Excel Macro is a record and playback tool that simply records your Excel steps and the macro will play it back as many times as you want. VBA Macros save time as they automate repetitive tasks. It is a piece of programming code that runs in an Excel environment but you don’t need to be a coder to program macros. Though, you need basic knowledge of VBA to make advanced modifications in the macro.
In this Macros in Excel for beginners tutorial, you will learn Excel macro basics:
- What is an Excel Macro?
- Why are Excel Macros Used in Excel?
- What is VBA in a Layman’s Language?
- Excel Macro Basics
- Step by Step Example of Recording Macros in Excel
Why are Excel Macros Used in Excel?
As humans, we are creatures of habit. There are certain things that we do on a daily basis, every working day. Wouldn’t it be better if there were some magical way of pressing a single button and all of our routine tasks are done? I can hear you say yes. Macro in Excel helps you to achieve that. In a layman’s language, a macro is defined as a recording of your routine steps in Excel that you can replay using a single button.
For example, you are working as a cashier for a water utility company. Some of the customers pay through the bank and at the end of the day, you are required to download the data from the bank and format it in a manner that meets your business requirements.
You can import the data into Excel and format. The following day you will be required to perform the same ritual. It will soon become boring and tedious. Macros solve such problems by automating such routine tasks. You can use a macro to record the steps of
- Importing the data
- Formatting it to meet your business reporting requirements.
What is VBA in a Layman’s Language?
VBA is the acronym for Visual Basic for Applications. It is a programming language that Excel uses to record your steps as you perform routine tasks. You do not need to be a programmer or a very technical person to enjoy the benefits of macros in Excel. Excel has features that automatically generated the source code for you. Read the article on VBA for more details.
Excel Macro Basics
Macros are one of the developer features. By default, the tab for developers is not displayed in Excel. You will need to display it via customize report
Excel Macros can be used to compromise your system by attackers. By default, they are disabled in Excel. If you need to run macros, you will need to enable running macros and only run macros that you know come from a trusted source
If you want to save Excel macros, then you must save your workbook in a macro-enabled format *.xlsm
The macro name should not contain any spaces.
Always fill in the description of the macro when creating one. This will help you and others to understand what the macro is doing.
Step by Step Example of Recording Macros in Excel
Now in this Excel macros tutorial, we will learn how to create a macro in Excel:
We will work with the scenario described in the importance of macros Excel. For this Excel macro tutorial, we will work with the following CSV file to write macros in Excel.
You can download the above file here
Download the above CSV File & Macros
We will create a macro enabled template that will import the above data and format it to meet our business reporting requirements.
Enable Developer Option
To execute VBA program, you have to have access to developer option in Excel. Enable the developer option as shown in the below Excel macro example and pin it into your main ribbon in Excel.
Step 1)Go to main menu “FILE”
Select option “Options.”
Step 2) Now another window will open, in that window do following things
- Click on Customize Ribbon
- Mark the checker box for Developer option
- Click on OK button
Step 3) Developer Tab
You will now be able to see the DEVELOPER tab in the ribbon
Step 4) Download CSV
First, we will see how we can create a command button on the spreadsheet and execute the program.
- Create a folder in drive C named Bank Receipts
- Paste the receipts.csv file that you downloaded
Step 5) Record Macro
- Click on the DEVELOPER tab
- Click on Record Macro as shown in the image below
You will get the following dialogue window
- Enter ImportBankReceipts as the macro name.
- Step two will be there by default
- Enter the description as shown in the above diagram
- Click on “OK” tab
Step 6) Perform Macro Operations/Steps you want to record
- Put the cursor in cell A1
- Click on the DATA tab
- Click on From Text button on the Get External data ribbon bar
You will get the following dialogue window
- Go to the local drive where you have stored the CSV file
- Select the CSV file
- Click on Import button
You will get the following wizard
Click on Next button after following the above steps
Follow the above steps and click on next button
- Click on Finish button
- Your workbook should now look as follows
Step 7) Format the Data
Make the columns bold, add the grand total and use the SUM function to get the total amount.
Step Stop Recording Macro
Now that we have finished our routine work, we can click on stop recording macro button as shown in the image below
Step 9) Replay the Macro
Before we save our work book, we will need to delete the imported data. We will do this to create a template that we will be copying every time we have new receipts and want to run the ImportBankReceipts macro.
- Highlight all the imported data
- Right click on the highlighted data
- Click on Delete
- Click on save as button
- Save the workbook in a macro enabled format as shown below
- Make a copy of the newly saved template
- Open it
- Click on DEVELOPER tab
- Click on Macros button
You will get the following dialogue window
- Select ImportBankReceipts
- Highlights the description of your macro
- Click on Run button
You will get the following data
Congratulations, you just created your first macro in Excel.
Summary
Macros simplify our work lives by automating most of the routine works that we do. Macros Excel are powered by Visual Basic for Applications.
Для автоматизации повторяющихся задач в Microsoft Excel можно быстро записать макрос. Предположим, у вас есть даты в различном формате и вы хотите применить ко всем из них один формат. Это можно сделать с помощью макроса. Вы можете записать макрос, который применяет нужный формат, а затем запускать его при необходимости.
При записи макроса все действия в записи макроса записываются Visual Basic для приложений (VBA) коде. Эти действия могут включать ввод текста или чисел, выбор ячеек или команд на ленте или в меню, форматирование ячеек, строк или столбцов или даже импорт данных из внешнего источника, скажем, Microsoft Access. Visual Basic Приложение (VBA) — это подмножество мощного Visual Basic программирования, которое входит в большинство Office приложений. Хотя VBA позволяет автоматизировать процессы как в приложениях, так и между Office, необязательно знать код VBA или программирование на компьютере, если оно делает то, что вам нужно.
Важно знать, что при записи макроса регистрируются почти все ваши действия. Поэтому если вы допустите ошибку, например нажмете не ту кнопку, средство записи макросов зарегистрирует это действие. В таком случае можно снова записать всю последовательность или изменить код VBA. Поэтому перед записью процесса следует хорошо проработать его. Чем точнее вы запишете последовательность, тем более эффективно будет работать макрос.
Макросы и средства VBA находятся на вкладке Разработчик, которая по умолчанию скрыта, поэтому сначала нужно включить ее. Дополнительные сведения см. в статье Отображение вкладки «Разработчик».
Запись макроса
Перед записью макросов полезно знать следующее:
-
Макрос, записанный для работы с диапазоном Excel, будет выполняться только для ячеек этого диапазона. Поэтому если вы добавите в диапазон новую строку, макрос не будет применяться к ней.
-
Если вам нужно записать длинную последовательность задач, советуем вместо этого использовать несколько более мелких макросов.
-
В макросе могут содержаться и задачи, не относящиеся к Excel. Процесс макроса может охватывать прочие приложения Office и другие программы, которые поддерживают Visual Basic для приложений (VBA). Например, вы можете записать макрос, который сначала обновляет таблицу в Excel, а затем открывает Outlook для ее отправки по электронной почте.
Чтобы записать макрос, следуйте инструкциям ниже.
-
На вкладке Разработчик в группе Код нажмите кнопку Запись макроса.
-ИЛИ-
Нажмите ALT+T+M+R.
-
В поле Имя макроса введите название макроса. Сделайте имя понятным, чтобы можно было быстро найти нужный макрос.
Примечание: Первым символом имени макроса должна быть буква. Последующие символы могут быть буквами, цифрами или знаками подчеркивания. В имени макроса не должно содержаться пробелов; в качестве разделителей слов следует использовать знаки подчеркивания. Если используется имя макроса, являющееся ссылкой на ячейку, может появиться сообщение об ошибке, указывающее на недопустимое имя макроса..
-
Чтобы назначить сочетание клавиш для запуска макроса, в поле Сочетание клавиш введите любую строчную или прописную букву. Рекомендуется использовать сочетания клавиш с CTRL+SHIFT, так как они будут заменять собой совпадающие с ними стандартные сочетания клавиш в Excel, пока открыта книга, содержащая макрос. Например, если назначить сочетание клавиш CTRL+Z (Отменить), вы не сможете использовать его для функции «Отменить» в данном экземпляре Excel.
-
В списке Сохранить в выберите книгу, в которой вы хотите сохранить макрос.
Как правило, макрос сохраняется в расположении Эта книга, но если вы хотите, чтобы макрос был доступен при использовании Excel, выберите Личная книга макроса . При выборе личнойкниги макроса Excel создает скрытую личную книгу макроса (Personal.xlsб), если она еще не существует, и сохраняет макрос в этой книге.
-
В поле Описание при необходимости введите краткое описание действий макроса.
Хотя поле «Описание» является необязательным, рекомендуется его заполнить. Кроме того, желательно ввести понятное описание, которое будет полезно вам и всем, кто запускает макрос. Если у вас много макросов, описания помогут быстро определить, для чего они нужны.
-
Чтобы начать запись макроса, нажмите кнопку ОК.
-
Выполните действия, которые нужно записать.
-
На вкладке Разработчик в группе Код нажмите кнопку Остановить запись .
-ИЛИ-
Нажмите ALT+T+M+R.
Работа с макросами, записанными в Excel
На вкладке Разработчик щелкните Макросы, чтобы просмотреть макросы, связанные с книгой. Кроме того, можно нажать клавиши ALT+F8. При этом откроется диалоговое окно Макрос.
Внимание: Макросы нельзя отменить. Прежде чем впервые запускать записанный макрос, сохраните книгу или создайте ее копию, чтобы предотвратить внесение нежелательных изменений. Если вас не устраивают результаты выполнения макроса, вы можете закрыть книгу, не сохраняя ее.
Ниже приведены дополнительные сведения о работе с макросами в Excel.
Задача |
Описание |
Изменение параметров безопасности макросов в Excel |
Сведения о параметрах безопасности макросов и их значении. |
Запуск макроса |
Макросы можно запускать различными способами, например с помощью сочетания клавиш, графического объекта, панели быстрого доступа, кнопки или даже при открытии книги. |
Изменение макроса |
С помощью редактора Visual Basic можно изменять макросы, присоединенные к книге. |
Копирование модуля макроса в другую книгу |
Если книга содержит макрос VBA, который нужно использовать где-либо еще, этот модуль можно скопировать в другую книгу с помощью редактора Microsoft Visual Basic. |
Назначение макроса объекту, фигуре или графическому элементу |
|
Назначение макроса кнопке |
Вы можете назначить макрос значку и добавить его на панель быстрого доступа или ленту. |
Назначение макроса для элемента управления на листе |
Вы можете назначать макросы формам и элементам ActiveX на листе. |
Включение и отключение макросов в файлах Office |
Узнайте, как включать и отключать макросы в файлах Office. |
Открытие редактора Visual Basic |
Нажмите клавиши ALT+F11. |
Поиск справки по использованию редактора Visual Basic |
Узнайте, как найти справку по элементам Visual Basic. |
Работа с записанным кодом в редакторе Visual Basic (VBE)
С помощью редактора Visual Basic (VBE) вы можете добавлять в записанный код собственные переменные, управляющие структуры и другие элементы, которые не поддерживает средство записи макросов. Так как средство записи макросов фиксирует почти каждый шаг, выполняемый во время записи, может также потребоваться удалить ненужный код. Просмотр записанного кода — отличный способ научиться программировать на VBA или отточить свои навыки.
Пример изменения записанного кода можно найти в статье Начало работы с VBA в Excel.
Запись макроса
Перед записью макросов полезно знать следующее:
-
Макрос, записанный для работы с диапазоном Excel, будет выполняться только для ячеек этого диапазона. Поэтому если вы добавите в диапазон новую строку, макрос не будет применяться к ней.
-
Если вам нужно записать длинную последовательность задач, советуем вместо этого использовать несколько более мелких макросов.
-
В макросе могут содержаться и задачи, не относящиеся к Excel. Процесс макроса может охватывать прочие приложения Office и другие программы, которые поддерживают Visual Basic для приложений (VBA). Например, вы можете записать макрос, который сначала обновляет таблицу в Excel, а затем открывает Outlook для ее отправки по электронной почте.
Макросы и средства VBA находятся на вкладке Разработчик, которая по умолчанию скрыта, поэтому сначала нужно включить ее.
-
Перейдите в Excel > параметры…> ленты & панель инструментов.
-
В категории Настроить ленту в списке Основные вкладки установите флажок Разработчик, а затем нажмите кнопку Сохранить.
Чтобы записать макрос, следуйте инструкциям ниже.
-
На вкладке Разработчик нажмите кнопку Запись макроса.
-
В поле Имя макроса введите название макроса. Сделайте имя понятным, чтобы можно было быстро найти нужный макрос.
Примечание: Первым символом имени макроса должна быть буква. Последующие символы могут быть буквами, цифрами или знаками подчеркивания. В имени макроса не должно содержаться пробелов; в качестве разделителей слов следует использовать знаки подчеркивания. Если используется имя макроса, являющееся ссылкой на ячейку, может появиться сообщение об ошибке, указывающее на недопустимое имя макроса..
-
В списке Сохранить в выберите книгу, в которой вы хотите сохранить макрос.
Как правило, макрос сохраняется в расположении Эта книга, но если вы хотите, чтобы макрос был доступен при использовании Excel, выберите Личная книга макроса. При выборе личнойкниги макроса Excel создает скрытую личную книгу макроса (PERSONAL.XLSB), если она еще не существует, и сохраняет макрос в этой книге. Книги в этой папке открываются автоматически при Excel, и любой код, сохраненный в личной книге макроса, будет указан в диалоговом окну Макрос, которое объясняется в следующем разделе.
-
Чтобы назначить сочетание клавиш для запуска макроса, в поле Сочетание клавиш введите любую строчную или прописную букву. Рекомендуется использовать сочетания клавиш, которые еще не назначены другим командам, так как они будут переопределять совпадающие с ними стандартные сочетания клавиш в Excel, пока открыта книга, содержащая макрос.
-
В поле Описание при необходимости введите краткое описание действий макроса.
Хотя поле «Описание» является необязательным, рекомендуется его заполнить. Полезно ввести содержательное описание со всеми сведениями, которые могут быть полезны вам или другим пользователям, которые будут запускать макрос. Если у вас много макросов, описания помогут быстро определить, для чего они нужны.
-
Чтобы начать запись макроса, нажмите кнопку ОК.
-
Выполните действия, которые нужно записать.
-
На вкладке Разработчик щелкните Остановить запись.
Работа с макросами, записанными в Excel
На вкладке Разработчик щелкните Макросы, чтобы просмотреть макросы, связанные с книгой. При этом откроется диалоговое окно Макрос.
Примечание: Макросы нельзя отменить. Прежде чем впервые запускать записанный макрос, сохраните книгу или создайте ее копию, чтобы предотвратить внесение нежелательных изменений. Если вас не устраивают результаты выполнения макроса, вы можете закрыть книгу, не сохраняя ее.
Ниже приведены дополнительные сведения о работе с макросами в Excel.
Задача |
Описание |
Включение и отключение макросов |
Узнайте, как включать и отключать макросы в Excel для Mac. |
Копирование модуля макроса в другую книгу |
Если книга содержит макрос VBA, который нужно использовать где-либо еще, этот модуль можно скопировать в другую книгу с помощью редактора Microsoft Visual Basic. |
Назначение макроса объекту, фигуре или графическому элементу |
|
Назначение макроса кнопке |
Вы можете назначить макрос значку и добавить его на панель быстрого доступа или ленту. |
Назначение макроса для элемента управления на листе |
Вы можете назначать макросы формам и элементам ActiveX на листе. |
Открытие редактора Visual Basic |
На вкладке Разработчик щелкните Visual Basic или выберите Сервис > Макрос > Редактор Visual Basic. |
Поиск справки по использованию редактора Visual Basic |
Узнайте, как найти справку по элементам Visual Basic. |
Дополнительные сведения
Вы всегда можете задать вопрос специалисту Excel Tech Community или попросить помощи в сообществе Answers community.
Using Excel Macros can speed up work and save you a lot of time.
One way of getting the VBA code is to record the macro and take the code it generates. However, that code by macro recorder is often full of code that is not really needed. Also macro recorder has some limitations.
So it pays to have a collection of useful VBA macro codes that you can have in your back pocket and use it when needed.
While writing an Excel VBA macro code may take some time initially, once it’s done, you can keep it available as a reference and use it whenever you need it next.
In this massive article, I am going to list some useful Excel macro examples that I need often and keep stashed away in my private vault.
I will keep updating this tutorial with more macro examples. If you think something should be on the list, just leave a comment.
You can bookmark this page for future reference.
Now before I get into the Macro Example and give you the VBA code, let me first show you how to use these example codes.
Using the Code from Excel Macro Examples
Here are the steps you need to follow to use the code from any of the examples:
- Open the Workbook in which you want to use the macro.
- Hold the ALT key and press F11. This opens the VB Editor.
- Right-click on any of the objects in the project explorer.
- Go to Insert –> Module.
- Copy and Paste the code in the Module Code Window.
In case the example says that you need to paste the code in the worksheet code window, double click on the worksheet object and copy paste the code in the code window.
Once you have inserted the code in a workbook, you need to save it with a .XLSM or .XLS extension.
How to Run the Macro
Once you have copied the code in the VB Editor, here are the steps to run the macro:
- Go to the Developer tab.
- Click on Macros.
- In the Macro dialog box, select the macro you want to run.
- Click on Run button.
In case you can’t find the developer tab in the ribbon, read this tutorial to learn how to get it.
Related Tutorial: Different ways to run a macro in Excel.
In case the code is pasted in the worksheet code window, you don’t need to worry about running the code. It will automatically run when the specified action occurs.
Now, let’s get into the useful macro examples that can help you automate work and save time.
Note: You will find many instances of an apostrophe (‘) followed by a line or two. These are comments that are ignored while running the code and are placed as notes for self/reader.
In case you find any error in the article or the code, please be awesome and let me know.
Excel Macro Examples
Below macro examples are covered in this article:
Unhide All Worksheets at One Go
If you are working in a workbook that has multiple hidden sheets, you need to unhide these sheets one by one. This could take some time in case there are many hidden sheets.
Here is the code that will unhide all the worksheets in the workbook.
'This code will unhide all sheets in the workbook Sub UnhideAllWoksheets() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible Next ws End Sub
The above code uses a VBA loop (For Each) to go through each worksheets in the workbook. It then changes the visible property of the worksheet to visible.
Here is a detailed tutorial on how to use various methods to unhide sheets in Excel.
Hide All Worksheets Except the Active Sheet
If you’re working on a report or dashboard and you want to hide all the worksheet except the one that has the report/dashboard, you can use this macro code.
'This macro will hide all the worksheet except the active sheet Sub HideAllExceptActiveSheet() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets If ws.Name <> ActiveSheet.Name Then ws.Visible = xlSheetHidden Next ws End Sub
Sort Worksheets Alphabetically Using VBA
If you have a workbook with many worksheets and you want to sort these alphabetically, this macro code can come in really handy. This could be the case if you have sheet names as years or employee names or product names.
'This code will sort the worksheets alphabetically Sub SortSheetsTabName() Application.ScreenUpdating = False Dim ShCount As Integer, i As Integer, j As Integer ShCount = Sheets.Count For i = 1 To ShCount - 1 For j = i + 1 To ShCount If Sheets(j).Name < Sheets(i).Name Then Sheets(j).Move before:=Sheets(i) End If Next j Next i Application.ScreenUpdating = True End Sub
Protect All Worksheets At One Go
If you have a lot of worksheets in a workbook and you want to protect all the sheets, you can use this macro code.
It allows you to specify the password within the code. You will need this password to unprotect the worksheet.
'This code will protect all the sheets at one go Sub ProtectAllSheets() Dim ws As Worksheet Dim password As String password = "Test123" 'replace Test123 with the password you want For Each ws In Worksheets ws.Protect password:=password Next ws End Sub
Unprotect All Worksheets At One Go
If you have some or all of the worksheets protected, you can just use a slight modification of the code used to protect sheets to unprotect it.
'This code will protect all the sheets at one go Sub ProtectAllSheets() Dim ws As Worksheet Dim password As String password = "Test123" 'replace Test123 with the password you want For Each ws In Worksheets ws.Unprotect password:=password Next ws End Sub
Note that the password needs to the same that has been used to lock the worksheets. If it’s not, you will see an error.
Unhide All Rows and Columns
This macro code will unhide all the hidden rows and columns.
This could be really helpful if you get a file from someone else and want to be sure there are no hidden rows/columns.
'This code will unhide all the rows and columns in the Worksheet Sub UnhideRowsColumns() Columns.EntireColumn.Hidden = False Rows.EntireRow.Hidden = False End Sub
Unmerge All Merged Cells
It’s a common practice to merge cells to make it one. While it does the work, when cells are merged you will not be able to sort the data.
In case you are working with a worksheet with merged cells, use the code below to unmerge all the merged cells at one go.
'This code will unmerge all the merged cells Sub UnmergeAllCells() ActiveSheet.Cells.UnMerge End Sub
Note that instead of Merge and Center, I recommend using the Centre Across Selection option.
Save Workbook With TimeStamp in Its Name
A lot of time, you may need to create versions of your work. These are quite helpful in long projects where you work with a file over time.
A good practice is to save the file with timestamps.
Using timestamps will allow you to go back to a certain file to see what changes were made or what data was used.
Here is the code that will automatically save the workbook in the specified folder and add a timestamp whenever it’s saved.
'This code will Save the File With a Timestamp in its name Sub SaveWorkbookWithTimeStamp() Dim timestamp As String timestamp = Format(Date, "dd-mm-yyyy") & "_" & Format(Time, "hh-ss") ThisWorkbook.SaveAs "C:UsersUsernameDesktopWorkbookName" & timestamp End Sub
You need to specify the folder location and the file name.
In the above code, “C:UsersUsernameDesktop is the folder location I have used. You need to specify the folder location where you want to save the file. Also, I have used a generic name “WorkbookName” as the filename prefix. You can specify something related to your project or company.
Save Each Worksheet as a Separate PDF
If you work with data for different years or divisions or products, you may have the need to save different worksheets as PDF files.
While it could be a time-consuming process if done manually, VBA can really speed it up.
Here is a VBA code that will save each worksheet as a separate PDF.
'This code will save each worsheet as a separate PDF Sub SaveWorkshetAsPDF() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In Worksheets ws.ExportAsFixedFormat xlTypePDF, "C:UsersSumitDesktopTest" & ws.Name & ".pdf" Next ws End Sub
In the above code, I have specified the address of the folder location in which I want to save the PDFs. Also, each PDF will get the same name as that of the worksheet. You will have to modify this folder location (unless your name is also Sumit and you’re saving it in a test folder on the desktop).
Note that this code works for worksheets only (and not chart sheets).
Save Each Worksheet as a Separate PDF
Here is the code that will save your entire workbook as a PDF in the specified folder.
'This code will save the entire workbook as PDF Sub SaveWorkshetAsPDF() ThisWorkbook.ExportAsFixedFormat xlTypePDF, "C:UsersSumitDesktopTest" & ThisWorkbook.Name & ".pdf" End Sub
You will have to change the folder location to use this code.
Convert All Formulas into Values
Use this code when you have a worksheet that contains a lot of formulas and you want to convert these formulas to values.
'This code will convert all formulas into values Sub ConvertToValues() With ActiveSheet.UsedRange .Value = .Value End With End Sub
This code automatically identifies cells are used and convert it into values.
Protect/Lock Cells with Formulas
You may want to lock cells with formulas when you have a lot of calculations and you don’t want to accidentally delete it or change it.
Here is the code that will lock all the cells that have formulas, while all the other cells are not locked.
'This macro code will lock all the cells with formulas Sub LockCellsWithFormulas() With ActiveSheet .Unprotect .Cells.Locked = False .Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeFormulas).Locked = True .Protect AllowDeletingRows:=True End With End Sub
Related Tutorial: How to Lock Cells in Excel.
Protect All Worksheets in the Workbook
Use the below code to protect all the worksheets in a workbook at one go.
'This code will protect all sheets in the workbook Sub ProtectAllSheets() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In Worksheets ws.Protect Next ws End Sub
This code will go through all the worksheets one by one and protect it.
In case you want to unprotect all the worksheets, use ws.Unprotect instead of ws.Protect in the code.
Insert A Row After Every Other Row in the Selection
Use this code when you want to insert a blank row after every row in the selected range.
'This code will insert a row after every row in the selection Sub InsertAlternateRows() Dim rng As Range Dim CountRow As Integer Dim i As Integer Set rng = Selection CountRow = rng.EntireRow.Count For i = 1 To CountRow ActiveCell.EntireRow.Insert ActiveCell.Offset(2, 0).Select Next i End Sub
Similarly, you can modify this code to insert a blank column after every column in the selected range.
Automatically Insert Date & Timestamp in the Adjacent Cell
A timestamp is something you use when you want to track activities.
For example, you may want to track activities such as when was a particular expense incurred, what time did the sale invoice was created, when was the data entry done in a cell, when was the report last updated, etc.
Use this code to insert a date and time stamp in the adjacent cell when an entry is made or the existing contents are edited.
'This code will insert a timestamp in the adjacent cell Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range) On Error GoTo Handler If Target.Column = 1 And Target.Value <> "" Then Application.EnableEvents = False Target.Offset(0, 1) = Format(Now(), "dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm:ss") Application.EnableEvents = True End If Handler: End Sub
Note that you need to insert this code in the worksheet code window (and not the in module code window as we have done in other Excel macro examples so far). To do this, in the VB Editor, double click on the sheet name on which you want this functionality. Then copy and paste this code in that sheet’s code window.
Also, this code is made to work when the data entry is done in Column A (note that the code has the line Target.Column = 1). You can change this accordingly.
Highlight Alternate Rows in the Selection
Highlighting alternate rows can increase the readability of your data tremendously. This can be useful when you need to take a print out and go through the data.
Here is a code that will instantly highlight alternate rows in the selection.
'This code would highlight alternate rows in the selection Sub HighlightAlternateRows() Dim Myrange As Range Dim Myrow As Range Set Myrange = Selection For Each Myrow In Myrange.Rows If Myrow.Row Mod 2 = 1 Then Myrow.Interior.Color = vbCyan End If Next Myrow End Sub
Note that I have specified the color as vbCyan in the code. You can specify other colors as well (such as vbRed, vbGreen, vbBlue).
Highlight Cells with Misspelled Words
Excel doesn’t have a spell check as it has in Word or PowerPoint. While you can run the spell check by hitting the F7 key, there is no visual cue when there is a spelling mistake.
Use this code to instantly highlight all the cells that have a spelling mistake in it.
'This code will highlight the cells that have misspelled words Sub HighlightMisspelledCells() Dim cl As Range For Each cl In ActiveSheet.UsedRange If Not Application.CheckSpelling(word:=cl.Text) Then cl.Interior.Color = vbRed End If Next cl End Sub
Note that the cells that are highlighted are those that have text that Excel considers as a spelling error. In many cases, it would also highlight names or brand terms that it doesn’t understand.
Refresh All Pivot Tables in the Workbook
If you have more than one Pivot Table in the workbook, you can use this code to refresh all these Pivot tables at once.
'This code will refresh all the Pivot Table in the Workbook Sub RefreshAllPivotTables() Dim PT As PivotTable For Each PT In ActiveSheet.PivotTables PT.RefreshTable Next PT End Sub
You can read more about refreshing Pivot Tables here.
Change the Letter Case of Selected Cells to Upper Case
While Excel has the formulas to change the letter case of the text, it makes you do that in another set of cells.
Use this code to instantly change the letter case of the text in the selected text.
'This code will change the Selection to Upper Case Sub ChangeCase() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection.Cells If Rng.HasFormula = False Then Rng.Value = UCase(Rng.Value) End If Next Rng End Sub
Note that in this case, I have used UCase to make the text case Upper. You can use LCase for lower case.
Highlight All Cells With Comments
Use the below code to highlight all the cells that have comments in it.
'This code will highlight cells that have comments` Sub HighlightCellsWithComments() ActiveSheet.Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeComments).Interior.Color = vbBlue End Sub
In this case, I have used vbBlue to give a blue color to the cells. You can change this to other colors if you want.
Highlight Blank Cells With VBA
While you can highlight blank cell with conditional formatting or using the Go to Special dialog box, if you have to do it quite often, it’s better to use a macro.
Once created, you can have this macro in the Quick Access Toolbar or save it in your personal macro workbook.
Here is the VBA macro code:
'This code will highlight all the blank cells in the dataset Sub HighlightBlankCells() Dim Dataset as Range Set Dataset = Selection Dataset.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks).Interior.Color = vbRed End Sub
In this code, I have specified the blank cells to be highlighted in the red color. You can choose other colors such as blue, yellow, cyan, etc.
How to Sort Data by Single Column
You can use the below code to sort data by the specified column.
Sub SortDataHeader() Range("DataRange").Sort Key1:=Range("A1"), Order1:=xlAscending, Header:=xlYes End Sub
Note that the I have created a named range with the name ‘DataRange’ and have used it instead of the cell references.
Also there are three key parameters that are used here:
- Key1 – This is the on which you want to sort the data set. In the above example code, the data will be sorted based on the values in column A.
- Order- Here you need to specify whether you want to sort the data in ascending or descending order.
- Header – Here you need to specify whether your data has headers or not.
Read more on how to sort data in Excel using VBA.
How to Sort Data by Multiple Columns
Suppose you have a dataset as shown below:
Below is the code that will sort the data based on multiple columns:
Sub SortMultipleColumns() With ActiveSheet.Sort .SortFields.Add Key:=Range("A1"), Order:=xlAscending .SortFields.Add Key:=Range("B1"), Order:=xlAscending .SetRange Range("A1:C13") .Header = xlYes .Apply End With End Sub
Note that here I have specified to first sort based on column A and then based on column B.
The output would be something as shown below:
How to Get Only the Numeric Part from a String in Excel
If you want to extract only the numeric part or only the text part from a string, you can create a custom function in VBA.
You can then use this VBA function in the worksheet (just like regular Excel functions) and it will extract only the numeric or text part from the string.
Something as shown below:
Below is the VBA code that will create a function to extract numeric part from a string:
'This VBA code will create a function to get the numeric part from a string Function GetNumeric(CellRef As String) Dim StringLength As Integer StringLength = Len(CellRef) For i = 1 To StringLength If IsNumeric(Mid(CellRef, i, 1)) Then Result = Result & Mid(CellRef, i, 1) Next i GetNumeric = Result End Function
You need place in code in a module, and then you can use the function =GetNumeric in the worksheet.
This function will take only one argument, which is the cell reference of the cell from which you want to get the numeric part.
Similarly, below is the function that will get you only the text part from a string in Excel:
'This VBA code will create a function to get the text part from a string Function GetText(CellRef As String) Dim StringLength As Integer StringLength = Len(CellRef) For i = 1 To StringLength If Not (IsNumeric(Mid(CellRef, i, 1))) Then Result = Result & Mid(CellRef, i, 1) Next i GetText = Result End Function
So these are some of the useful Excel macro codes that you can use in your day-to-day work to automate tasks and be a lot more productive.
Other Excel tutorials you may like:
- How to Delete Macros in Excel
- How to Enable Macros in Excel?
Macro codes can save you a ton of time.
You can automate small as well as heavy tasks with VBA codes.
And do you know?
With the help of macros…
…you can break all the limitations of Excel which you think Excel has.
And today, I have listed some of the useful codes examples to help you become more productive in your day to day work.
You can use these codes even if you haven’t used VBA before that.
But here’s the first thing to know:
What is a Macro Code?
In Excel, macro code is a programming code which is written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) language.
The idea behind using a macro code is to automate an action which you perform manually in Excel, otherwise.
For example, you can use a code to print only a particular range of cells just with a single click instead of selecting the range -> File Tab -> Print -> Print Select -> OK Button.
How to use a Macro Code in Excel
Before you use these codes, make sure you have your developer tab on your Excel ribbon to access VB editor. Once you activate developer tab you can use below steps to paste a VBA code into VB editor.
List of Top 100 macro Examples (CODES) for VBA beginners
I have added all the codes into specific categories so that you can find your favorite codes quickly. Just read the title and click on it to get the code.
- This is my Ultimate VBA Library which I update on monthly basis with new codes and Don’t forget to check the VBA Examples Sectionꜜ at the end of this list.
- VBA is one of the Advanced Excel Skills.
- To manage all of these codes make sure to read about Personal Macro Workbook to use these codes in all the workbooks.
- I have tested all of these codes in different versions of Excel (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019). If you found any error in any of these codes, make sure to share with me.
Basic Codes
These VBA codes will help you to perform some basic tasks in a flash which you frequently do in your spreadsheets.
1. Add Serial Numbers
Sub AddSerialNumbers() Dim i As Integer On Error GoTo Last i = InputBox("Enter Value", "Enter Serial Numbers") For i = 1 To i ActiveCell.Value = i ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Activate Next i Last:Exit Sub End Sub
This macro code will help you to automatically add serial numbers in your Excel sheet which can be helpful for you if you work with large data.
To use this code you need to select the cell from where you want to start the serial numbers and when you run this it shows you a message box where you need to enter the highest number for the serial numbers and click OK. And once you click OK, it simply runs a loop and add a list of serial numbers to the cells downward.
2. Insert Multiple Columns
Sub InsertMultipleColumns() Dim i As Integer Dim j As Integer ActiveCell.EntireColumn.Select On Error GoTo Last i = InputBox("Enter number of columns to insert", "Insert Columns") For j = 1 To i Selection.Insert Shift:=xlToRight, CopyOrigin:=xlFormatFromRightorAbove Next j Last: Exit Sub End Sub
This code helps you to enter multiple columns in a single click. When you run this code it asks you the number columns you want to add and when you click OK, it adds entered number of columns after the selected cell. If you want to add columns before the selected cell, replace the xlToRight to xlToLeft in the code.
3. Insert Multiple Rows
Sub InsertMultipleRows() Dim i As Integer Dim j As Integer ActiveCell.EntireRow.Select On Error GoTo Last i = InputBox("Enter number of columns to insert", "Insert Columns") For j = 1 To i Selection.Insert Shift:=xlToDown, CopyOrigin:=xlFormatFromRightorAbove Next j Last: Exit Sub End Sub
With this code, you can enter multiple rows in the worksheet. When you run this code, you can enter the number of rows to insert and make sure to select the cell from where you want to insert the new rows. If you want to add rows before the selected cell, replace the xlToDown to xlToUp in the code.
4. Auto Fit Columns
Sub AutoFitColumns() Cells.Select Cells.EntireColumn.AutoFit End Sub
This code quickly auto fits all the columns in your worksheet. So when you run this code, it will select all the cells in your worksheet and instantly auto-fit all the columns.
5. Auto Fit Rows
Sub AutoFitRows() Cells.Select Cells.EntireRow.AutoFit End Sub
You can use this code to auto-fit all the rows in a worksheet. When you run this code it will select all the cells in your worksheet and instantly auto-fit all the row.
6. Remove Text Wrap
Sub RemoveTextWrap() Range("A1").WrapText = False End Sub
This code will help you to remove text wrap from the entire worksheet with a single click. It will first select all the columns and then remove text wrap and auto fit all the rows and columns. There’s also a shortcut that you can use (Alt + H +W) for but if you add this code to Quick Access Toolbar it’s convenient than a keyboard shortcut.
7. Unmerge Cells
Sub UnmergeCells() Selection.UnMerge End Sub
This code simply uses the unmerge options which you have on the HOME tab. The benefit of using this code is you can add it to the QAT and unmerge all the cell in the selection. And if you want to un-merge a specific range you can define that range in the code by replacing the word selection.
8. Open Calculator
Sub OpenCalculator() Application.ActivateMicrosoftApp Index:=0 End Sub
In Windows, there is a specific calculator and by using this macro code you can open that calculator directly from Excel. As I mentioned that it’s for windows and if you run this code in the MAC version of VBA you’ll get an error.
9. Add Header/Footer Date
Sub DateInHeader() With ActiveSheet.PageSetup .LeftHeader = "" .CenterHeader = "&D" .RightHeader = "" .LeftFooter = "" .CenterFooter = "" .RightFooter = "" End With End Sub
This macro adds a date to the header when you run it. It simply uses the tag «&D» for adding the date. You can also change it to the footer or change the side by replacing the «» with the date tag. And if you want to add a specific date instead of the current date you can replace the «&D» tag with that date from the code.
10. Custom Header/Footer
Sub CustomHeader() Dim myText As String myText = InputBox("Enter your text here", "Enter Text") With ActiveSheet.PageSetup .LeftHeader = "" .CenterHeader = myText .RightHeader = "" .LeftFooter = "" .CenterFooter = "" .RightFooter = "" End With End Sub
When you run this code, it shows an input box that asks you to enter the text which you want to add as a header, and once you enter it click OK.
If you see this closely you have six different lines of code to choose the place for the header or footer. Let’s say if you want to add left-footer instead of center header simply replace the “myText” to that line of the code by replacing the «» from there.
Formatting Codes
These VBA codes will help you to format cells and ranges using some specific criteria and conditions.
11. Highlight Duplicates from Selection
Sub HighlightDuplicateValues() Dim myRange As Range Dim myCell As Range Set myRange = Selection For Each myCell In myRange If WorksheetFunction.CountIf(myRange, myCell.Value) > 1 Then myCell.Interior.ColorIndex = 36 End If Next myCell End Sub
This macro will check each cell of your selection and highlight the duplicate values. You can also change the color from the code.
12. Highlight the Active Row and Column
Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Range, Cancel As Boolean) Dim strRange As String strRange = Target.Cells.Address & "," & _ Target.Cells.EntireColumn.Address & "," & _ Target.Cells.EntireRow.Address Range(strRange).Select End Sub
I really love to use this macro code whenever I have to analyze a data table. Here are the quick steps to apply this code.
- Open VBE (ALT + F11).
- Go to Project Explorer (Ctrl + R, If hidden).
- Select your workbook & double click on the name of a particular worksheet in which you want to activate the macro.
- Paste the code into it and select the “BeforeDoubleClick” from event drop down menu.
- Close VBE and you are done.
Remember that, by applying this macro you will not able to edit the cell by double click.
13. Highlight Top 10 Values
Sub TopTen() Selection.FormatConditions.AddTop10 Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S tFirstPriority With Selection.FormatConditions(1) .TopBottom = xlTop10Top .Rank = 10 .Percent = False End With With Selection.FormatConditions(1).Font .Color = -16752384 .TintAndShade = 0 End With With Selection.FormatConditions(1).Interior .PatternColorIndex = xlAutomatic .Color = 13561798 .TintAndShade = 0 End With Selection.FormatConditions(1).StopIfTrue = False End Sub
Just select a range and run this macro and it will highlight top 10 values with the green color.
14. Highlight Named Ranges
Sub HighlightRanges() Dim RangeName As Name Dim HighlightRange As Range On Error Resume Next For Each RangeName In ActiveWorkbook.Names Set HighlightRange = RangeName.RefersToRange HighlightRange.Interior.ColorIndex = 36 Next RangeName End Sub
If you are not sure about how many named ranges you have in your worksheet then you can use this code to highlight all of them.
15. Highlight Greater than Values
Sub HighlightGreaterThanValues() Dim i As Integer i = InputBox("Enter Greater Than Value", "Enter Value") Selection.FormatConditions.Delete Selection.FormatConditions.Add Type:=xlCellValue, _ Operator:=xlGreater, Formula1:=i Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S tFirstPriority With Selection.FormatConditions(1) .Font.Color = RGB(0, 0, 0) .Interior.Color = RGB(31, 218, 154) End With End Sub
Once you run this code it will ask you for the value from which you want to highlight all greater values.
16. Highlight Lower Than Values
Sub HighlightLowerThanValues() Dim i As Integer i = InputBox("Enter Lower Than Value", "Enter Value") Selection.FormatConditions.Delete Selection.FormatConditions.Add _ Type:=xlCellValue, _ Operator:=xlLower, _ Formula1:=i Selection.FormatConditions(Selection.FormatConditions.Count).S tFirstPriority With Selection.FormatConditions(1) .Font.Color = RGB(0, 0, 0) .Interior.Color = RGB(217, 83, 79) End With End Sub
Once you run this code it will ask you for the value from which you want to highlight all lower values.
17. Highlight Negative Numbers
Sub highlightNegativeNumbers() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(Rng) Then If Rng.Value < 0 Then Rng.Font.Color= -16776961 End If End If Next End Sub
Select a range of cells and run this code. It will check each cell from the range and highlight all cells the where you have a negative number.
18. Highlight Specific Text
Sub highlightValue() Dim myStr As String Dim myRg As range Dim myTxt As String Dim myCell As range Dim myChar As String Dim I As Long Dim J As Long On Error Resume Next If ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Count > 1 Then myTxt = ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.AddressLocal Else myTxt = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.AddressLocal End If LInput: Set myRg = _ Application.InputBox _ ("please select the data range:", "Selection Required", myTxt, , , , , 8) If myRg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub If myRg.Areas.Count > 1 Then MsgBox "not support multiple columns" GoTo LInput End If If myRg.Columns.Count <> 2 Then MsgBox "the selected range can only contain two columns " GoTo LInput End If For I = 0 To myRg.Rows.Count - 1 myStr = myRg.range("B1").Offset(I, 0).Value With myRg.range("A1").Offset(I, 0) .Font.ColorIndex = 1 For J = 1 To Len(.Text) Mid(.Text, J, Len(myStr)) = myStrThen .Characters(J, Len(myStr)).Font.ColorIndex = 3 Next End With Next I End Sub
Suppose you have a large data set and you want to check for a particular value. For this, you can use this code. When you run it, you will get an input box to enter the value to search for.
19. Highlight Cells with Comments
Sub highlightCommentCells() Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeComments).Select Selection.Style= "Note" End Sub
To highlight all the cells with comments use this macro.
20. Highlight Alternate Rows in the Selection
Sub highlightAlternateRows() Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Selection.Rows If rng.Row Mod 2 = 1 Then rng.Style = "20% -Accent1" rng.Value = rng ^ (1 / 3) Else End If Next rng End Sub
By highlighting alternate rows you can make your data easily readable, and for this, you can use below VBA code. It will simply highlight every alternate row in selected range.
21. Highlight Cells with Misspelled Words
Sub HighlightMisspelledCells() Dim rng As Range For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange If Not Application.CheckSpelling(word:=rng.Text) Then rng.Style = "Bad" End If Next rng End Sub
If you find hard to check all the cells for spelling error then this code is for you. It will check each cell from the selection and highlight the cell where is a misspelled word.
22. Highlight Cells With Error in the Entire Worksheet
Sub highlightErrors() Dim rng As Range Dim i As Integer For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange If WorksheetFunction.IsError(rng) Then i = i + 1 rng.Style = "bad" End If Next rng MsgBox _ "There are total " & i _ & " error(s) in this worksheet." End Sub
To highlight and count all the cells in which you have an error, this code will help you. Just run this code and it will return a message with the number error cells and highlight all the cells.
23. Highlight Cells with a Specific Text in Worksheet
Sub highlightSpecificValues() Dim rng As range Dim i As Integer Dim c As Variant c = InputBox("Enter Value To Highlight") For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange If rng = c Then rng.Style = "Note" i = i + 1 End If Next rng MsgBox "There are total " & i & " " & c & " in this worksheet." End Sub
This code will help you to count the cells which have a specific value which you will mention and after that highlight all those cells.
24. Highlight all the Blank Cells Invisible Space
Sub blankWithSpace() Dim rng As Range For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange If rng.Value = " " Then rng.Style = "Note" End If Next rng End Sub
Sometimes there are some cells which are blank but they have a single space and due to this, it’s really hard to identify them. This code will check all the cell in the worksheet and highlight all the cells which have a single space.
25. Highlight Max Value In The Range
Sub highlightMaxValue() Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Selection If rng = WorksheetFunction.Max(Selection) Then rng.Style = "Good" End If Next rng End Sub
It will check all the selected cells and highlight the cell with the maximum value.
26. Highlight Min Value In The Range
Sub Highlight_Min_Value() Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Selection If rng = WorksheetFunction.Min(Selection) Then rng.Style = "Good" End If Next rng End Sub
It will check all the selected cells and highlight the cell with the Minimum value.
27. Highlight Unique Values
Sub highlightUniqueValues() Dim rng As Range Set rng = Selection rng.FormatConditions.Delete Dim uv As UniqueValues Set uv = rng.FormatConditions.AddUniqueValues uv.DupeUnique = xlUnique uv.Interior.Color = vbGreen End Sub
This codes will highlight all the cells from the selection which has a unique value.
28. Highlight Difference in Columns
Sub columnDifference() Range("H7:H8,I7:I8").Select Selection.ColumnDifferences(ActiveCell).Select Selection.Style= "Bad" End Sub
Using this code you can highlight the difference between two columns (corresponding cells).
29. Highlight Difference in Rows
Sub rowDifference() Range("H7:H8,I7:I8").Select Selection.RowDifferences(ActiveCell).Select Selection.Style= "Bad" End Sub
And by using this code you can highlight difference between two row (corresponding cells).
Printing Codes
These macro codes will help you to automate some printing tasks which can further save you a ton of time.
30. Print Comments
Sub printComments() With ActiveSheet.PageSetup .printComments = xlPrintSheetEnd End With End Sub
Use this macro to activate settings to print cell comments in the end of the page. Let’s say you have 10 pages to print, after using this code you will get all the comments on 11th last page.
31. Print Narrow Margin
Sub printNarrowMargin() With ActiveSheet.PageSetup .LeftMargin = Application .InchesToPoints (0.25) .RightMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.25) .TopMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.75) .BottomMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.75) .HeaderMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3) .FooterMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3) End With ActiveWindow.SelectedSheets.PrintOut _ Copies:=1, _ Collate:=True, _ IgnorePrintAreas:=False End Sub
Use this VBA code to take a print with a narrow margin. When you run this macro it will automatically change margins to narrow.
32. Print Selection
Sub printSelection() Selection.PrintOut Copies:=1, Collate:=True End Sub
This code will help you print selected range. You don’t need to go to printing options and set printing range. Just select a range and run this code.
33. Print Custom Pages
Sub printCustomSelection() Dim startpage As Integer Dim endpage As Integer startpage = _ InputBox("Please Enter Start Page number.", "Enter Value") If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(startpage) Then MsgBox _ "Invalid Start Page number. Please try again.", "Error" Exit Sub End If endpage = _ InputBox("Please Enter End Page number.", "Enter Value") If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(endpage) Then MsgBox _ "Invalid End Page number. Please try again.", "Error" Exit Sub End If Selection.PrintOut From:=startpage, _ To:=endpage, Copies:=1, Collate:=True End Sub
Instead of using the setting from print options you can use this code to print custom page range. Let’s say you want to print pages from 5 to 10. You just need to run this VBA code and enter start page and end page.
Worksheet Codes
These macro codes will help you to control and manage worksheets in an easy way and save your a lot of time.
34. Hide all but the Active Worksheet
Sub HideWorksheet() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets If ws.Name <> ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.Name Then ws.Visible = xlSheetHidden End If Next ws End Sub
Now, let’s say if you want to hide all the worksheets in your workbook other than the active worksheet. This macro code will do this for you.
35. Unhide all Hidden Worksheets
Sub UnhideAllWorksheet() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible Next ws End Sub
And if you want to un-hide all the worksheets which you have hide with previous code, here is the code for that.
36. Delete all but the Active Worksheet
Sub DeleteWorksheets() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets If ws.name <> ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.name Then Application.DisplayAlerts = False ws.Delete Application.DisplayAlerts = True End If Next ws End Sub
If you want to delete all the worksheets other than the active sheet, this macro is useful for you. When you run this macro it will compare the name of the active worksheet with other worksheets and then delete them.
37. Protect all Worksheets Instantly
Sub ProtectAllWorskeets() Dim ws As Worksheet Dim ps As String ps = InputBox("Enter a Password.", vbOKCancel) For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets ws.Protect Password:=ps Next ws End Sub
If you want to protect your all worksheets in one go here is a code for you. When you run this macro, you will get an input box to enter a password. Once you enter your password, click OK. And make sure to take care about CAPS.
38. Resize All Charts in a Worksheet
Sub Resize_Charts() Dim i As Integer For i = 1 To ActiveSheet.ChartObjects.Count With ActiveSheet.ChartObjects(i) .Width = 300 .Height = 200 End With Next i End Sub
Make all chart same in size. This macro code will help you to make all the charts of the same size. You can change the height and width of charts by changing it in macro code.
39. Insert Multiple Worksheets
Sub InsertMultipleSheets() Dim i As Integer i = _ InputBox("Enter number of sheets to insert.", _ "Enter Multiple Sheets") Sheets.Add After:=ActiveSheet, Count:=i End Sub
You can use this code if you want to add multiple worksheets in your workbook in a single shot. When you run this macro code you will get an input box to enter the total number of sheets you want to enter.
40. Protect Worksheet
Sub ProtectWS() ActiveSheet.Protect "mypassword", True, True End Sub
If you want to protect your worksheet you can use this macro code. All you have to do just mention your password in the code.
41. Un-Protect Worksheet
Sub UnprotectWS() ActiveSheet.Unprotect "mypassword" End Sub
If you want to unprotect your worksheet you can use this macro code. All you have to do just mention your password which you have used while protecting your worksheet.
42. Sort Worksheets
Sub SortWorksheets() Dim i As Integer Dim j As Integer Dim iAnswer As VbMsgBoxResult iAnswer = MsgBox("Sort Sheets in Ascending Order?" & Chr(10) _ & "Clicking No will sort in Descending Order", _ vbYesNoCancel + vbQuestion + vbDefaultButton1, "Sort Worksheets") For i = 1 To Sheets.Count For j = 1 To Sheets.Count - 1 If iAnswer = vbYes Then If UCase$(Sheets(j).Name) > UCase$(Sheets(j + 1).Name) Then Sheets(j).Move After:=Sheets(j + 1) End If ElseIf iAnswer = vbNo Then If UCase$(Sheets(j).Name) < UCase$(Sheets(j + 1).Name) Then Sheets(j).Move After:=Sheets(j + 1) End If End If Next j Next i End Sub
This code will help you to sort worksheets in your workbook according to their name.
43. Protect all the Cells With Formulas
Sub lockCellsWithFormulas() With ActiveSheet .Unprotect .Cells.Locked = False .Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeFormulas).Locked = True .Protect AllowDeletingRows:=True End With End Sub
To protect cell with formula with a single click you can use this code.
44. Delete all Blank Worksheets
Sub deleteBlankWorksheets() Dim Ws As Worksheet On Error Resume Next Application.ScreenUpdating= False Application.DisplayAlerts= False For Each Ws In Application.Worksheets If Application.WorksheetFunction.CountA(Ws.UsedRange) = 0 Then Ws.Delete End If Next Application.ScreenUpdating= True Application.DisplayAlerts= True End Sub
Run this code and it will check all the worksheets in the active workbook and delete if a worksheet is blank.
45. Unhide all Rows and Columns
Sub UnhideRowsColumns() Columns.EntireColumn.Hidden = False Rows.EntireRow.Hidden = False End Sub
Instead of unhiding rows and columns on by one manually you can use this code to do this in a single go.
46. Save Each Worksheet as a Single PDF
Sub SaveWorkshetAsPDF() Dimws As Worksheet For Each ws In Worksheets ws.ExportAsFixedFormat _ xlTypePDF, _ "ENTER-FOLDER-NAME-HERE" & _ ws.Name & ".pdf" Next ws End Sub
This code will simply save all the worksheets in a separate PDF file. You just need to change the folder name from the code.
47. Disable Page Breaks
Sub DisablePageBreaks() Dim wb As Workbook Dim wks As Worksheet Application.ScreenUpdating = False For Each wb In Application.Workbooks For Each Sht In wb.Worksheets Sht.DisplayPageBreaks = False Next Sht Next wb Application.ScreenUpdating = True End Sub
To disable page breaks use this code. It will simply disable page breaks from all the open workbooks.
Workbook Codes
These codes will help you to perform workbook level tasks in an easy way and with minimum efforts.
48. Create a Backup of a Current Workbook
Sub FileBackUp() ThisWorkbook.SaveCopyAs Filename:=ThisWorkbook.Path & _ "" & Format(Date, "mm-dd-yy") & " " & _ ThisWorkbook.name End Sub
This is one of the most useful macros which can help you to save a backup file of your current workbook.
It will save a backup file in the same directory where your current file is saved and it will also add the current date with the name of the file.
49. Close all Workbooks at Once
Sub CloseAllWorkbooks() Dim wbs As Workbook For Each wbs In Workbooks wbs.Close SaveChanges:=True Next wb End Sub
Use this macro code to close all open workbooks. This macro code will first check all the workbooks one by one and close them. If any of the worksheets is not saved, you’ll get a message to save it.
50. Copy Active Worksheet into a New Workbook
Sub CopyWorksheetToNewWorkbook() ThisWorkbook.ActiveSheet.Copy _ Before:=Workbooks.Add.Worksheets(1) End Sub
Let’s say if you want to copy your active worksheet in a new workbook, just run this macro code and it will do the same for you. It’s a super time saver.
51. Active Workbook in an Email
Sub Send_Mail() Dim OutApp As Object Dim OutMail As Object Set OutApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application") Set OutMail = OutApp.CreateItem(0) With OutMail .to = "Sales@FrontLinePaper.com" .Subject = "Growth Report" .Body = "Hello Team, Please find attached Growth Report." .Attachments.Add ActiveWorkbook.FullName .display End With Set OutMail = Nothing Set OutApp = Nothing End Sub
Use this macro code to quickly send your active workbook in an e-mail. You can change the subject, email, and body text in code and if you want to send this mail directly, use «.Send» instead of «.Display».
52. Add Workbook to a Mail Attachment
Sub OpenWorkbookAsAttachment() Application.Dialogs(xlDialogSendMail).Show End Sub
Once you run this macro it will open your default mail client and attached active workbook with it as an attachment.
53. Welcome Message
Sub auto_open() MsgBox _ "Welcome To ExcelChamps & Thanks for downloading this file." End Sub
You can use auto_open to perform a task on opening a file and all you have to do just name your macro «auto_open».
54. Closing Message
Sub auto_close() MsgBox "Bye Bye! Don't forget to check other cool stuff on excelchamps.com" End Sub
You can use close_open to perform a task on opening a file and all you have to do just name your macro «close_open».
55. Count Open Unsaved Workbooks
Sub VisibleWorkbooks() Dim book As Workbook Dim i As Integer For Each book In Workbooks If book.Saved = False Then i = i + 1 End If Next book MsgBox i End Sub
Let’s you have 5-10 open workbooks, you can use this code to get the number of workbooks which are not saved yet.
Pivot Table Codes
These codes will help you to manage and make some changes in pivot tables in a flash.
56. Hide Pivot Table Subtotals
Sub HideSubtotals() Dim pt As PivotTable Dim pf As PivotField On Error Resume Next Set pt = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(ActiveCell.PivotTable.Name) If pt Is Nothing Then MsgBox "You must place your cursor inside of a PivotTable." Exit Sub End If For Each pf In pt.PivotFields pf.Subtotals(1) = True pf.Subtotals(1) = False Next pf End Sub
If you want to hide all the subtotals, just run this code. First of all, make sure to select a cell from your pivot table and then run this macro.
57. Refresh All Pivot Tables
Sub vba_referesh_all_pivots() Dim pt As PivotTable For Each pt In ActiveWorkbook.PivotTables pt.RefreshTable Next pt End Sub
A super quick method to refresh all pivot tables. Just run this code and all of your pivot tables in your workbook will be refresh in a single shot.
58. Create a Pivot Table
Follow this step by step guide to create a pivot table using VBA.
59. Auto Update Pivot Table Range
Sub UpdatePivotTableRange() Dim Data_Sheet As Worksheet Dim Pivot_Sheet As Worksheet Dim StartPoint As Range Dim DataRange As Range Dim PivotName As String Dim NewRange As String Dim LastCol As Long Dim lastRow As Long 'Set Pivot Table & Source Worksheet Set Data_Sheet = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("PivotTableData3") Set Pivot_Sheet = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Pivot3") 'Enter in Pivot Table Name PivotName = "PivotTable2" 'Defining Staring Point & Dynamic Range Data_Sheet.Activate Set StartPoint = Data_Sheet.Range("A1") LastCol = StartPoint.End(xlToRight).Column DownCell = StartPoint.End(xlDown).Row Set DataRange = Data_Sheet.Range(StartPoint, Cells(DownCell, LastCol)) NewRange = Data_Sheet.Name & "!" & DataRange.Address(ReferenceStyle:=xlR1C1) 'Change Pivot Table Data Source Range Address Pivot_Sheet.PivotTables(PivotName). _ ChangePivotCache ActiveWorkbook. _ PivotCaches.Create(SourceType:=xlDatabase, SourceData:=NewRange) 'Ensure Pivot Table is Refreshed Pivot_Sheet.PivotTables(PivotName).RefreshTable 'Complete Message Pivot_Sheet.Activate MsgBox "Your Pivot Table is now updated." End Sub
If you are not using Excel tables then you can use this code to update pivot table range.
60. Disable/Enable Get Pivot Data
Sub activateGetPivotData() Application.GenerateGetPivotData = True End Sub Sub deactivateGetPivotData() Application.GenerateGetPivotData = False End Sub
To disable/enable GetPivotData function you need to use Excel option. But with this code you can do it in a single click.
Charts Codes
Use these VBA codes to manage charts in Excel and save your lot of time.
61. Change Chart Type
Sub ChangeChartType() ActiveChart.ChartType = xlColumnClustered End Sub
This code will help you to convert chart type without using chart options from the tab. All you have to do just specify to which type you want to convert.
Below code will convert selected chart to a clustered column chart. There are different codes for different types, you can find all those types from here.
62. Paste Chart as an Image
Sub ConvertChartToPicture() ActiveChart.ChartArea.Copy ActiveSheet.Range("A1").Select ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste.Select End Sub
This code will help you to convert your chart into an image. You just need to select your chart and run this code.
63. Add Chart Title
Sub AddChartTitle() Dim i As Variant i = InputBox("Please enter your chart title", "Chart Title") On Error GoTo Last ActiveChart.SetElement (msoElementChartTitleAboveChart) ActiveChart.ChartTitle.Text = i Last: Exit Sub End Sub
First of all, you need to select your chart and the run this code. You will get an input box to enter chart title.
Advanced Codes
Some of the codes which you can use to preform advanced task in your spreadsheets.
64. Save Selected Range as a PDF
Sub HideSubtotals() Dim pt As PivotTable Dim pf As PivotField On Error Resume Next Set pt = ActiveSheet.PivotTables(ActiveCell.PivotTable.name) If pt Is Nothing Then MsgBox "You must place your cursor inside of a PivotTable." Exit Sub End If For Each pf In pt.PivotFields pf.Subtotals(1) = True pf.Subtotals(1) = False Next pf End Sub
If you want to hide all the subtotals, just run this code. First of all, make sure to select a cell from your pivot table and then run this macro.
65. Create a Table of Content
Sub TableofContent() Dim i As Long On Error Resume Next Application.DisplayAlerts = False Worksheets("Table of Content").Delete Application.DisplayAlerts = True On Error GoTo 0 ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add Before:=ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(1) ActiveSheet.Name = "Table of Content" For i = 1 To Sheets.Count With ActiveSheet .Hyperlinks.Add _ Anchor:=ActiveSheet.Cells(i, 1), _ Address:="", _ SubAddress:="'" & Sheets(i).Name & "'!A1", _ ScreenTip:=Sheets(i).Name, _ TextToDisplay:=Sheets(i).Name End With Next i End Sub
Let’s say you have more than 100 worksheets in your workbook and it’s hard to navigate now.
Don’t worry this macro code will rescue everything. When you run this code it will create a new worksheet and create a index of worksheets with a hyperlink to them.
66. Convert Range into an Image
Sub PasteAsPicture() Application.CutCopyMode = False Selection.Copy ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste.Select End Sub
Paste selected range as an image. You just have to select the range and once you run this code it will automatically insert a picture for that range.
67. Insert a Linked Picture
Sub LinkedPicture() Selection.Copy ActiveSheet.Pictures.Paste(Link:=True).Select End Sub
This VBA code will convert your selected range into a linked picture and you can use that image anywhere you want.
68. Use Text to Speech
Sub Speak() Selection.Speak End Sub
Just select a range and run this code. Excel will speak all the text what you have in that range, cell by cell.
69. Activate Data Entry Form
Sub DataForm() ActiveSheet.ShowDataForm End Sub
There is a default data entry form which you can use for data entry.
70. Use Goal Seek
Sub GoalSeekVBA() Dim Target As Long On Error GoTo Errorhandler Target = InputBox("Enter the required value", "Enter Value") Worksheets("Goal_Seek").Activate With ActiveSheet.Range("C7") .GoalSeek_ Goal:=Target, _ ChangingCell:=Range("C2") End With Exit Sub Errorhandler: MsgBox ("Sorry, value is not valid.") End Sub
Goal Seek can be super helpful for you to solve complex problems. Learn more about goal seek from here before you use this code.
71. VBA Code to Search on Google
Sub SearchWindow32() Dim chromePath As String Dim search_string As String Dim query As String query = InputBox("Enter here your search here", "Google Search") search_string = query search_string = Replace(search_string, " ", "+") 'Uncomment the following line for Windows 64 versions and comment out Windows 32 versions' 'chromePath = "C:Program FilesGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe" 'Uncomment the following line for Windows 32 versions and comment out Windows 64 versions 'chromePath = "C:Program Files (x86)GoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe" Shell (chromePath & " -url http://google.com/#q=" & search_string) End Sub
Formula Codes
These codes will help you to calculate or get results which often you do with worksheet functions and formulas.
72. Convert all Formulas into Values
Sub convertToValues() Dim MyRange As Range Dim MyCell As Range Select Case _ MsgBox("You Can't Undo This Action. " _ & "Save Workbook First?", vbYesNoCancel, _ "Alert") Case Is = vbYes ThisWorkbook.Save Case Is = vbCancel Exit Sub End Select Set MyRange = Selection For Each MyCell In MyRange If MyCell.HasFormula Then MyCell.Formula = MyCell.Value End If Next MyCell End Sub
Simply convert formulas into values. When you run this macro it will quickly change the formulas into absolute values.
73. Remove Spaces from Selected Cells
Sub RemoveSpaces() Dim myRange As Range Dim myCell As Range Select Case MsgBox("You Can't Undo This Action. " _ & "Save Workbook First?", _ vbYesNoCancel, "Alert") Case Is = vbYesThisWorkbook.Save Case Is = vbCancel Exit Sub End Select Set myRange = Selection For Each myCell In myRange If Not IsEmpty(myCell) Then myCell = Trim(myCell) End If Next myCell End Sub
One of the most useful macros from this list. It will check your selection and then remove all the extra spaces from that.
74. Remove Characters from a String
Public Function removeFirstC(rng As String, cnt As Long) removeFirstC = Right(rng, Len(rng) - cnt) End Function
Simply remove characters from the starting of a text string. All you need is to refer to a cell or insert a text into the function and number of characters to remove from the text string.
It has two arguments «rng» for the text string and «cnt» for the count of characters to remove. For Example: If you want to remove first characters from a cell, you need to enter 1 in cnt.
75. Add Insert Degree Symbol in Excel
Sub degreeSymbol( ) Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Selection rng.Select If ActiveCell <> "" Then If IsNumeric(ActiveCell.Value) Then ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Value & "°" End If End If Next End Sub
Let’s say you have a list of numbers in a column and you want to add degree symbol with all of them.
76. Reverse Text
Public Function rvrse(ByVal cell As Range) As String rvrse = VBA.strReverse(cell.Value) End Function
All you have to do just enter «rvrse» function in a cell and refer to the cell in which you have text which you want to reverse.
77. Activate R1C1 Reference Style
Sub ActivateR1C1() If Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1 Then Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1 Else Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1 End If End Sub
This macro code will help you to activate R1C1 reference style without using Excel options.
78. Activate A1 Reference Style
Sub ActivateA1() If Application.ReferenceStyle = xlR1C1 Then Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1 Else Application.ReferenceStyle = xlA1 End If End Sub
This macro code will help you to activate A1 reference style without using Excel options.
79. Insert Time Range
Sub TimeStamp() Dim i As Integer For i = 1 To 24 ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = i & ":00" ActiveCell.NumberFormat = "[$-409]h:mm AM/PM;@" ActiveCell.Offset(RowOffset:=1, ColumnOffset:=0).Select Next i End Sub
With this code, you can insert a time range in sequence from 00:00 to 23:00.
80. Convert Date into Day
Sub date2day() Dim tempCell As Range Selection.Value = Selection.Value For Each tempCell In Selection If IsDate(tempCell) = True Then With tempCell .Value = Day(tempCell) .NumberFormat = "0" End With End If Next tempCell End Sub
If you have dates in your worksheet and you want to convert all those dates into days then this code is for you. Simply select the range of cells and run this macro.
81. Convert Date into Year
Sub date2year() Dim tempCell As Range Selection.Value = Selection.Value For Each tempCell In Selection If IsDate(tempCell) = True Then With tempCell .Value = Year(tempCell) .NumberFormat = "0" End With End If Next tempCell End Sub
This code will convert dates into years.
82. Remove Time from Date
Sub removeTime() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If IsDate(Rng) = True Then Rng.Value = VBA.Int(Rng.Value) End If Next Selection.NumberFormat = "dd-mmm-yy" End Sub
If you have time with the date and you want to remove it then you can use this code.
83. Remove Date from Date and Time
Sub removeDate() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If IsDate(Rng) = True Then Rng.Value = Rng.Value - VBA.Fix(Rng.Value) End If NextSelection.NumberFormat = "hh:mm:ss am/pm" End Sub
It will return only time from a date and time value.
84. Convert to Upper Case
Sub convertUpperCase() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then Rng.Value = UCase(Rng) End If Next End Sub
Select the cells and run this code. It will check each and every cell of selected range and then convert it into upper case text.
85. Convert to Lower Case
Sub convertLowerCase() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then Rng.Value= LCase(Rng) End If Next End Sub
This code will help you to convert selected text into lower case text. Just select a range of cells where you have text and run this code. If a cell has a number or any value other than text that value will remain same.
86. Convert to Proper Case
Sub convertProperCase() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then Rng.Value = WorksheetFunction.Proper(Rng.Value) End If Next End Sub
And this code will convert selected text into the proper case where you have the first letter in capital and rest in small.
87. Convert to Sentence Case
Sub convertTextCase() Dim Rng As Range For Each Rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsText(Rng) Then Rng.Value = UCase(Left(Rng, 1)) & LCase(Right(Rng, Len(Rng) - 1)) End If Next Rng End Sub
In text case, you have the first letter of the first word in capital and rest all in words in small for a single sentence and this code will help you convert normal text into sentence case.
88. Remove a Character from Selection
Sub removeChar() Dim Rng As Range Dim rc As String rc = InputBox("Character(s) to Replace", "Enter Value") For Each Rng In Selection Selection.Replace What:=rc, Replacement:="" Next End Sub
To remove a particular character from a selected cell you can use this code. It will show you an input box to enter the character you want to remove.
89. Word Count from Entire Worksheet
Sub Word_Count_Worksheet() Dim WordCnt As Long Dim rng As Range Dim S As String Dim N As Long For Each rng In ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Cells S = Application.WorksheetFunction.Trim(rng.Text) N = 0 If S <> vbNullString Then N = Len(S) - Len(Replace(S, " ", "")) + 1 End If WordCnt = WordCnt + N Next rng MsgBox "There are total " _ & Format(WordCnt, "#,##0") & _ " words in the active worksheet" End Sub
It can help you to count all the words from a worksheet.
90. Remove the Apostrophe from a Number
Sub removeApostrophes() Selection.Value = Selection.Value End Sub
If you have numeric data where you have an apostrophe before each number, you run this code to remove it.
91. Remove Decimals from Numbers
Sub removeDecimals() Dim lnumber As Double Dim lResult As Long Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Selection rng.Value = Int(rng) rng.NumberFormat = "0" Next rng End Sub
This code will simply help you to remove all the decimals from the numbers from the selected range.
92. Multiply all the Values by a Number
Sub addNumber() Dim rng As Range Dim i As Integer i = InputBox("Enter number to multiple", "Input Required") For Each rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then rng.Value = rng + i Else End If Next rng End Sub
Let’s you have a list of numbers and you want to multiply all the number with a particular. To use this code: Select that range of cells and run this code. It will first ask you for the number with whom you want to multiple and then instantly multiply all the numbers with it.
93. Add a Number in all the Numbers
Sub addNumber() Dim rng As Range Dim i As Integer i = InputBox("Enter number to multiple", "Input Required") For Each rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then rng.Value = rng + i Else End If Next rng End Sub
Just like multiplying you can also add a number into a set of numbers.
94. Calculate the Square Root
Sub getSquareRoot() Dim rng As Range Dim i As Integer For Each rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then rng.Value = Sqr(rng) Else End If Next rng End Sub
To calculate square root without applying a formula you can use this code. It will simply check all the selected cells and convert numbers to their square root.
95. Calculate the Cube Root
Sub getCubeRoot() Dim rng As Range Dimi As Integer For Each rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then rng.Value = rng ^ (1 / 3) Else End If Nextrng End Sub
To calculate cube root without applying a formula you can use this code. It will simply check all the selected cells and convert numbers to their cube root.
96. Add A-Z Alphabets in a Range
Sub addsAlphabets1() Dim i As Integer For i = 65 To 90 ActiveCell.Value = Chr(i) ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select Next i End Sub
Sub addsAlphabets2() Dim i As Integer For i = 97 To 122 ActiveCell.Value = Chr(i) ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select Next i End Sub
Just like serial numbers you can also insert alphabets in your worksheet. Beloware the code which you can use.
97. Convert Roman Numbers into Arabic Numbers
Sub convertToNumbers() Dim rng As Range Selection.Value = Selection.Value For Each rng In Selection If Not WorksheetFunction.IsNonText(rng) Then rng.Value = WorksheetFunction.Arabic(rng) End If Next rng End Sub
Sometimes it’s really hard to understand Roman numbers as serial numbers. This code will help you to convert roman numbers into Arabic numbers.
98. Remove Negative Signs
Sub removeNegativeSign() Dim rng As Range Selection.Value = Selection.Value For Each rng In Selection If WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(rng) Then rng.Value = Abs(rng) End If Next rng
This code will simply check all the cell in the selection and convert all the negative numbers into positive. Just select a range and run this code.
99. Replace Blank Cells with Zeros
Sub replaceBlankWithZero() Dim rng As Range Selection.Value = Selection.Value For Each rng In Selection If rng = "" Or rng = " " Then rng.Value = "0" Else End If Next rng End Sub
For data where you have blank cells, you can use the below code to add zeros in all those cells. It makes easier to use those cells in further calculations.
More Codes
100. More VBA Examples and Tutorials
- User Defined Function [UDF] in Excel using VBA
- VBA Interview Questions
- Add a Comment in a VBA Code (Macro)
- Add a Line Break in a VBA Code (Single Line into Several Lines)
- Add a New Line (Carriage Return) in a String in VBA
- Personal Macro Workbook (personal.xlsb)
- Record a Macro in Excel
- VBA Exit Sub Statement
- VBA Immediate Window (Debug.Print)
- VBA Module
- VBA MSGBOX
- VBA Objects
- VBA With Statement
- Count Rows using VBA
- Excel VBA Font (Color, Size, Type, and Bold)
- Excel VBA Hide and Unhide a Column or a Row
- Excel VBA Range – Working with Range and Cells in VBA
- Apply Borders on a Cell using VBA in Excel
- Find Last Row, Column, and Cell using VBA in Excel
- Insert a Row using VBA in Excel
- Merge Cells in Excel using a VBA Code
- Select a Range/Cell using VBA in Excel
- How to SELECT ALL the Cells in a Worksheet using a VBA Code
- use ActiveCell in VBA in Excel
- How to use Special Cells Method in VBA in Excel
- How to use UsedRange Property in VBA in Excel
- VBA AutoFit (Rows, Column, or the Entire Worksheet)
- VBA ClearContents (from a Cell, Range, or Entire Worksheet)
- VBA Copy Range to Another Sheet + Workbook
- VBA Enter Value in a Cell (Set, Get and Change)
- VBA Insert Column (Single and Multiple)
- VBA Named Range
- VBA Range Offset
- VBA Sort Range | (Descending, Multiple Columns, Sort Orientation
- VBA Wrap Text (Cell, Range, and Entire Worksheet)
- How to CLEAR an Entire Sheet using VBA in Excel
- How to Copy and Move a Sheet in Excel using VBA
- How to COUNT Sheets using VBA in Excel
- How to DELETE a SHEET using VBA in Excel
- How to Hide & Unhide a Sheet using VBA in Excel
- How to PROTECT and UNPROTECT a Sheet using VBA in Excel
- RENAME a Sheet using VBA
- Write a VBA Code to Create a New Sheet
- VBA Worksheet Object
- Activate a Sheet using VBA
- Copy an Excel File (Workbook)
- VBA Activate Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Close Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Combine Workbooks (Excel Files)
- VBA Create New Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Delete Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Open Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Protect/Unprotect Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Rename Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA Save Workbook (Excel File)
- VBA ThisWorkbook (Current Excel File)
- VBA Workbook
- Declare Global Variable (Public) in VBA
- Range or a Cell as a Variable in VBA
- Option Explicit Statement in VBA
- Variable in a Message Box
- VBA Constants
- VBA Dim Statement
- VBA Variables (Declare, Data Types, and Scope)
- VBA Add New Value to the Array
- VBA Array
- VBA Array Length (Size)
- VBA Array with Strings
- VBA Clear Array (Erase)
- VBA Dynamic Array
- VBA Loop Through an Array
- VBA Multi-Dimensional Array
- VBA Range to an Array
- VBA Search for a Value in an Array
- VBA Sort Array
- How to Average Values in Excel using VBA
- Get Today’s Date and Current Time using VBA
- Sum Values in Excel using VBA
- Match Function in VBA
- MOD in VBA
- Random Number
- VBA Calculate (Cell, Range, Row, & Workbook)
- VBA Concatenate
- VBA Worksheet Function (Use Excel Functions in a Macro)
- How to Check IF a Sheet Exists using VBA in Excel
- VBA Check IF a Cell is Empty + Multiple Cells
- VBA Check IF a Workbook Exists in a Folder (Excel File)
- VBA Check IF a Workbook is Open (Excel File)
- VBA Exit IF
- VBA IF – IF Then Else Statement
- VBA IF And (Test Multiple Conditions)
- VBA IF Not
- VBA IF OR (Test Multiple Conditions)
- VBA Nested IF
- VBA SELECT CASE Statement (Test Multiple Conditions)
- VBA Automation Error (Error 440)
- VBA Error 400
- VBA ERROR Handling
- VBA Invalid Procedure Call Or Argument Error (Error 5)
- VBA Object Doesn’t Support this Property or Method Error (Error 438)
- VBA Object Required Error (Error 424)
- VBA Out of Memory Error (Error 7)
- VBA Overflow Error (Error 6)
- VBA Runtime Error (Error 1004)
- VBA Subscript Out of Range Runtime Error (Error 9)
- VBA Type Mismatch Error (Error 13)
- Excel VBA Do While Loop and (Do Loop While)
- How to Loop Through All the Sheets using VBA
- Loop Through a Range using VBA
- VBA FOR LOOP
- VBA GoTo Statement
- Input Box in VBA
- VBA Create and Write to a Text File
- VBA ScreenUpdating
- VBA Status Bar
- VBA Wait and Sleep
About the Author
Puneet is using Excel since his college days. He helped thousands of people to understand the power of the spreadsheets and learn Microsoft Excel. You can find him online, tweeting about Excel, on a running track, or sometimes hiking up a mountain.
Bottom line: Learn 5 ways to use VBA macros to automate Excel tasks you do frequently at work.
Skill level: Beginner
Download the Excel File
Download the Excel file to follow along with the video.
What Can I Use Macros For in My Job?
This is a question I hear often. You might have heard you need to learn macros, but you’re not exactly sure how they will help you. In the video above I explain 5 different ways to use macros to automate tasks in Excel.
We can use VBA macros to automate everything from simple tasks to complex reporting processes with multiple files. Here are the 5 topics covered in the video, along with the links mentioned to other articles and resources.
1. Data Related Tasks
Data related tasks include everyday Excel tasks to cleanup and format data. Examples covered in the video include.
- Remove Duplicates – Create a List of Unique Values
- Select or Delete Blank Rows
- Create formulas with macros – Percentage Change Formula
- Find the Last Used cell, row, or column in a sheet
- Apply formatting to raw data exports – Format Copier
2. Workbook Tasks
We can also automate tasks across worksheets and workbooks. This includes things like listing all the sheets, creating a table of contents, hiding specific sheets, opening and closing workbooks, and more. Here are some examples covered in the video.
- Table of Contents and TOC Gallery
- Save and Close All Open Workbooks
3. Pivot Table Tasks
Pivot tables are an amazing tool in Excel. They can also be time consuming to create, format, update, and maintain. Fortunately, we can automate just about every property and action with pivot tables using VBA macros. Here are a few examples from the video.
- Show Details Macro
- Automatic Default Number Formatting in Excel Pivot Tables
- Expand and Collapse Entire Pivot Table Fields
- How to Change Date Formatting for Grouped Pivot Table Fields
- The PivotPal Add-in – The entire add-in was built with VBA, and automates many repetitive pivot table tasks.
4. Userforms & Add-ins
Userforms are windows that open over Excel with interactive controls. They make our spreadsheets easier for other users to use. The userforms can be created and modified in the VB Editor.
Add-ins are installed on the users computer and usually contain custom ribbon tabs with buttons. This allows other users to run our macros on any open workbook. Checkout the Excel Campus Add-ins page for examples.
5. Process Automation
We can also automate more complex processes with macros & VBA. This includes creating systems to create, update, or modify several Excel files. I created many systems like this for forecasting and budgeting processes. Here is a link to an overview video of an application I call the File Manager. The File Manager allows you to run multiple macros on sets of files.
I explain how to create and use the File Manager step-by-step in module 11 of The VBA Pro Course.
Free Webinar on Macros & VBA
If you are interested in learning more about macros, I’m currently running my free webinar called “The 7 Steps to Getting Started with Macros & VBA”. It’s running all this week, and it’s absolutely free to register.
During the webinar I explain why you might want to learn VBA, and a lot of the basic coding concepts that will help you get started. I jump into Excel and the VB Editor and walk through how to write and run our first macro. Even if you have been using VBA for awhile, I’m sure you will learn some new tips.
Click here to learn more and register for the webinar
What Else Can We Use Macros For?
We can use macros for just about every task we do in Excel. This video doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s possible, but hopefully it gets you thinking about some repetitive Excel tasks that you might want to automate.
Please leave a comment below with any questions or suggestions. Thank you! 🙂