Macros in excel what are they

You work in Excel every day and do the same things again and again. Why not automate those tasks? Or, maybe, you want Excel to do most of the work for you? Read on to learn what Excel macros are and how they can help you.

What are macros in Excel?

Excel is an extremely powerful tool for processing data in the form of spreadsheets. While most users use formulas, there is another way to manipulate data in Excel.

Excel macros are pieces of code that describe specific actions or contain a set of instructions. Every time you launch the macro, Excel follows those instructions step-by-step.

Why learn macros in Excel?

Macros are a must-have tool for an advanced Excel user. By using Excel macros you can avoid dull, repetitive actions or even create your own order management system for free.

Simple macros in Excel that will make things easier

There are lots of simple Excel macros that take just a few lines of code, but can save you hours. Excel can perform certain operations instantly, where it would take you a very long time to do the job manually.

For example, this macro will sort all 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

The following code will unhide all hidden worksheets:

Sub UnhideAllWoksheets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible
Next ws
End Sub

To unhide all rows and columns on a worksheet, use:

Sub UnhideRowsColumns()
Columns.EntireColumn.Hidden = False
Rows.EntireRow.Hidden = False
End Sub

Advanced Excel macros that can significantly improve your workflow

If you are running a business, you have to store and manipulate data. Small companies can keep records by hand and large enterprises can buy specialized software (which is rather expensive). But what about medium-sized businesses that can no longer settle for manual record-keeping, but still cannot afford costly software? This is where Excel with macros shines.

By combining advanced Excel macros you can create a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system which will help you provide better services. If you sell goods, you need an inventory management tool and Excel spreadsheets enhanced with macros will fit your needs.

If your data is contained in multiple Excel workbooks, you can use Coupler.io to move them around. You can even add third-party sources, like  Google Sheets, Airtable, BigQuery, etc. Data integration with Coupler.io does not require any programming skills and can be done in just a few clicks.

Check out the available integrations with Excel.

Other Excel macros examples

Below are a few examples of useful Excel macros.

Sometimes you might accidentally add extra spaces to the data in cells. This mistake will cause errors, thereby preventing you from making correct calculations. To remove unnecessary spaces from the selected cells, use the following code:

Sub TrimTheSpaces()
Dim MyRange As Range
Dim MyCell As Range
Set MyRange = Selection
For Each MyCell In MyRange
If Not IsEmpty(MyCell) Then
MyCell = Trim(MyCell)
End If
Next MyCell
End Sub

It is often the case that you need to protect your workbook with a password. You can do that in the user interface of Excel. However, if you use the same password for all of your workbooks, you have to re-enter it every time. This macro will do the job for you (don’t forget to replace “1234” with your own password!):

Sub ProtectSheets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
ws.Protect Password:="1234"
Next ws
End Sub

Using macros in Excel

As macros are programs that can do literally anything on your computer, using macros from untrusted sources is very risky. That’s why, when you open a workbook with macros in Excel, they will be disabled and you will see the following notification:

If you trust the source of the file, click Enable Content. That will add the workbook to the list of trusted documents and turn on its macros. The next time you open that workbook, there will be no warning.

You will see the above notification each time you open a workbook if it has been saved to an untrusted location. That can be a folder for temporary files or browser downloads. To avoid that, move the file to another folder or enable macros in the Excel Trust Center.

How to enable macros in Excel

If you do not want to see the security warning when opening Excel workbooks, you can permanently enable macros in the Trust Center.

To enable macros in the Excel Trust Center:

1. In the upper-left corner, click the File tab and then select Options:

1. In the Excel Options window, select Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings:

1. In the Trust Center, go to Macro Settings and then select Enable all macros:

Warning! Enabling macros for all workbooks is potentially risky because files from external sources may contain malicious code. If you open such a workbook, the macros may run automatically and corrupt your data or even cause hardware malfunctions.

How to use macros in Excel

If your workbook contains macros, you can run them by pressing Alt+F8. In the Macro window that opens, select the macro you need and click Run:

If you want to create new macros, you need to enable the Developer tab first.

To enable the Developer tab:

1. In the upper-left corner, click the File tab and then select Options.
2. In the Excel Options window, select Customize Ribbon and then enable the Developer checkbox in the Main Tabs area:

1. Click OK to apply the changes.

In the Developer tab you can run existing macros by clicking the Macros button or create a new macro. For details on creating macros in Excel, see the following sections.

How to delete macros in Excel

To delete a macro in Excel:

1. Open the Macro window in one of the following ways:
   • Press Alt+F8.
   • Select the Developer tab and click Macros.
2. Select the macro that you want to delete and click Delete.

1. Click Yes in the confirmation window that opens.

How to disable macros in Excel

Enabling Excel macros can make your computer vulnerable. Some macros will run when you open a workbook, which is especially dangerous if you have downloaded the workbook from an untrusted source. To prevent that, you can disable macros in Excel either with or without a notification.

To disable macros in Excel:

1. In the upper-left corner, click the File tab and then select Options.
2. In the Excel Options window, select Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings.
3. In the Trust Center, go to Macro Settings and then select one of the following options:
   • Disable all macros without notification. Macros will be disabled and you will not see a security warning when opening a workbook with macros.
   • Disable all macros with notification. Macros will be disabled but you will see a security warning when opening a workbook with macros and will be able to allow macros, if needed.

Writing macros in Excel

In Excel you can not only run ready-to-use macros, but also write your own macros to automate your daily tasks. We will provide a few methods below for creating macros in Excel. Anyone can write macros in Excel: from a complete beginner to an advanced user with programming skills.

How to record a macro in Excel

If you are unfamiliar with programming languages, the easiest way to create your own Excel macro is to record it.

To record a macro in Excel:

1. In the Developer tab, click Record Macro:

1. Enter the macro name and click OK:

Excel will start recording the macro.

1. Perform the actions, that need to be included in the macro, then click Stop Recording:

The macro will be saved to the workbook.

Creating VBA macros in Excel

If you can write code in any programming language, you can easily learn the basics of Visual Basic for Applications and create Excel macros in the VBA editor.

To open the editor, click Visual Basic in the Developer tab.

Each workbook is a VBA project in the editor. The project contains worksheets as objects and modules with macros:

By default, macros recorded in the Developer tab are saved to Module1. For example, here is the macro that we recorded in the previous section:

As you can see in the picture above, a macro starts with Sub followed by the macro name and (). You can insert the macro description in the comment lines. Be sure to indent the macro body for better readability. The End Sub string designates the end of the macro.

Excel macros language

Macros in Excel are written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). This programming language is used not only in Excel, but also in other MS office applications.

VBA provides many of the tools that are available in advanced programming languages. For example, to create Excel macros, you can use the following:

• Variables
• ‘If’ statements
• ‘For’ cycles
• Loops
• Arrays
• Events
• Functions

Being an object-oriented language, VBA lets you manipulate the following objects:

• Application object
• Workbook object
• Worksheet object
• Range object

If you decide to turn your Excel worksheet into something much more powerful, like a CRM system, you can even create a graphical user interface with message boxes and user forms. To learn more about VBA, check out the official documentation.

Editing macros in Excel VBA editor

When creating macros in Excel, it may be difficult to get the desired result on the first try. By editing Excel macros and running them again, you can resolve errors and make your system work as expected.

To edit a macro in Excel VBA editor:

1. In the Developer tab, click Visual Basic:

1. In the VBA project tree, double-click the module with the macro that you want to edit:

1. Edit the macro code, then save changes by clicking the Save button or pressing Ctrl+S.

The workbook with the macro will be saved.

You can press F5 or click Run in the editor to launch the macro:

Note: If a macro changes workbook data, those changes cannot be reversed using the Undo command in Excel.

The VBA editor has a built-in debugger that highlights errors in code. The line that follows the error is highlighted:

An easy way of learning how to create macros in Excel

In Excel you can record a macro by using the Record Macro button in the Developer tab. Then you can open the recorded macro in Excel VBA editor.

This is the easiest way to learn the VBA programming language. Just perform actions in the Excel user interface and see how they are interpreted in the macro code. Then you can change values and methods in the code to see how that affects the macro behavior.

Do I need Excel macros?

As you can see, macros can drastically enhance Excel features in many ways. By using macros, you can automate your daily operations and save yourself hours of time. Excel macros can even save you money if you decide to create an Excel-based order management system instead of buying costly software.

When you finish customizing your Excel workbook with macros, you may need to migrate your data from other sources, like Google Sheets or BigQuery.

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Run a macro

There are several ways to run a macro in Microsoft Excel. A macro is an action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language. You can always run a macro by clicking the Macros command on the Developer tab on the ribbon. Depending on how a macro is assigned to run, you might also be able to run it by pressing a combination shortcut key, by clicking a button on the Quick Access Toolbar or in a custom group on the ribbon, or by clicking on an object, graphic, or control. In addition, you can run a macro automatically whenever you open a workbook.

Before you run macros

Before you start working on macros you should enable the Developer tab.

For Windows, go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon.

For Mac, go to Excel > Preferences. > Ribbon & Toolbar.

Then, in the Customize the Ribbon section, under Main Tabs, check the Developer check box, and press OK.

Open the workbook that contains the macro.

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Macros.

In the Macro name box, click the macro that you want to run, and press the Run button.

You also have other choices:

Options — Add a shortcut key, or a macro description.

Step — This will open the Visual Basic Editor to the first line of the macro. Pressing F8 will let you step through the macro code one line at a time.

Edit — This will open the Visual Basic Editor and let you edit the macro code as needed. Once you’ve made changes, you can press F5 to run the macro from the editor.

You can add a combination shortcut key to a macro when you record it, and you can also add one to an existing macro:

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Macros.

In the Macro name box, click the macro that you want to assign to a combination shortcut key.

The Macro Options dialog box appears.

In the Shortcut key box, type any lowercase or uppercase letter that you want to use with the shortcut key.

For Windows, the shortcut key for lowercase letters is Ctrl+letter. For uppercase letters, it’s Ctrl+Shift+Letter.

For Mac, the shortcut key for lowercase letters is Option+Command+letter, but Ctrl+letter will work as well. For uppercase letters, it’s Ctrl+Shift+Letter.

Be careful assigning shortcut keys, because they will override any equivalent default Excel shortcut key while the workbook that contains the macro is open. For example, if you assign a macro to Ctrl+z, you’ll lose the ability to Undo. Because of this, it’s generally a good idea to use Ctrl+Shift+Uppercase letter instead, like Ctrl+Shift+Z, which doesn’t have an equivalent shortcut in Excel.

For a list of Ctrl combination shortcut keys that are already assigned in Excel, see the article Excel shortcut and function keys.

In the Description box, type a description of the macro.

Click OK to save your changes, and then click Cancel to close the Macro dialog box.

To run a macro from a button on the Quick Access toolbar, you first have to add the button to the toolbar. To do that, see Assign a macro to a button.

You can create a custom group that appears on a tab in the ribbon, and then assign a macro to a button in that group. For example, you can add a custom group named «My Macros» to the Developer tab, and then add a macro (that appears as a button) to the new group. To do that, see Assign a macro to a button.

Run a macro by clicking an area on a graphic object

You can create a hotspot on a graphic that users can click to run a macro.

In the worksheet, insert a graphic object, such as a picture, or draw a shape. A common scenario is to draw a Rounded Rectangle shape, and format it so it looks like a button.

To learn about inserting a graphic object, see Add, change, or delete shapes.

Right-click the hotspot that you created, and then click Assign Macro.

Do one of the following:

To assign an existing macro to the graphic object, double-click the macro or enter its name in the Macro name box.

To record a new macro to assign to the selected graphic object, click Record, type a name for the macro in the Record Macro dialog box, and then click OK to begin recording your macro. When you finish recording the macro, click Stop Recording on the Developer tab in the Code group.

Tip: You can also click Stop Recording on the left side of the status bar.

To edit an existing macro, click the name of the macro in the Macro name box, and then click Edit.

On the Developer tab, click Visual Basic to launch the Visual Basic Editor ( VBE). Browse the Project Explorer to the module that contains the macro you want to run, and open it. All of the macros in that module will be listed in the pane on the right. Select the macro you want to run, by placing your cursor anywhere within the macro, and press F5, or on the menu, go to Run > Run Macro.

Create a Workbook_Open event.

The following example uses the Open event to run a macro when you open the workbook.

Open the workbook where you want to add the macro, or create a new workbook.

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Visual Basic.

In the Project Explorer window, right-click the ThisWorkbook object, and then click View Code.

Tip: If the Project Explorer window is not visible, on the View menu, click Project Explorer.

In the Object list above the Code window, select Workbook.

This automatically creates an empty procedure for the Open event, such as this:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()

Add the following lines of code to the procedure:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
MsgBox Date
Worksheets(«Sheet1»).Range(«A1»).Value = Date
End Sub

Switch to Excel and save the workbook as a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm).

Close and reopen the workbook. When you open the workbook again, Excel runs the Workbook_Open procedure, which displays today’s date in a message box.

Click OK in the message box.

Note: The cell A1 on Sheet1 also contains the date as a result of running the Workbook_Open procedure.

Need more help?

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

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Quick start: Create a macro

If you have tasks in Microsoft Excel that you do repeatedly, you can record a macro to automate those tasks. A macro is an action or a set of actions that you can run as many times as you want. When you create a macro, you are recording your mouse clicks and keystrokes. After you create a macro, you can edit it to make minor changes to the way it works.

Suppose that every month, you create a report for your accounting manager. You want to format the names of the customers with overdue accounts in red, and also apply bold formatting. You can create and then run a macro that quickly applies these formatting changes to the cells you select.

Before you record a macro

Macros and VBA tools can be found on the Developer tab, which is hidden by default, so the first step is to enable it. For more information, see Show the Developer tab.

In the Code group on the Developer tab, click Record Macro.

Optionally, enter a name for the macro in the Macro name box, enter a shortcut key in the Shortcut key box, and a description in the Description box, and then click OK to start recording.

Perform the actions you want to automate, such as entering boilerplate text or filling down a column of data.

On the Developer tab, click Stop Recording.

Take a closer look at the macro

You can learn a little about the Visual Basic programming language by editing a macro.

To edit a macro, in the Code group on the Developer tab, click Macros, select the name of the macro, and click Edit. This starts the Visual Basic Editor.

See how the actions that you recorded appear as code. Some of the code will probably be clear to you, and some of it may be a little mysterious.

Experiment with the code, close the Visual Basic Editor, and run your macro again. This time, see if anything different happens!

Next steps

To learn more about creating macros, see Create or delete a macro.

To learn about how to run a macro, see Run a macro.

Before you record a macro

Make sure the Developer tab is visible on the ribbon. By default, the Developer tab is not visible, so do the following:

Go to Excel > Preferences… > Ribbon & Toolbar.

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

On the Developer tab, click Record Macro.

Optionally, enter a name for the macro in the Macro name box, enter a shortcut key in the Shortcut key box, and a description in the Description box, and then click OK to start recording.

Perform the actions you want to automate, such as entering boilerplate text or filling down a column of data.

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Stop Recording.

Take a closer look at the macro

You can learn a little about the Visual Basic programming language by editing a macro.

To edit a macro, in the Developer tab, click Macros, select the name of the macro, and click Edit. This starts the Visual Basic Editor.

See how the actions that you recorded appear as code. Some of the code will probably be clear to you, and some of it may be a little mysterious.

Experiment with the code, close the Visual Basic Editor, and run your macro again. This time, see if anything different happens!

Need more help?

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

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How to Write Macros in Excel: Macro Tutorial – What is & Use

Updated January 20, 2023

What is an Excel Macro?

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:

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

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.

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

1. Click on the DEVELOPER tab
2. Click on Record Macro as shown in the image below

You will get the following dialogue window

1. Enter ImportBankReceipts as the macro name.
2. Step two will be there by default
3. Enter the description as shown in the above diagram
4. 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

1. Go to the local drive where you have stored the CSV file
2. Select the CSV file
3. 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

1. Select ImportBankReceipts
2. Highlights the description of your macro
3. 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.

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