Beginners often tend to face difficulties while using advanced features of Excel. An expert can handle tasks involving advanced features smoothly. Although running macros is not so tricky, you can use multiple ways to approach this task conveniently.
The real problem comes when you don’t know anything about how to run macros in Excel and for this, we have come up with a few easy-to-use tricks that can help you in this function processing. When you get to know the main idea behind how you can run macros, your approach to using the Excel workbook would instantly change. Here we have some clear-cut options to run macros such as the Macros List, Button controls, and some other ways like VB Editor.
What are Excel Macros?
Basically, a macro is a set of actions that you can execute repeatedly. Excel macros are helpful when you need to repeat some tasks automatically because they can save time and effort. For instance, open an Excel workbook.
In this image, you can see the potential customers who need to sell their products. Did you notice something in Columns C to H?
In columns C to H the data is placed randomly and dragged from columns A and B. to make the sheet look presentable, you can hide columns A, B, and other columns as well.
How to Run Macros in Excel from Ribbon
If you know how to run macros in Excel, you can easily perform VBA. Macros can be run from the Developer tab and if you have never worked with VBA code before, you need to follow the steps given below:
- First, you have to turn on the Developer tab.
- Choose Macros from the Developer tab given in the Code group. Or else you can press ALT + F8 shortcut key.
- Choose the macro you need from the dialog box that appears and click the Run button.
- For any reason, if you don’t see a Developer tab on the Excel ribbon, press ALT + F8 and the Macro dialog box will open up.
How to Run a Macro from the Macro List
Using the View tab, you can approach the list of macros. Follow the steps given below to see the list:
- Select the View tab and click the button labeled Macros. It will open up the Macro list.
- Choose the macro you need to run and click the Run button
- Press ALT + F8 key to see the Macro List.
How to Run Macros in Excel with Custom Keyboard Shortcut
When you need to run a particular macro, you can have a shortcut key. During a new macro recording, you can insert a shortcut. For this, follow these steps:
- Click on Macros given in the Developer tab.
- Choose Options from the Macro dialog box.
- You will see the Macro Options dialog box. Now, enter any letter in uppercase or lowercase in the shortcut key field and then click OK.
- Press CTRL + letter for lowercase letters.
- Press CTRL + SHIFT + letter for uppercase letters.
- Now, close the Macro dialog box.
Uppercase is always preferable because it does not let the default Excel shortcut dominate. For instance, suppose you have assigned CTRL + f to a macro, you will not be able to use the Find and Replace dialog. Press the key combo to run the macro.
How to Run VBA from Shape, Icon, or Image
Control Buttons are not useful as they should be because they are not updated. With a few customized options, these buttons are not just the only source to run macros. Other than Control buttons, you can even use many options such as shape, image, or icon in place of buttons to run macros.
Below are some useful steps for you to follow to assign a macro:
- Right-click on the given object.
- Choose the Assign Macro option given in the menu.
- Now, choose the Macro option from the Assign Macro section.
- Press OK.
Now, you will notice the macro code is executed when you click on the image, shape, or icon.
Final Thoughts
Each method given above is useful that’s why you can choose any of them. You are now familiar with how to run macros in Excel by using the tricks mentioned above. Continue your research in Excel and keep trying new functions.
