1
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have looped through all the numbers between 2 to 10. Instead of the default ‘step_increment’ of 1, we are using an explicit ‘step_increment’ of 2.

In the first iteration of the for loop, the ‘loop_ctr’ value is 2, which is what gets printed in cell A1. In the second iteration, the ‘loop_ctr’ value becomes 4 (earlier value : 2 + step_increment : 2) and this number gets printed on cell A2.

Similarly, in the third iteration, the ‘loop_ctr’ value is 6 (earlier value: 4 + step_increment: 2) and it gets printed on the cell A3 and so on.

Writing a Nested For Loop

There are times when you might need to use a for loop within another for loop; this is called nesting of for loops.

VBA For loops can be nested within one another to perform complex tasks in excel. Let’s understand a nested loop with an example:

Example 4: Print numbers from 1 to 10 in all the worksheets in an excel spreadsheet using a For Loop.

In this example, we need to print numbers from 1 to 10 in all the worksheets in an excel workbook.

To do this, we can make use of the following code:

Sub ForLoopPrintNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim sheet As Integer
For sheet = 1 To Worksheets.Count
For loop_ctr = 1 To 10
Worksheets(sheet).Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
Next loop_ctr
Next sheet
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, there are two For Loops, one inside another. The Outer For Loop iterates over the variable ‘sheet’, and the Inner For Loop iterates over ‘loop_ctr’ that determines the cell position.

Inside the body of the Inner For loop, we have a statement that prints the numbers between 1 to 10 in each worksheet (as per the outer loop).

The outer loop iterates over all the available sheets in the spreadsheet, whereas the inner loop iterates over the A1 to A10 for the current sheet. This makes it possible to print numbers from 1 – 10 in all the available worksheets.

Reverse For Loop in VBA

In all our previous examples, we have only seen those For loops in which the loop counter variable gets incremented from a lower value to a higher value (with each iteration).

But this is not necessary, you can also have a For Loop where the loop counter moves from a higher value to a lower value (with each iteration).

Example 5: Use a Reverse For Loop to print numbers from 1 to 10 in descending order.

Sub ReverseForLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim cell As Integer
cell = 1
For loop_ctr = 10 To 1 Step -1
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(cell - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
cell = cell + 1
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, the loop starts with the value of ‘loop_ctr’ as 10. And then, with each iteration, the value of the loop counter is decremented by 1 (since the ‘step_increment’ is -1).

Inside the For Loop body, we print the value of the loop counter variable in the active sheet from A1:A10.

Infinite Loop Using a For Loop

An infinite loop is also sometimes called an Endless Loop. An Infinite Loop is a loop whose ending condition (often due to a logic error by the programmer) never becomes true. The loop iterates an infinite number of times or until halted by programmer/user action.

Although in the case of FOR loop, generally due to the clear start and end conditions, it is not easy to make an endless loop by logical mistake. However, there can be cases where you can by mistake reset the loop counter variable inside the loop, thereby making the loop infinite.

Below is an example of an endless for loop:

'Do not run this code
Sub InfiniteForLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim cell As Integer
For loop_ctr = 1 To 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr - 1
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

The statement ‘loop_ctr = loop_ctr – 1’ makes the above VBA loop infinite since it resets the value of the loop_ctr with every iteration, and hence the end condition is never reached.

Tip: It is always good to not make any changes to the loop counter variable value inside the loop body.

How to Break Out or Exit of a For Loop

I believe many of you will wonder, «Why do we need to break a loop during execution»? The answer is simple: Breaking or exiting a loop can sometimes optimize the code and reduce the resource overhead.

To break a For Loop we can use the ‘Exit For’ statement.

Let’s try to see this in action with an example:

Example 6: Use a FOR loop in VBA to find the sum of the first 20 odd numbers between 1 to 100.

In this example, we have to find the first 20 odd numbers from 1 to 100 and then calculate their sum. Below is the code to do this:

Sub SumFirst20OddNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim odd_number_counter As Integer
Dim sum As Integer
For loop_ctr = 1 To 100
If (loop_ctr Mod 2 <> 0) Then
sum = sum + loop_ctr
odd_number_counter = odd_number_counter + 1
End If
If (odd_number_counter = 20) Then
Exit For
End If
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "Sum of top 20 odd numbers is : " & sum
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, we have three variables – ‘loop_ctr’, ‘odd_number_counter’, and ‘sum’. The variable ‘loop_ctr’ is used as a loop counter, the ‘odd_number_counter’ variable holds the count of odd numbers that have been summed (because we only need to sum the first 20 odd numbers), and the ‘sum’ variable holds the sum of the first 20 odd numbers.

Inside the loop, we iterate all the numbers from 1 to 100, one by one (step_increment is 1 as default), and check if the number is odd. If the number is odd, we sum it and increment the ‘odd_number_counter’ by 1.

After the first IF block, another IF condition checks if the ‘odd_number_counter’ variable value is 20. If the value of ‘odd_number_counter’ is 20, then using the ‘Exit For’ statement, we are exiting out of the loop as there is no point in continuing the loop further.

Few Practical Examples of VBA For Loop

Now let’s have a look at some of the practical examples where For Loop can be used:

Example 7: Highlight alternate rows on a spreadsheet using the VBA For Loop.

In this example, we need to highlight alternate rows in a spreadsheet. To do this we can use the below code:

Sub HighlightAlternateRows()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim Max As Integer
Dim clm As Integer
Max = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Rows.Count
clm = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Columns.Count
For loop_ctr = 1 To Max
If loop_ctr Mod 2 = 0 Then
ActiveSheet.Range(Cells(loop_ctr, 1), Cells(loop_ctr, clm)).Interior.ColorIndex = 28
End If
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "For Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have started the loop from 1 to the number of rows in our sheet. We are then using the if statement to find the even-numbered rows for highlighting them.

Example 8: Use VBA For Loop Protect all sheets in Workbook.

In this example, we will try to create a VBA macro that loops through all the worksheets in the active workbook and protects all the worksheets.

Below is the code to do this:

Sub ProtectWorksheets()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
For loop_ctr = 1 To ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets.Count
Worksheets(loop_ctr).Protect
Next loop_ctr
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we are using a VBA for loop and iterating over all the worksheets in the open workbook. Inside the For Loop, we are trying to protect the current instance of the worksheet.

The above code can also be used to unprotect the sheets as well. Just replace the ‘Worksheets(loop_ctr).Protect’ with ‘Worksheets(loop_ctr).UnProtect’.

Example 9: Loop Over an Array of Numbers and Find the Largest and Smallest Numbers from the Array.

In this example, we have an array of numbers, and using a FOR Loop we have to iterate the array and find the smallest and the Largest numbers from the array. Below is the code to do this:

Sub ForLoopWithArrays()
Dim arr() As Variant
arr = Array(10, 12, 8, 19, 21, 5, 16)
Dim min_number As Integer
Dim max_number As Integer
min_number = arr(0)
max_number = arr(0)
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
For loop_ctr = LBound(arr) To UBound(arr)
If arr(loop_ctr) > max_number Then
max_number = arr(loop_ctr)
End If
If arr(loop_ctr) < min_number Then
min_number = arr(loop_ctr)
End If
Next loop_ctr
MsgBox "Largest Number: " & max_number _
& " Smallest Number: " & min_number
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have an array of numbers declared as ‘arr’ variable. In addition to that, we have two variables, ‘min_number’ and ‘max_number’, that are used for holding the minimum and maximum numbers from the array.

We initialize both the ‘min_number’ and ‘max_number’ variables to the array’s first element. Next, inside the For loop, we loop through all the array elements and check –

If the current number is greater than the ‘max_number’, then set the ‘max_number’ value equal to the current number. The next condition that we check is – If the current number is less than the ‘min_number’, then set the ‘min_number’ value equal to the current number.

Finally, we are showing the largest and the smallest numbers inside the array with the help of a msgbox.

VBA For Each Loop

For each is a more sophisticated type of For Loop. It can be used for iterating a collection of objects.

Here you don’t have to worry about the loop counter, your job is to simply pass a collection of objects, and the loop itself identifies the objects and iterates them.

Syntax of a VBA For Each Loop

The syntax of For Each Loop resembles closely to For Loop. Below is the syntax:

For Each item In collection_of_items
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Next item

Here, ‘collection_of_items’ refers to a group of objects that you need to iterate. If you supply a single object to this parameter, it throws a «run-time error 438».

‘item’ specifies the objects inside the ‘collection_of_items’. At any particular instant inside the loop, ‘item’ contains a single object from the ‘collection_of_items’.

How a For Each Loop Works

Let’s say we have a For Each Loop as:

For Each cl In ActiveSheet.Range("A1:A10")
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Next cl

• When the program control reaches the statement ‘For Each cl In ActiveSheet.Range(«A1:A10»)’ it evaluates the object collection and then initializes the variable ‘cl’ with the first object in the collection, i.e., cell $A$1.
• After this, it executes the statements inside the loop.
• Next, it fetches the second object from the collection and dumps it in the variable ‘cl’. And the process continues till it has fetched all objects from the collection.

Flow Diagram of a For Each Loop In VBA

Let’s try to understand the control flow as depicted in the above flow chart:

1. First of all, the FOR EACH statement is executed and checks if there are any elements in the collection.
2. If there are any elements present in the collection, the ‘item’ variable is initialized to the first element of the collection, and the statements inside the loop ‘Code Block’ is executed. However, If the condition evaluates to FALSE, then the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the For Each loop.
3. When the ‘code block’ inside the For Each Loop executes, the loop starts to get ready for the next iteration. The ‘item’ variable is re-initialized to the next element in the collection, and the loop continues.

Few Simple Examples of VBA For Each Loop

Now let’s move to some simple examples of For Each loop.

Example 1 – Use VBA For Each Loop to display the names of all the Active Worksheets.

In this example, we will use a For Each loop to iterate through all the worksheets in the ActiveWorkbook and display the names of all the sheets using a msg box.

Sub ForEachDisplaySheetNames()
Dim sheetNames As String
For Each sht In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets
sheetNames = sheetNames & vbNewLine & sht.Name
Next sht
MsgBox "The Sheet names are : " & vbNewLine & sheetNames
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, the For Each loop takes the collection of sheets from ‘ActiveWorkbook.Sheets’ it then iterates the sheets one by one and initializes the ‘sht’ variable with the current sheet instance.

Inside the For Each block, the sheet name for each worksheet is appended to a string, and finally, outside the loop, all the sheet names are displayed using a message box.

Example 2: Use VBA For Each Loop to Sum all the Elements of an Array.

In this example, with the help of a VBA For Each loop, we will be iterating an array of numbers and find the sum of all of its elements. Below is the code to do this:

Sub ForEachSumArrayElements()
Dim arr As Variant
Dim sum As Integer
arr = Array(1, 10, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 27)
For Each element In arr
sum = sum + element
Next element
MsgBox "The Sum is : " & sum
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have declared two variables, ‘arr’ and ‘sum’. The ‘arr’ variable is used for storing the array of numbers, and the ‘sum’ variable represents the sum of the array elements.

Inside the For Each loop, we are iterating the array elements one by one, summing them up, and storing the total in the ‘sum’ variable.

Finally, outside the For Each loop, we show the sum of the array elements using a message box.

Example 3: Use VBA For Each Loop to display the names of all the Open Workbooks.

In this example, using a For Each loop, we will loop through all the open workbooks and display their name using a message box.

Below is the code to do this:

Sub ForEachDisplayWorkbookNames()
Dim workBookNames As String
For Each wrkbook In Workbooks
workBookNames = workBookNames & vbNewLine & wrkbook.Name
Next wrkbook
MsgBox "The Workbook names are : " & vbNewLine & workBookNames
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, the For Each loop takes the collection of workbooks, then iterates the workbooks one by one and initializes the ‘wrkbook’ variable with the current workbook instance.

Inside the For Each block, the workbook name for each workbook is appended to a string, and finally, outside the loop, all the workbook names are displayed using a message box.

Nested VBA For Each Loop

Two For Each loops can be nested within one another to perform complex tasks. Let’s understand For Each nested loop with an example:

Example 4: Display the names of all open workbooks along with their corresponding worksheets.

In this example, we will be iterating through all the open workbooks and then iterate through each workbook’s worksheets and finally display them using a message box.

Below is the code to do this:

Sub ForEachLoopNesting()
Dim result As String
For Each wrkbook In Workbooks
For Each sht In wrkbook.Sheets
result = result & vbNewLine & " Workbook : " & wrkbook.Name & " Worksheet : " & sht.Name
Next sht
Next wrkbook
MsgBox result
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have used two For Each loops, one inside another. The outer For Each loop iterates through the workbooks, and the inner For Each loop iterates through the worksheets.

Inside the inner For Each block, a statement concatenates the names of the workbooks and the worksheets and stores them in a variable called ‘result’.

With each iteration, the ‘result’ variable’s new value is appended to the existing value. Finally, the value of the ‘result’ variable is displayed inside a msgbox.

How to Break Out or Exit of a For Each Loop

To break out of a For Each loop, we can use the ‘Exit For’ statement. So, ‘Exit For’ statement can break both a For loop as well as a For Each loop.

Let’s see this with an example:

Example 5: Use VBA For Each Loop to display the names of the first 3 sheets in the active workbook.

In this example, we will loop through the worksheets inside the active workbook and only display the first 3 worksheet names. Below is the code to do this:

Sub ForEachDisplayFirstThreeSheetNames()
Dim sheetNames As String
Dim sheetCounter As Integer
For Each sht In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets
sheetNames = sheetNames & vbNewLine & sht.Name
sheetCounter = sheetCounter + 1
If sheetCounter >= 3 Then
Exit For
End If
Next sht
MsgBox "The Sheet names are : " & vbNewLine & sheetNames
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have a For Each loop that iterates over the worksheets inside the active workbook. Inside the loop, we are appending and storing the sheet names within the ‘sheetNames’ variable. Also, we have a ‘sheetCounter’ variable that gets incremented on each iteration.

After that, inside the loop, we also check if the value of the ‘sheetCounter’ variable has reached 3 (because we only want to display 3 sheet names).

If the ‘sheetCounter’ variable’s value has reached 3, we exit the loop using the ‘Exit For’ statement. Finally, we are displaying the value of the ‘sheetNames’ variable using a msgbox.

VBA Do While Loop

VBA Do While is another type of loop that repeatedly executes a set of statements while a condition continues to be True. The loop ends when the condition becomes false.

Syntax of Do While Loop In VBA

Do while loop has two syntaxes in VBA, these are as follows:

Syntax 1:

Do While condition
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Loop

Or

Syntax 2:

Do
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Loop While condition

In both the syntaxes, ‘condition’ is used as the loop backbone. On each iteration ‘While’ statement checks if the ‘condition’ evaluates to True or False. If the ‘condition’ is True, then the loop continues; otherwise, the loop terminates.

Before everything else, let’s try to understand the difference between these two syntaxes.

Difference Between the two Do While Syntaxes

As we can see in the first, do-while loop syntax, the ‘condition’ is checked as the first statement. This means if the condition is false, the do-while loop in syntax 1 will not perform any iterations.

Whereas in the second syntax, the ‘condition’ is checked as the last statement inside the loop. This means that even if the condition is false, the do-while loop in syntax 2 will perform at least 1 iteration. Only after that, the condition will be evaluated, and the next iteration will not happen.

So, syntax 2 guarantees to have at least 1 iteration irrespective of the condition being true or false.

Now, let’s try to understand how a do-while loop works.

How Does a Do While Loop Work

Syntax 1 –

Let’s say we have a Do While loop as follows:

Dim loop_ctr as Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do While loop_ctr < 10
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop

• In the first two statements, the variable ‘loop_ctr’ is declared and initialized as 1.
• When the program control reaches the statement «Do While loop_ctr < 10», it checks if the value of the ‘loop_ctr’ is less than 10.
• If the ‘loop_ctr’ value is less than 10, the statements inside the body of the loop get executed sequentially, and finally, the ‘loop_ctr’ is incremented by 1.
• After this, the control again moves to the loop «Do While loop_ctr < 10», and the loop continues till the value of ‘loop_ctr’ becomes equal to 10.
• When the value of ‘loop_ctr’ becomes equal to 10, then the do while condition fails, and the control moves to the next statement after the do-while loop.

Syntax 2 –

Let’s say we have a Do While loop as follows:

Dim loop_ctr as Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do
'Statements to be executed inside the loop</em>
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop While loop_ctr < 10

• In the first two statements, the variable ‘loop_ctr’ is declared and initialized as 1.
• When the program control reaches the «Do» statement, as there are no checks (like syntax 1), it just comes inside the loop and starts executing the statements inside the loop one by one and increments the ‘loop_ctr’ by 1.
• After executing the statements inside the loop body, it checks if the ‘loop_ctr’ is less than 10. If the ‘loop_ctr’ value is less than 10, another iteration starts.
• If the value of ‘loop_ctr’ becomes equal to 10, then the do while condition fails, and the control moves to the next statement after the do-while loop.

Note: In the second syntax, the Do-While Loop always iterates at-least-once since the condition to be checked is placed at the end of the loop.

Flow Diagram of a Do While Loop In VBA:

Let’s try to understand the control flow as depicted in the above flow chart:

Syntax 1 –

1. In this Do-While syntax, the loop condition is checked along with the Do statement.
2. If the condition is true, then the ‘code block’ inside the do-while loop is executed, and the next iteration begins. Each iteration before beginning checks the loop condition, and the ‘code block’ inside the do-while loop is only executed when the condition evaluates to true.
3. When the loop condition becomes false, then no more loop iterations occur, and the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the Do While loop.

Syntax 2 –

1. In this Do-While syntax, the loop condition is not checked along with the Do statement.
2. Since for the first iteration, no condition is checked. Hence the code block inside the do-while body gets executed.
3. After the first iteration, each subsequent iteration, before beginning, checks the loop condition, and the ‘code block’ inside the do-while loop is only executed when the condition evaluates to true.
4. When the loop condition becomes false, then no more loop iterations occur, and the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the Do While loop.

Few Simple Examples of Do While Loop In VBA

Example 1: Use VBA Do While Loop to print numbers from 1 to 10 in excel.

In this example, we have a range «A1:A10,» and we have to fill this range with numbers from 1-10. To do this we can use the below code:

Sub DoWhileLoopPrintNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do While loop_ctr <= 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox ("Loop Ends")
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have declared and initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ variable for our Do While loop. Next, along with the Do while statement, we have a condition to run the loop till the ‘loop_ctr’ value is less than or equal to 10.

Inside the Do While Loop body, we have written the code to write the ‘loop_ctr’ value on the excel sheet in the A column.

After this, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

Example 2: Use Do While Loop in VBA to find the sum of all the numbers between 1 to 20.

In this example, we will loop through all the numbers between 1 to 20 and sum them. Finally, we will be displaying the sum of the numbers from 1 to 20 on the screen.

To do this we can use the following code:

Sub WhileLoopSumNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim result As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
result = 0
Do While loop_ctr <= 20
result = result + loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Sum of numbers from 1-20 is : " & result
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have declared the loop counter ‘loop_ctr’ for our Do While loop. Next, we have declared another integer variable as ‘result’ for storing the sum of numbers from 1 to 20.

After this, along with the Do while statement, we have a condition to run the loop till the ‘loop_ctr’ value is less than or equal to 20.

Inside the Do While Loop body, we have added the value of ‘loop_ctr’ along with the result. This means that in the first iteration, the result’s value will be: 1, and in the second iteration, it will be : (1+2) = 3. Similarly, in the third iteration, the value will be: (3 + 3) = 6 and so on.

After this, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

The Do While loop in the above code iterates 20 times, sums all the numbers from 1 to 20, and finally displays the sum of these numbers in msgbox.

Example 3: Show the unique behavior of Do While Loop (In Syntax 2) to execute at-least-once even if the condition to be checked is False.

Sub DoWhileLoopTest()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 100
Do
MsgBox "Loop Counter : " & loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop While loop_ctr <= 10
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above example, we have initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ as 100 and inside the loop condition we are checking ‘loop_ctr < 10’. This means the loop is only designed to iterate when the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is less than 10. But you will notice that despite the condition this do-while loop executes once.

The reason for this is: because according to syntax 2 of the Do While loop, there is no way to check conditions at the beginning of the loop. You can only check conditions at the end of the loop.

Note: We can fix this issue by simply using the Do While loop in Syntax 1 as shown:

Sub DoWhileLoopTest()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 100
Do While loop_ctr <= 10
MsgBox "Loop Counter : " & loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
End Sub

Writing a Nested Do While Loop

Similar to other loops, nesting is very much possible in Do While Loops. Let’s understand nested Do While loops this with an example.

Example 4: Print numbers from 1 to 10 in all the worksheets in an excel spreadsheet using a Do While Loop.

In this example, we need to print numbers from 1 to 10 in all the worksheets in an excel workbook using a do-while loop. To do this, we can make use of the following code:

Sub NestedDoWhileLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim sheet As Integer
sheet = 1
Do While sheet <= Worksheets.Count
loop_ctr = 1
Do While loop_ctr <= 10
Worksheets(sheet).Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
sheet = sheet + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Nested While Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, there are two Do While Loops, one inside another. The Outer Do While Loop iterates over the variable ‘sheet’ and iterates till the value of the ‘sheet’ variable is less than or equal to ‘Worksheets.Count’ (i.e., the total count of worksheets in a workbook).

Inner Do While Loop iterates over the variable ‘loop_ctr’ and iterates till the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is less than or equal to 10. This helps us to print the numbers in a sequence.

Inside the body of the Inner Do While loop, we have a statement that prints the numbers between 1 to 10 in each worksheet (as per the outer loop).

The outer loop iterates over all the available worksheets sheets in the spreadsheet, whereas the inner loop iterates over the numbers from 1 to 10 for the current sheet.

This makes it possible to print numbers from 1 – 10 in all the available worksheets.

Infinite Loop Using a Do While Loop

Unlike a For Loop, a Do While Loop does not have a clear ‘start’, ‘end’ or ‘step_increments’, so it is very easy to make logical errors resulting in an infinite or an endless loop. Below is an example of a Do While endless loop:

'Do not run this code
Sub InfiniteDoWhileLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do While loop_ctr <= 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
Loop
MsgBox ("Loop Ends")
End Sub

In the above code, we have simply missed the line to increment the loop counter i.e. ‘loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1’ and this has made the loop infinite because the value of ‘loop_ctr’ will always be 1 (since it is never incremented) and hence the loop condition ‘While loop_ctr <= 10’ will always evaluate to true.

Tip: It is always a good idea to use a For Each or For Next loop over a Do While or Do Until loop (whenever possible).

How to Break Out or Exit of a Do While Loop

To break out of a Do While loop, we can use the ‘Exit Do’ statement. As soon as the VBA engine executes the ‘Exit Do’ statement, it exits the loop and takes the control to the next statement after the Do while loop.

Let’s see this with an example:

Example 5: Use a Do While loop in VBA to find the sum of the first 15 odd numbers between 1 to 100.

In this example, we have to find the first 15 odd numbers from 1 to 100 and then calculate their sum. Below is the code to do this:

Sub SumFirst15OddNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim odd_number_counter As Integer
Dim sum As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do While loop_ctr <= 100
If (loop_ctr Mod 2 <> 0) Then
sum = sum + loop_ctr
odd_number_counter = odd_number_counter + 1
End If
If (odd_number_counter = 15) Then
Exit Do
End If
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Sum of top 15 odd numbers is : " & sum
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, we have three variables – ‘loop_ctr’, ‘odd_number_counter’, and ‘sum’. ‘loop_ctr’ is the loop counter variable, ‘odd_number_counter’ variable holds the count of odd numbers that have been summed and the ‘sum’ variable holds the sum of the first 15 odd numbers.

Inside the Do While loop, we loop through all the numbers from 1 to 100, one by one, and check if the number is odd. If the number is odd, we sum it and increment the ‘odd_number_counter’ by 1.

After the first IF block, another IF condition checks if the ‘odd_number_counter’ variable value is 15. If the value of ‘odd_number_counter’ is 15, then using the ‘Exit Do’ statement, we are breaking the loop as there is no point in continuing the loop further.

Finally, we are displaying the value of the ‘sum’ variable using a msgbox.

VBA Do Until Loop

Do Until loop is very similar to Do While loop; the only difference between them is that –

• A ‘do-while’ loop iterates as long as a certain condition is true.
• On the other hand, a ‘do-until’ loop iterates until a condition is no longer true.

Let’s try to understand this difference in simple terms:

For Instance: If we want to write a Do Loop that iterates from 1 to 10, with while keyword, the condition would be ‘Do While loop_ctr <= 10’ and with until keyword, the same condition can be written as ‘Do Until loop_ctr > 10’.

Which means:

• Until – repeat Until the count is greater than ten
• While – repeat While the count is less than or equal to ten

With these examples, you can clearly see – using Until and While is just the opposite way of writing the same condition.

Now, let’s have a look at the syntax of Do Until Loop.

Syntax of Do Until Loop In VBA

Similar to Do While loop, Do Until also has two syntaxes:

Syntax 1 –

Do Until condition
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Loop

Or

Syntax 2 –

Do
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Loop Until condition

Here, ‘condition’ is used as the loop backbone, the same as in the case of Do While Loop. On each iteration, Until statement checks, if the ‘condition’ evaluates to True or False. If the ‘condition’ is False, then the loop continues. Otherwise, the loop ends.

Now, let’s try to understand the difference between these two syntaxes.

Difference Between the two Do Until Syntaxes

As we can see in the first do until loop syntax, the ‘condition’ is checked as the first statement. This means if the condition is true, the do-until loop in syntax 1 will not perform any iterations.

Whereas in the second syntax, the ‘condition’ is checked as the last statement inside the loop. This means that even if the condition is true, the do-until loop in syntax 2 will perform at least 1 iteration. Only after that, the condition will be evaluated, and the next iteration will not happen.

So, syntax 2 guarantees to have at least 1 iteration irrespective of the condition being true or false.

How a Do Until Loop Works

Syntax 1 –

Let’s say we have a Do Until loop as follows:

Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do Until loop_ctr > 10
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop

• In the first two statements, a variable ‘loop_ctr’ is declared and initialized as 1.
• When the program control reaches the statement «Do Until loop_ctr > 10», it checks if the value of the ‘loop_ctr’ is greater than 10.
• If the ‘loop_ctr’ value is less than or equal to 10, the statements inside the body of the loop get executed sequentially, and finally, the ‘loop_ctr’ is incremented by 1.
• After this, the control again moves to check the condition «Do Until loop_ctr > 10», and the loop continues till the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is less than or equal to 10.

Syntax 2 –

Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop Until loop_ctr > 10

• In the first two statements, a variable ‘loop_ctr’ is declared and initialized as 1.
• When the program control reaches the statement Do, it simply moves to the next statement as the Do statement doesn’t force the program to check any condition.
• After this, in the following statement, a variable ‘loop_ctr’ is incremented by 1.
• Next, ‘Loop Until loop_ctr > 10’ statement checks if the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is greater than 10 or not. If it is less than or equal to 10, then the program control again jumps to the Do statement, but if the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is greater than 10, it terminates the loop and the program control moves to the next statement.

Note: Syntax 2 of Do Until Loop always iterates at-least-once since the condition that is to be checked is placed at the end of the loop.

Flow Diagram of a Do Until Loop In VBA

Let’s try to understand the control flow as depicted in the above flow chart:

Syntax 1 –

1. In this Do-Until syntax, the loop condition is checked along with the Do statement.
2. If the condition is false, then the ‘code block’ inside the do-until loop is executed, and the next iteration begins. Each iteration before beginning checks the loop condition, and the ‘code block’ inside the do-until loop is only executed when the condition evaluates to false.
3. When the loop condition becomes true, then no more loop iterations occur, and the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the Do Until loop.

Syntax 2 –

1. In this Do-Until syntax, the loop condition is not checked along with the Do statement.
2. Since for the first iteration, no condition is checked. Hence the code block inside the do-until body gets executed.
3. After the first iteration, each subsequent iteration, before beginning, checks the loop condition, and the ‘code block’ inside the do-until loop is only executed when the condition evaluates to false.
4. When the loop condition becomes true, then no more loop iterations occur, and the control flow jumps to the next statement outside the Do Until loop.

Few Simple Examples of Do Until Loop In VBA

Example 1: Print numbers from 1 to 10 in excel using a VBA Do Until Loop.

In this example, we have a range «A1:A10,» and we have to fill this range with numbers from 1-10. To do this we can use the below code:

Sub DoUntilLoopPrintNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do Until loop_ctr < 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox ("Loop Ends")
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, first of all, we have declared and initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ variable for our Do Until loop. Next, along with the Do until statement, we have a condition to run the loop till ‘loop_ctr’ value is greater than 10.

Inside the Do Until Loop body, we have written the code to write the ‘loop_ctr’ value on the excel sheet in the A column.

After this, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration. As soon as the value of the ‘loop_ctr’ variable becomes greater than 10, the loop ends.

Example 2: Use Do Until Loop in VBA to find the sum of all the numbers between 1 to 20.

In this example, using a do until loop, we will iterate all the numbers between 1 to 20 and sum them. Finally, we will be displaying the sum of the numbers from 1 to 20 on the screen. To do this we can use the following code:

Sub DoUntilLoopSumNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim result As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
result = 0
Do Until loop_ctr > 20
result = result + loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Sum of numbers from 1-20 is : " & result
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, we have declared the loop counter ‘loop_ctr’ for our Do Until loop. Next, we have declared another integer variable as ‘result’ for storing the sum of numbers from 1 to 20.

After this, along with the Do Until statement, we have a condition to run the loop until the ‘loop_ctr’ becomes greater than 20.

Inside the Do Until Loop body, we have added the value of ‘loop_ctr’ along with the result. This means in the first iteration, the value of the result will be: 1, and in the second iteration, it will be : (1+2) = 3; similarly, in the third iteration, the value will be: (3 + 3) = 6 and so on.

After this, there is a statement that increments the ‘loop_ctr’ for the next iteration.

The Do Until loop in the above code iterates 20 times and sums all the numbers from 1 to 20, and finally displays the sum of these numbers in msgbox.

Example 3: Show the unique behavior of Do Until Loop (In Syntax 2) to execute at-least-once even if the condition to be checked is True.

Sub DoUntilLoopTest()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 100
Do
MsgBox "Loop Counter : " & loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop Until loop_ctr > 10
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above example, we have initialized the ‘loop_ctr’ as 100 and inside the loop condition we are checking ‘loop_ctr > 10’. This means the loop is only designed to iterate when the value of ‘loop_ctr’ is less than 10. But you will notice that despite the condition this do-until loop executes once.

The reason for this is: because according to syntax 2 of the Do Until loop, there is no way to check conditions at the beginning of the loop. The condition can only be checked at the end of the loop.

Note: We can fix this issue by simply using the Do Until loop in Syntax 1 as shown:

Sub DoUntilLoopTest()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 100
Do Until loop_ctr > 10
MsgBox "Loop Counter : " & loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
End Sub

Writing a Nested Do Until Loop

Similar to other loops nesting is very much possible in Do Until Loop. Let’s see how to write a nested Do Until loop:

Example 4: Print numbers from 1 to 5 in all the worksheets in an excel spreadsheet using a Do Until Loop.

In this example, we need to print numbers from 1 to 5 in all the worksheets in an excel workbook using a do until loop. To do this, we can make use of the following code:

Sub NestedDoUntilLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim sheet As Integer
sheet = 1
Do Until sheet > Worksheets.Count
loop_ctr = 1
Do Until loop_ctr > 5
Worksheets(sheet).Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
sheet = sheet + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Nested Do Until Loop Completed!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, there are two Do Until Loops, one inside another. The Outer Do Until Loop iterates over the variable ‘sheet’ and iterates until the value of the ‘sheet’ variable becomes greater than ‘Worksheets.Count’ (i.e., the total count of worksheets in a workbook).

Inner Do Until Loop iterates over the variable ‘loop_ctr’ and iterates until the value of ‘loop_ctr’ becomes greater than 5. This helps us to print the numbers in a sequence.

Inside the body of the Inner Do Until loop, we have a statement that prints the numbers between 1 to 5 in each worksheet (as per the outer loop).

The outer loop iterates over all the available worksheets in the spreadsheet, whereas the inner loop iterates over the numbers from 1 to 5 for the current sheet.

This makes it possible to print numbers from 1 – 5 in all the available worksheets.

Infinite Loop Using a Do Until Loop

Syntactically, Do Until Loop is very different from a For Loop since it does not provide a clear ‘start’, ‘end’ or ‘step_increments’, so it is very easy to make logical errors resulting in an infinite or an endless loop.

Below is an example of a Do Until endless loop:

'Do not run this code
Sub InfiniteDoUntilLoop()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do Until loop_ctr > 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
Loop
MsgBox ("Loop Ends")
End Sub

In the above code, we have simply missed the line to increment the loop counter i.e. ‘loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1’ and this has made the loop infinite because the value of ‘loop_ctr’ will always be 1 (since it is never incremented) and hence the loop condition ‘Until loop_ctr > 10’ will always evaluate to false.

Tip: It is always a good idea to use a For Each or For Next loop over a Do While or Do Until loop (whenever possible).

How to Break Out or Exit of a Do Until Loop

Similar to a Do While Loop, a Do Until loop can also be exited using an ‘Exit Do’ statement. As soon as the VBA engine executes the ‘Exit Do’ statement, it exits the loop and takes control to the next statement after the Do Until loop.

Let’s see this with an example:

Example 5: Use a Do Until loop in VBA to find the sum of the first 20 even numbers between 1 to 100.

In this example, we must find the first 20 even numbers from 1 to 100 and then calculate their sum.

Below is the code to do this:

Sub SumFirst20EvenNumbers()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
Dim even_number_counter As Integer
Dim sum As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
Do Until loop_ctr < 100
If (loop_ctr Mod 2 = 0) Then
sum = sum + loop_ctr
even_number_counter = even_number_counter + 1
End If
If (even_number_counter = 20) Then
Exit Do
End If
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Loop
MsgBox "Sum of top 20 even numbers is : " & sum
End Sub

Explanation:

In this example, we have three variables – ‘loop_ctr’, ‘even_number_counter’, and ‘sum’. ‘loop_ctr’ is the loop counter variable, ‘even_number_counter’ variable holds the count of even numbers that have been summed (because we only need to sum the first 20 even numbers) and ‘sum’ variable holds the sum of the first 20 even numbers.

Inside the Do Until loop, we loop through all the numbers from 1 to 100, one by one, and check if the number is even. If the number is even, we sum it and increment the ‘even_number_counter’ by 1.

After the first IF block, another IF condition checks if the ‘even_number_counter’ variable value is 20. If the value of ‘even_number_counter’ is 20, then using the ‘Exit Do’ statement, we break the loop as there is no point in running the loop further.

While Wend Loop In VBA (Obsolete)

While Wend loop was added in VBA just to make it backward compatible, Microsoft recommends using Do While Loop in place of While Wend Loop.

While Wend Loop is not as structured and flexible like a Do While Loop, it also doesn’t support the idea of prematurely exiting out of the loop.

Tip: If you are learning loops in VBA, then you can skip this topic. However, if you are dealing with a legacy code with While Wend statements, I would recommend you change them and start using the Do while loops instead.

Syntax of While Wend Loops

The syntax of While Wend Loop is as follows:

While condition
'Statements to be executed inside the loop
Wend

‘condition’ is used as the loop backbone. On each iteration, the While statement checks if the ‘condition’ evaluates to True or False. If the ‘condition’ is True, then the loop continues; otherwise, the loop terminates.

Example: Write a While Wend loop to print numbers from 1 to 10.

To do this, we can write the below code:

Sub WhileWendExample()
Dim loop_ctr As Integer
loop_ctr = 1
While loop_ctr <= 10
ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Offset(loop_ctr - 1, 0).Value = loop_ctr
loop_ctr = loop_ctr + 1
Wend
MsgBox "Loop Ends!"
End Sub

Explanation:

In the above code, first of all, we are declaring and initializing a loop counter variable ‘loop_ctr’ as 1. Next, there is a While statement along with the condition ‘While loop_ctr <= 10’.

This means that we need to iterate until the value of the ‘loop_ctr’ variable is less than or equal to 10. After this, we are printing the value of ‘loop_ctr’ in the active worksheet and then incrementing the loop counter. When the Wend statement is encountered, the next iteration starts.

The loop in the above example iterates 10 times, and after that, the value of ‘loop_ctr’ becomes 11, and hence the loop condition becomes false, and the control moves to the statement after the while when loop.

Finally, a message’ Loop Ends!’ is presented on the screen to notify the user that the loop has ended.

How To Write VBA Code In Excel

VBA code can be added to a spreadsheet using the Visual Basic Editor. To open the Visual Basic Editor in Excel, follow the below steps:

• If you are on Windows, press the keys (ALT + F11). If you are on MAC, press the keys (Opt + F11). This will open the Visual Basic Editor.

• After the Visual Basic Editor is opened. Go to «Insert» and click the «Module» option as shown in the image. This will insert a module object for your workbook.

• Now you can copy-paste the above codes in the module and run them using the execute button as shown.

Debugging Tips

• Use the F5 key to run the code.
• Use the F9 key to insert or remove a breakpoint.
• Use the F8 key to ‘step-into’ or run the code line by line. It can be used to debug the code and execute it line by line.

So, this was all about VBA Loops. Do let us know in case you have any queries related to the topic.

In VBA, looping is used when you need to perform the same task multiple times until a condition is met (or until a condition is true).

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the For Next Loop in Excel VBA.

If you’re interested in learning VBA the easy way, check out my Online Excel VBA Training.

Using FOR NEXT Loop in Excel VBA

‘For Next’ Loop works by running the loop the specified number of times.

For example, if I ask you to add the integers from 1 to 10 manually, you would add the first two numbers, then add the third number to the result, then add the fourth number to the result, as so on..

Isn’t it?

The same logic is used in the For Next loop in VBA.

You specify how many times you want the loop to run and also specify what you want the code to do each time the loop is run.

Here is the For Next loop format you need to use in VBA to add the first 10 whole numbers.

For i = 1 to 10
[add the ith positive integer to the result]
Next i

Now let’s have a look at a few examples of how to use the For Next loop.

Example 1: Adding the First 10 Positive Integers

Below is the code that will add the first 10 positive integers using a For Next loop. It will then display a message box showing the sum of these numbers.

Sub AddNumbers()
Dim Total As Integer
Dim Count As Integer
Total = 0
For Count = 1 To 10
Total = Total + Count
Next Count
MsgBox Total
End Sub

In this code, the value of Total is set to 0 before getting into the For Next loop.

Once it gets into the loop, it holds the total value after every loop. So after the first loop, when Counter is 1, ‘Total’ value becomes 1, and after the second loop it becomes 3 (1+2), and so on.

And finally, when the loop ends and when Total has the sum of the first 10 positive integers, a MsgBox simply displays the result in a message box.

Click here to download the example file

Example 2: Adding the first 5 Even Positive Integers

To sum the first five even positive integers (i.e, 2,4,6,8, and 10), you need a similar code with a condition to only consider the even numbers and ignore the odd numbers.

Here is a code that will do it:

Sub AddEvenNumbers()
Dim Total As Integer
Dim Count As Integer
Total = 0
For Count = 2 To 10 Step 2
Total = Total + Count
Next Count
MsgBox Total
End Sub

Note that we started the Count value from 2 and also used Step 2 in the For syntax.

Step 2 would tell the code to increment the ‘Count’ value by 2 every time the loop is run. So the Count value starts from 2 and then becomes 4, 6, 8 and 10 as the looping occurs.

NOTE: Another way of doing this could be to run the loop from 1 to 10 and within the loop check whether the number is even or odd. However, using Step, in this case, is a more efficient way as it does not require the loop to run 10 times, but only 5 times.

Click here to download the example file.

Example 3: Get the Numeric Part from an Alphanumeric String

‘For Next’ loop can also be used to loop through each character in a string.

For example, if you have a list of alphanumeric strings, you can use the For Next loop to extract the numbers from it (as shown below):

Here is a code that creates a custom function in VBA that can be used like any other worksheet function.

It extracts the numeric part from the alphanumeric string.

Function GETNUMERIC(Cl As Range)
Dim i As Integer
Dim Result as Long
For i = 1 To Len(Cl)
If IsNumeric(Mid(Cl, i, 1)) Then
Result = Result & Mid(Cl, i, 1)
End If
Next i
GetNumeric = Result
End Function

In this code, the number of times the loop is run is dependent on the length of the alphanumeric string (it uses the LEN function to find the length of the string).

You need to put this function in the module code window, and then you can use it like any other worksheet function.

Click here to download the example file.

Example 4: Getting Random Numbers in the Selected Range

Suppose you want to quickly enter random numbers in the selected cells, here the code that will do it.

Sub RandomNumbers()
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim i As Integer, j As Integer
Set MyRange = Selection
For i = 1 To MyRange.Columns.Count
For j = 1 To MyRange.Rows.Count
MyRange.Cells(j, i) = Rnd
Next j
Next i
End Sub

This is an example of nested For Next loop where a For loop is used within a For Loop.

Suppose you make a selection of 10 rows and 4 columns, the value of i varies from 1 to 4 and the value of j varies from 1 to 10.

When the first For loop is run, the value of i is 1. It then moves to the second For loop which runs 10 times (for each row).

Once the second For loop has been executed 10 times, it goes back to the first For loop where now the value of i becomes 2. Again the next For loop runs for 10 times.

This is how the nested For Next loop works.

Click here to download the example file.

You May Also Like the Following Excel VBA Tutorials:

• Working with Cells and Ranges in Excel VBA.
• Working with Worksheets in Excel VBA.
• Working with Workbooks using VBA.
• Using IF Then Else Statements in VBA.
• Excel VBA Select Case.
• Creating a User-Defined Function in Excel.
• Excel VBA Events – An Easy (and Complete) Guide
• How to Record a Macro in Excel.
• How to Run a Macro in Excel.
• How to Create an Add-in in Excel.
• How to Save and Reuse Macro using Excel Personal Macro Workbook.
• Useful Excel Macro Examples for Beginners.
• Using InStr Function in VBA.