This Excel VBA tutorial explains how to export Excel to Word.
You may also want to read:
Export Excel to PDF
In the previous post, I demonstrated how to export Excel to PDF, which is very easy because there is already a built in function to do that (using Save As and choose PDF). However, there is no built in function to export Excel to Word. Fortunately Excel cell is actually a table in Word, we can simply copy the cells and paste to Word. This tutorial explains how to do it automatically using Excel VBA to export Excel to Word.
Excel VBA export Excel to Word (Single Worksheet)
Excel has about 1M rows and 16k columns, we cannot simply export the whole spreadsheet to Word. So the first question to think about is, what Range do we need to export to Word? My recommendation is to export all UsedRange. You may also consider to reset UsedRange before copy as explained in my previous post.
Insert the following Procedure in Excel Module
Sub export_excel_to_word() Set obj = CreateObject("Word.Application") obj.Visible = True Set newObj = obj.Documents.Add ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Copy newObj.Range.Paste Application.CutCopyMode = False obj.Activate newObj.SaveAs Filename:=Application.ActiveWorkbook.Path & "" & ActiveSheet.Name End Sub
For example, we have the below worksheet
Run the Macro, and the below new Word document will pop up. The Word document is automatically saved as the Worksheet name under the same folder of the Workbook.
It is possible that the imported table length is too wide to display in Word, you can also use Word VBA Table.AutoFitBehavior Method to auto fit the table, which has the same effect of AutoFit in Word as below.
Run the below macro in Word VBA to loop through all tables in Word document to autosize.
Sub autoSizeTbl() For Each tbl In ActiveDocument.Tables tbl.AutoFitBehavior wdAutoFitContent Next End Sub
Ideally this Macro can be run from Excel VBA, unfortunately I can’t get it work properly.
Excel VBA export Excel to Word (Multiple Worksheets)
Assume that we have Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3 in a Workbook “Export.xlsm”, we want to export all three worksheets to a single workbook.
Insert a Excel Module and paste the below Procedure.
The below Procedure will copy usedRange of each Worksheet to Word and page break by each Worksheet. Finally save and name the Word document as the Workbook name.
Sub export_workbook_to_word() Set obj = CreateObject("Word.Application") obj.Visible = True Set newobj = obj.Documents.Add For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets ws.UsedRange.Copy newobj.ActiveWindow.Selection.PasteExcelTable False, False, False newobj.ActiveWindow.Selection.InsertBreak Type:=7 Next newobj.ActiveWindow.Selection.TypeBackspace newobj.ActiveWindow.Selection.TypeBackspace obj.Activate newobj.SaveAs Filename:=Application.ActiveWorkbook.Path & "" & Split(ActiveWorkbook.Name, ".")(0) End Sub
Run the Macro, a Word document called “Export.docx” pops up. Worksheet1 is pasted in page 1, Worksheet2 is pasted in page 2, Worksheet3 is pasted in page 3.
This post is the second in a series about controlling other applications from Excel using VBA. In the first part we looked at the basics of how to reference other applications using Early Binding or Late Binding. In this post, we will look at how we can automate Word from Excel even though we don’t know any VBA code for Word… yet. The process we will use for this is as follows:
- Enable the Word Developer menu
- Record a Word macro
- Add the code to Excel VBA and amend
- Record macros in Excel if necessary
- Repeat the previous steps until macro complete
I am not an Excel VBA expert (I’m more of an Excel VBA tinkerer), and I am certainly not a Word VBA expert. The process I am about to show you may not create the most efficient code, but I know this process works, because I have used it myself to automate lots tasks using Microsoft Word.
Enable the Word Developer menu
If you have enabled the Excel Developer menu it is the same process in Word.
In Word: File -> Options -> Customize Ribbon
Then tick the Developer Ribbon option, OK.
Record a Word Macro
The key to the success of this method is taking small sections of code and building up a complex macro bit by bit. Using the Word Macro Recorder is again, similar to the Excel Macro recorder.
Click on: Developer -> Record Macro
For the example in this post, we will create a macro which will open a new Word document, then copy a chart from Excel and paste it into that Word document. We will tackle this one stage at a time. Firstly, lets create the macro to open a new word document.
Click – Developer -> Record Macro. The Record Macro window will open.
Make a note of the “Store macro in” option, as we will need to know where to find the recorded code later. Normal.dotm is fine for now. Click OK – the Macro Recorder is now running.
Open a new Word Document – File -> New -> Blank Document
Stop the Macro from recording – Developer -> Stop Recording
We can now view the code for opening a new Word Document in the Visual Basic Editor. Click: Developer -> Visual Basic.
Find the location of your recorded code in the Visual Basic Editor. In this example: Normal -> Modules -> NewMacros.
Your code should look like the following. It may be slightly different, but not significantly.
Sub Macro1() ' ' Macro1 Macro ' ' Documents.Add Template:="Normal", NewTemplate:=False, DocumentType:=0 Windows("Document1").Activate Windows("Document2").Activate End Sub
Add the code to Excel VBA and amend
Let’s head back to the Excel VBA Editor and use the Early Binding method to control to Microsoft Word. In the Visual Basic Editor click Tools -> References select Microsoft Word x.xx Object Library. Then click OK.
As we are using Early Binding we need to declare the Application as a variable as follows:
Dim WordApp As Word.Application Set WordApp = New Word.Application
Now copy and paste the code from the Word VBA Editor into the Excel VBA Editor.
The Word VBA code started with Documents.Add, all we have to do is add our application variable to the front of that line of code. Now becomes WordApp.Documents.Add . . .
Often, Selecting and Activating Objects is not required in VBA code, so I have not copied those statements into the code below.
Sub CreateWordDocument() 'Connect using Early Binding. 'Remember to set the reference to the Word Object Library 'In VBE Editor Tools -> References -> Microsoft Word x.xx Object Library Dim WordApp As Word.Application Set WordApp = New Word.Application WordApp.Documents.Add Template:="Normal", NewTemplate:=False, DocumentType:=0 WordApp.Visible = True 'New Apps will be hidden by default, so make visible Set WordApp = Nothing 'release the memory End Sub
A point to note, when an application is opened with VBA, it is normally opened in the background. To make the Word document visible I have added the following code:
WordApp.Visible = True
Record macros in Excel (if necessary)
If we want to copy Excel content into a Word document, we will need to copy that content using Excel VBA. We can use the Macro Recorder in Excel to obtain the VBA code for copying, then we can use the Word Macro Recorder to obtain the VBA code for pasting.
Macro Recording from Excel – selecting a worksheet and copying chart
Sheets("Sheet1").Select ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart 1").Activate ActiveChart.ChartArea.Copy
Macro Recording from Word – pasting a chart into a document
Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, DataType:=wdPasteEnhancedMetafile, _ Placement:=wdInLine, DisplayAsIcon:=False
We can add both Macro recordings into our Excel macro. Remember to add WordApp. at the start of each statement of Word VBA code.
Sub CreateWordDocument() 'Connect using Early Binding. 'Remember to set the reference to the Word Object Library 'In VBE Editor Tools -> References -> Microsoft Word x.xx Object Library Dim WordApp As Word.Application Set WordApp = New Word.Application WordApp.Documents.Add Template:="Normal", NewTemplate:=False, DocumentType:=0 WordApp.Visible = True 'New Apps will be hidden by default, so make visible 'code copied from Excel Macro recorder Sheets("Sheet1").Select Selection.ChartObjects("Chart 1").ChartArea.Copy 'code copied from Word Macro recorder with WordApp. added to the front. WordApp.Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, DataType:=wdPasteEnhancedMetafile, _ Placement:=wdInLine, DisplayAsIcon:=False Set WordApp = Nothing 'release the memory End Sub
This code is not particularly efficient; it contains a few unnecessary sections code. However… it works!
Repeat the previous steps until macro complete
By repeating the same steps above; recording short actions, then transferring the code into Excel, we can slowly build up much more complex Macros. The key is to keep the actions short, if you do too many actions with the Macro Recorder, code starts to look long and scary.
If you’ve you tried to use the Macro Recorder before you will know that this is not as easy as it seems. And this simple tutorial may make you think it is easy, when it’s not. Sometimes, it can be quite frustrating trying to find out where the issues and errors are. The key to success is recording very short actions, such as those below and copying them into the Visual Basic Editor.
'Pressing the Enter Key to move to a new line in Word WordApp.Selection.TypeParagraph 'Turn on/off Bold Text WordApp.Selection.Font.Bold = wdToggle 'Change Font Size WordApp.Selection.Font.Size = 16 'Type some text WordApp.Selection.TypeText Text:="Here is some text"
You will soon build up a standard library of code that you can use to control Word for most basic tasks.
In recorded VBA code from Word, the word “Selection” in the code often refers to the document itself. It is possible to make the code a little bit more efficient by declaring the document as a variable. If we were opening a specific document, we could include this at the start, just below the declaration of the application.
'Declare a specific document as a variable Dim WordDocument As Object Set WordDocument = WordApp.Documents.Open(sourceFileName)
Or, if we created a new document we could include the following below the declaration of the application variable.
'Delcare a new document as a variable Dim WordDocument As Object Set WordDocument = WordApp.Documents.Add Template:="Normal", _ NewTemplate:=False, DocumentType:=0
If we have created the document as a variable we can then reference the specific document. This code:
WordApp.Selection.TypeParagraph
Would become this code:
WordDocument.TypeParagraph
Or this code:
WordApp.Selection.TypeText Text:="Here is some text"
Would become this code:
WordDocument.TypeText Text:="Here is some text"
This method is much better, as it doesn’t rely on the Selection of the user being in the right place.
Conclusion
We have seen in this post that it is possible to create complex Macros to automate Word from Excel using VBA. By understanding how to declare variables for the application and documents we can create much more robust macros, even without knowing a lot of VBA code.
Related Posts:
- 5 quick ways to embed a Word document in Excel
- Controlling Powerpoint from Excel using VBA
- Edit links in Word using VBA
- How to link Excel to Word
About the author
Hey, I’m Mark, and I run Excel Off The Grid.
My parents tell me that at the age of 7 I declared I was going to become a qualified accountant. I was either psychic or had no imagination, as that is exactly what happened. However, it wasn’t until I was 35 that my journey really began.
In 2015, I started a new job, for which I was regularly working after 10pm. As a result, I rarely saw my children during the week. So, I started searching for the secrets to automating Excel. I discovered that by building a small number of simple tools, I could combine them together in different ways to automate nearly all my regular tasks. This meant I could work less hours (and I got pay raises!). Today, I teach these techniques to other professionals in our training program so they too can spend less time at work (and more time with their children and doing the things they love).
Do you need help adapting this post to your needs?
I’m guessing the examples in this post don’t exactly match your situation. We all use Excel differently, so it’s impossible to write a post that will meet everybody’s needs. By taking the time to understand the techniques and principles in this post (and elsewhere on this site), you should be able to adapt it to your needs.
But, if you’re still struggling you should:
- Read other blogs, or watch YouTube videos on the same topic. You will benefit much more by discovering your own solutions.
- Ask the ‘Excel Ninja’ in your office. It’s amazing what things other people know.
- Ask a question in a forum like Mr Excel, or the Microsoft Answers Community. Remember, the people on these forums are generally giving their time for free. So take care to craft your question, make sure it’s clear and concise. List all the things you’ve tried, and provide screenshots, code segments and example workbooks.
- Use Excel Rescue, who are my consultancy partner. They help by providing solutions to smaller Excel problems.
What next?
Don’t go yet, there is plenty more to learn on Excel Off The Grid. Check out the latest posts:
Using Excel VBA to create Microsoft Word documents
In these examples, we generate Microsoft Word Documents with various formatting features using
the Microsoft Excel VBA scripting language. These techniques can have many useful applications.
For instance if you have a list of data like a price or product list in Excel that you want to present
in a formatted Word Document, these techniques can prove useful.
In these examples, we assume the reader has at least basic knowledge of VBA, so we will not
go over basics of creating and running scripts. This code has been tested on Microsoft Word and Excel
2007. Some changes may be required for other versions of Word and Excel.
Writing to Word
Inserting a Table of Contents
Inserting Tabs
Inserting Tables
Inserting Bullet List
more on Inserting Tables
Multiple Features
Function that demonstrates VBA writing to a Microsoft Word document
The following code illustrates the use of VBA Word.Application object and related properties.
In this example, we create a new Word Document add some text.
'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. 'Early Binding Dim wdApp As Word.Application Set wdApp = New Word.Application 'Alternatively, we can use Late Binding 'Dim wdApp As Object 'Set wdApp = CreateObject("word.Application") With wdApp .Visible = True .Activate .Documents.Add With .Selection .ParagraphFormat.Alignment = wdAlignParagraphCenter .Font.Bold = True .Font.Name = "arial" .Font.Size = 14 .TypeText ("My Heading") .TypeParagraph End With End With
Some VBA Vocabulary
ParagraphFormat
Represents all the formatting for a paragraph.
output in MS Word:
Inserting a Table of Contents into Word Document using Excel VBA
In this example, we generate a Table of Contents into a Word Document using Excel VBA
Sub sAddTableOfContents() Dim wdApp As Word.Application Set wdApp = New Word.Application 'Alternatively, we can use Late Binding 'Dim wdApp As Object 'Set wdApp = CreateObject("word.Application") Dim wdDoc As Word.Document Set wdDoc = wdApp.Documents.Add ' Note we define a Word.range, as the default range wouled be an Excel range! Dim myWordRange As Word.range Dim Counter As Integer wdApp.Visible = True wdApp.Activate 'Insert Some Headers With wdApp For Counter = 1 To 5 .Selection.TypeParagraph .Selection.Style = "Heading 1" .Selection.TypeText "A Heading Level 1" .Selection.TypeParagraph .Selection.TypeText "Some details" Next End With ' We want to put table of contents at the top of the page Set myWordRange = wdApp.ActiveDocument.range(0, 0) wdApp.ActiveDocument.TablesOfContents.Add _ range:=myWordRange, _ UseFields:=False, _ UseHeadingStyles:=True, _ LowerHeadingLevel:=3, _ UpperHeadingLevel:=1 End Sub
Some VBA Vocabulary
ActiveDocument.TablesOfContents.Add
The TablesOfContents property to return the TablesOfContents collection.
Use the Add method to add a table of contents to a document.
Some TablesOfContents Parameters
Range
The range where you want the table of contents to appear. The table of contents replaces the range, if the range isn’t collapsed.
UseHeadingStyles
True to use built-in heading styles to create the table of contents. The default value is True.
UpperHeadingLevel
The starting heading level for the table of contents. Corresponds to the starting value used with the o switch for a Table of Contents (TOC) field. The default value is 1.
LowerHeadingLevel
The ending heading level for the table of contents. Corresponds to the ending value used with the o switch for a Table of Contents (TOC) field. The default value is 9.
output Word Table in MS Word:
Write Microsoft Word Tabs
A function that writes tabbed content to a Microsoft Word Document. Note in each iteration, we change the
value of the leader character (characters that are inserted in the otherwise blank area created by the tab).
Public Sub sWriteMicrosoftTabs() 'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. 'Early Binding Dim wdApp As Word.Application Set wdApp = New Word.Application 'Alternatively, we can use Late Binding 'Dim wdApp As Object 'Set wdApp = CreateObject("word.Application") With wdApp .Visible = True .Activate .Documents.Add For Counter = 1 To 3 .Selection.TypeText Text:=Counter & " - Tab 1 " ' position to 2.5 inches .Selection.Paragraphs.TabStops.Add Position:=Application.InchesToPoints(2.5), _ Leader:=Counter, Alignment:=wdAlignTabLeft .Selection.TypeText Text:=vbTab & " - Tab 2 " ' position to 5 inches .Selection.Paragraphs.TabStops.Add Position:=Application.InchesToPoints(5), _ Leader:=Counter, Alignment:=wdAlignTabLeft .Selection.TypeText Text:=vbTab & " - Tab 3 " .Selection.TypeParagraph Next Counter End With End Sub
Some VBA Vocabulary
.TabStops.Add
Use the TabStops property to return the TabStops collection. In the example above,
nprogram adds a tab stop positioned at 0, 2.5 and 5 inches.
output in MS Word:
Write Microsoft Word Tables
In this example, we generate a Microsoft Table using Excel VBA
Sub sWriteMSWordTable () 'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. 'Early Binding Dim wdApp As Word.Application Set wdApp = New Word.Application 'Alternatively, we can use Late Binding 'Dim wdApp As Object 'Set wdApp = CreateObject("word.Application") With wdApp .Visible = True .Activate .Documents.Add With .Selection .Tables.Add _ Range:=wdApp.Selection.Range, _ NumRows:=1, NumColumns:=3, _ DefaultTableBehavior:=wdWord9TableBehavior, _ AutoFitBehavior:=wdAutoFitContent For counter = 1 To 12 .TypeText Text:="Cell " & counter If counter <> 12 Then .MoveRight Unit:=wdCell End If Next End With End With End Sub
Some VBA vocabulary
Table.Add
Table object that represents a new, blank table added to a document.
Table.Add properties
Range
The range where you want the table to appear. The table replaces the range, if the range isn’t collapsed.
NumRows
The number of rows you want to include in the table.
NumColumns
The number of columns you want to include in the table.
DefaultTableBehavior
Sets a value that specifies whether Microsoft Word automatically resizes cells in tables to fit the cells� contents (AutoFit). Can be either of the following constants: wdWord8TableBehavior (AutoFit disabled) or wdWord9TableBehavior (AutoFit enabled). The default constant is wdWord8TableBehavior.
AutoFitBehavior
Sets the AutoFit rules for how Word sizes tables. Can be one of the WdAutoFitBehavior constants.
output in MS Word:
Write Microsoft Word bullet list
In this example, we write with bullet list and outline numbers with Excel VBA
'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. 'Early Binding Dim wdApp As Word.Application Set wdApp = New Word.Application 'Alternatively, we can use Late Binding 'Dim wdApp As Object 'Set wdApp = CreateObject("word.Application") With wdApp .Visible = True .Activate .Documents.Add ' turn on bullets .ListGalleries(wdBulletGallery).ListTemplates(1).Name = "" .Selection.Range.ListFormat.ApplyListTemplate ListTemplate:=.ListGalleries(wdBulletGallery).ListTemplates(1), _ continuepreviouslist:=False, applyto:=wdListApplyToWholeList, defaultlistbehavior:=wdWord9ListBehavior With .Selection .ParagraphFormat.Alignment = wdAlignParagraphLeft .Font.Bold = False .Font.Name = "Century Gothic" .Font.Size = 12 .TypeText ("some details") .TypeParagraph .TypeText ("some details") .TypeParagraph End With ' turn off bullets .Selection.Range.ListFormat.RemoveNumbers wdBulletGallery With .Selection .ParagraphFormat.Alignment = wdAlignParagraphLeft .TypeText ("some details") .TypeParagraph .TypeText ("some details") .TypeParagraph End With ' turn on outline numbers .ListGalleries(wdOutlineNumberGallery).ListTemplates(1).Name = "" .Selection.Range.ListFormat.ApplyListTemplate ListTemplate:=.ListGalleries(wdOutlineNumberGallery).ListTemplates(1), _ continuepreviouslist:=False, applyto:=wdListApplyToWholeList, defaultlistbehavior:=wdWord9ListBehavior With .Selection .ParagraphFormat.Alignment = wdAlignParagraphLeft .TypeText ("some details") .TypeParagraph .TypeText ("some details") End With End With
output in MS Word:
Another example of Writing Tables to Microsoft Word
In this example we will create a word document with 20 paragraphs. Each paragraph will have a header with a header style element
'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. Dim wdApp As Word.Application Dim wdDoc As Word.Document Set wdApp = New Word.Application wdApp.Visible = True Dim x As Integer Dim y As Integer wdApp.Visible = True wdApp.Activate wdApp.Documents.Add wdApp.ActiveDocument.Tables.Add Range:=wdApp.Selection.Range, NumRows:=2, NumColumns:= _ 2, DefaultTableBehavior:=wdWord9TableBehavior, AutoFitBehavior:= _ wdAutoFitFixed With wdApp.Selection.Tables(1) If .Style <> "Table Grid" Then .Style = "Table Grid" End If .ApplyStyleHeadingRows = True .ApplyStyleLastRow = False .ApplyStyleFirstColumn = True .ApplyStyleLastColumn = False .ApplyStyleRowBands = True .ApplyStyleColumnBands = False End With With wdApp.Selection For x = 1 To 2 ' set style name .Style = "Heading 1" .TypeText "Subject" & x .TypeParagraph .Style = "No Spacing" For y = 1 To 20 .TypeText "paragraph text " Next y .TypeParagraph Next x ' new paragraph .TypeParagraph ' toggle bold on .Font.Bold = wdToggle .TypeText Text:="show some text in bold" .TypeParagraph 'toggle bold off .Font.Bold = wdToggle .TypeText "show some text in regular front weight" .TypeParagraph End With
Some VBA vocabulary
TypeText
Inserts specified text at the beginning of the current selection. The selection is turned into an insertion point at the end of the inserted text.
If Options.ReplaceSelection = True then the original selection will be replaced. This behaves exactly the same as typing some text at the keyboard.
TypeParagraph
Insert a new blank paragraph. The selection is turned into an insertion point after the inserted paragraph mark. If Options.ReplaceSelection = True then the original selection will be replaced. This behaves exactly the same as pressing the Enter key.
output in MS Word:
Generating a Word table with VBA
'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word XX.X Object Library" before running. Dim wdApp As Word.Application Dim wdDoc As Word.Document Dim r As Integer Set wdApp = CreateObject("Word.Application") wdApp.Visible = True Set wdDoc = wdApp.Documents.Add wdApp.Activate Dim wdTbl As Word.Table Set wdTbl = wdDoc.Tables.Add(Range:=wdDoc.Range, NumRows:=5, NumColumns:=1) With wdTbl .Borders(wdBorderTop).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle .Borders(wdBorderLeft).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle .Borders(wdBorderBottom).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle .Borders(wdBorderRight).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle .Borders(wdBorderHorizontal).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle .Borders(wdBorderVertical).LineStyle = wdLineStyleSingle For r = 1 To 5 .Cell(r, 1).Range.Text = ActiveSheet.Cells(r, 1).Value Next r End With
output in MS Word:
Option Explicit Dim wdApp As Word.Application Sub extractToWord() 'In Tools > References, add reference to "Microsoft Word 12 Object Library" before running. Dim lastCell Dim rng As Range Dim row As Range Dim cell As Range Dim arrayOfColumns arrayOfColumns = Array("", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "") Dim thisRow As Range Dim thisCell As Range Dim myStyle As String ' get last cell in column B lastCell = getLastCell() Set rng = Range("B2:H" & lastCell) 'iterate through rows For Each thisRow In rng.Rows 'iterate through cells in row row For Each thisCell In thisRow.Cells If thisCell.Value = arrayOfColumns(thisCell.Column) Or thisCell.Value = "" Then ' do nothing ''frWriteLine thisCell.Value, "Normal" ''frWriteLine arrayOfColumns(thisCell.Column), "Normal" If thisCell.Value = arrayOfColumns(thisCell.Column) Or thisCell.Value = "" Then End If Else myStyle = "Normal" Select Case thisCell.Column Case 2 myStyle = "Heading 1" Case 3 myStyle = "Heading 2" Case 4 myStyle = "Heading 3" Case Is > 5 myStyle = "Normal" End Select frWriteLine thisCell.Value, myStyle End If arrayOfColumns(thisCell.Column) = thisCell.Value Next thisCell Next thisRow End Sub Public Function getLastCell() As Integer Dim lastRowNumber As Long Dim lastRowString As String Dim lastRowAddress As String With ActiveSheet getLastCell = .Cells(.Rows.Count, 2).End(xlUp).row End With End Function Public Function frWriteLine(someData As Variant, myStyle As String) If wdApp Is Nothing Then Set wdApp = New Word.Application With wdApp .Visible = True .Activate .Documents.Add End With End If With wdApp With .Selection .ParagraphFormat.Alignment = wdAlignParagraphCenter .Style = myStyle .TypeText (someData) .TypeParagraph End With End With End Function
output in MS Word:
In this article I will explain how you can write data from an excel workbook to a word document. The first step in doing this is to determine where the code is going to be written. There are 3 options:
- In the excel workbook
- In the word document
- In a 3rd file
I will only consider the first two cases in this article.
–
Example 1, Excel VBA:
Lets assume we have an excel workbook with the following data:
Lets assume we are going to write the code in the excel workbook.
Step 1:
The first step would be to automate a word document. In the article below I’ve explained there are 2 methods for this.
- Early binding
- Late binding
To prevent compatibility issues I will be using late binding in this example:
- VBA, Automating Word From Excel
The function below will automate a word document and make it visible:
Sub main()
Dim objWord As Object
Dim objDoc As Object
Set objWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
objWord.Visible = True
Set objDoc = objWord.documents.Add()
End Sub
Step 2:
The code below will write data from the excel sheet to the word document:
Dim i As Integer
Dim strValue As String
For i = 1 To 5
'bring focus to the document created
objDoc.Activate
'read the value from the cell
strValue = Cells(i + 1, 1)
'write the value to the document
objWord.Selection.TypeText Text:=strValue
'move to the next line
objWord.Selection.TypeParagraph
Next i
Complete Version:
Below you can see the complete code. It automates a word document and writes the values from the cells B2:B6 to it:
Option Explicit
Sub main()
Dim objWord As Object
Dim objDoc As Object
Set objWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")
objWord.Visible = True
Set objDoc = objWord.documents.Add
Dim i As Integer
Dim strValue As String
For i = 1 To 5
'bring focus to the document created
objDoc.Activate
'read the value from the cell
strValue = Cells(i + 1, 1)
'write the value to the document
objWord.Selection.TypeText Text:=strValue
'move to the next line
objWord.Selection.TypeParagraph
Next i
End Sub
Result:
–
Example 2, Word VBA:
In this example the code will be written inside a word document. Therefore the excel workbook will be automated.
Step 1:
The first step would be to get the path of the excel workbook from the user. This can be done using an open file dialog. I have covered this topic in the article below:
- Excel VBA, Open File Dialog
Although the article was written for excel, the concept can be used in VBA for Word too. The code below will display an open file dialog and ask the user to select the path of the file to open. The path will be stored in the variable strPath:
Sub Example2()
Dim intChoice As Integer
Dim strPath As String
'only allow the user to select one file
Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).AllowMultiSelect = False
'make the file dialog visible to the user
intChoice = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).Show
'determine what choice the user made
If intChoice <> 0 Then
'get the file path selected by the user
strPath = Application.FileDialog( _
msoFileDialogOpen).SelectedItems(1)
End If
End Sub
Result:
Step 2:
The function below receives as input a file path and automates that excel workbook:
Private Sub AutomateExcel(ByVal strPath As String)
Dim objExcel As Object
Dim objWorkbook As Object
Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
objExcel.Visible = True
Set objWorkbook = objExcel.workbooks.Open(strPath)
End Sub
Step 3:
The function below receives as input an reference to the excel workbook. It clears all the data in the current word document and it reads the values from the workbook:
Private Sub ReadData(ByRef objWorkbook As Object)
Dim i As Integer
Selection.WholeStory
Selection.Delete Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
For i = 1 To 5
Selection.TypeText Text:= _
objWorkbook.sheets(1).Cells(i + 1, 1)
'move to the next line
Selection.TypeParagraph
Next i
End Sub
Complete Version:
By putting it all together we end up with the code below:
Option Explicit
Sub Example2()
Dim intChoice As Integer
Dim strPath As String
'only allow the user to select one file
Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).AllowMultiSelect = False
'make the file dialog visible to the user
intChoice = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).Show
'determine what choice the user made
If intChoice <> 0 Then
'get the file path selected by the user
strPath = Application.FileDialog( _
msoFileDialogOpen).SelectedItems(1)
Call AutomateExcel(strPath)
End If
End Sub
Private Sub AutomateExcel(ByVal strPath As String)
Dim objExcel As Object
Dim objWorkbook As Object
Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
objExcel.Visible = True
Set objWorkbook = objExcel.workbooks.Open(strPath)
Call ReadData(objWorkbook)
End Sub
Private Sub ReadData(ByRef objWorkbook As Object)
Dim i As Integer
Selection.WholeStory
Selection.Delete Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
For i = 1 To 5
Selection.TypeText Text:= _
objWorkbook.sheets(1).Cells(i + 1, 1)
'move to the next line
Selection.TypeParagraph
Next i
End Sub
Result:
You can download the file and code related to this article from the links below:
- Excel to Word.docm
- Excel to Word.xlsm
See also:
- Word VBA, Open Document
- Word Automation VBA, Common Errors
- Word VBA, Apply Macro to Multiple Files
- Word VBA, Modify Header For Multiple Files
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To copy data from Excel to a Word file using VBA we need to access the word application using Excel VBA. In this tutorial we will learn how to open a word application, add a document and copy-paste data from excel to it.
In this article, we will use the Early Binding method to create an object of word application instead of using the late binding. You can read about it here in detail.
The Process Of Copying Excel Data To A Word File Using Excel VBA
To copy data from excel to a word file using VBA, we first need to open the Word Application of course. Then add a document to it (if you want a new document). Copy data from excel file. Select the paragraph on the doc and paste on it.Finally save and close the document. Each of these steps can be done easily from Excel. You will not need to interact with the Word Document.
Let’s get started with an example without getting any further into theory. Because Iron Man said, «Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk».
Example : Paste Excel Data To Word Using VBA
The below code is an example of how you can copy some range of excel and paste it into a new word document and save it on the drive to use later
'VBA Code To Write to Copy data from Excel to A Document Sub ExcelToWord() 'Using Early Binding Dim wordApp As Word.Application Dim mydoc As Word.Document 'Creating a new instance of word only if there no other instances Set wordApp = New Word.Application 'Making word App Visible wordApp.Visible = True 'Creating a new document Set mydoc = wordApp.Documents.Add() 'copying the content from excel sheet ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("sheet1").Range("A1:g20").Copy 'Pasting on the document mydoc.Paragraphs(1).Range.PasteExcelTable _ LinkedToExcel:=False, _ WordFormatting:=False, RTF:=False 'saving the document mydoc.SaveAs2 "MyDoc" 'closing the document mydoc.Close 'Emptying the Clipboard CutCopyMode = False End Sub
Explanation of the Code:
Well I have explained each step in the code itself using comments but let’s have some word about the lines we have used in this sub.
‘Created variables of word application and document type
Dim wordApp As Word.Application
Dim mydoc As Word.Document
Here we have declared two variables of the required types. We can do this because we have already added the reference to the word application. You can do this by going to tools in menu. Find references option and then look for the word reference.
‘Creating a new instance of word only if there no other instances
Set wordApp = New Word.Application
‘Making word App Visible
wordApp.Visible = True
‘Creating a new document
Set mydoc = wordApp.Documents.Add()
In the first line above, we are intentiating the wordApp variable with an object of type Word.App using the New keyword. This will open the Word Application.
In the second line we are making the word application visible so that we can work with it.
In the next line, we add a new document to the word application using Word.Documents.Add() function. This is stored in the mydoc variable.
‘copying the content from excel sheet
ThisWorkbook.Worksheets(«sheet1»).Range(«A1:G20»).Copy
Here we are simply copying a range from excel. You must have done it before. It is stored on the clipboard.
‘Pasting on the document
mydoc.Paragraphs(1).Range.PasteExcelTable _
LinkedToExcel:=False, _
WordFormatting:=False,
RTF:=False
We are using the PasteExcelTable method of Paragraph.Range class of mydoc to paste data from clipboard.
‘saving the document
mydoc.SaveAs2 «MyDoc»
‘closing the document
mydoc.Close
‘Emptying the Clipboard
CutCopyMode = False
We are saving the document with the name MyDoc. Then we close the document using the Close function. Finally we release the clipboard to be used by others.
So yeah guys, this is how you can create a new Word document and copy Excel data to it using VBA. I have not gone into details as it would make the article exhaustingly long. This was only to learn how you can paste to a word document through Excel. I hope it helped you understand the process. If you have any questions regarding this article, you can contact me through the comments section below.
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