How to Write Simple Macros in Excel

MS Excel macros can be created easily.

MS Excel is one of Microsoft's most popular applications. It is a spreadsheet tool that allows data analysts to organize large amounts of data with only a few key strokes. One of the most popular features of Excel is the macro. A macro allows users to automate a series of functions with one click. You can also create your own keyboard shortcut to be used with the macro. The challenge is writing your first one. Thankfully, Excel provides a wizard to help.

Instructions

1. Go to the worksheet you want to insert a macro on.

2. Click "Record New Macro" after clicking "Macro" on the Tools menu.

3. Name the macro with keyboard shortcut or assign it to a toolbar. You can also add a description of the macro for reference later. These are all optional commands that you can do in the dialogue box, the next step in the wizard. If you don't want to do any of these things, you can skip the step all together and click "OK" to start recording the macro. New macros are saved in the global template named Normal.dot by default and you can always assign a name or toolbar location after you've created the macro.

4. Start recording by clicking "OK" and create the macro by going through each step as you normally would while doing the task.

5. Click the "Stop Recording Button" when finished recording the macro. You can also press the "Pause Recording Button" if you need to pause the recording.

Tips & Warnings

• This applies to Microsoft Office System 2003 Editions

References

• MicrosoftSupport: Macros Demystified: What They Are And Why To Use Them

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish