Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Opening an HTML Page in a Macro.
For some time now, Excel has been "Web aware," meaning that the program knows how to handle hyperlinks. You can add a hyperlink in a document, click on that link, and Excel opens your Web browser and displays the contents of that link in the browser. (You can also create a hyperlink to other Office documents, including Excel workbooks.) You can even create hyperlinks to different objects on your worksheet, such as a command button in a form.
What if you want to start the browser and open an HTML file from within a VBA macro, however? There are a couple of ways that you can do this. The first is to simply open a new Internet Explorer object within your code. A macro to do this would appear as follows:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: 
Sub DoBrowse1()
Dim ie As Object
Set ie = CreateObject("Internetexplorer.Application")
ie.Visible = True
ie.Navigate "c:\temp\MyHTMLfile.htm"
End Sub
This macro will open the file c:\temp\MyHTMLfile.htm in a new Internet Explorer window. If you want to instead open a Web page from over the Internet, you can do so simply by changing where you want to navigate. (Replace the file path with a URL.)
Another way to accomplish the same task is to rely on Excel to figure out what your default browser is and open the HTML resource. The following macro does the trick:
Sub DoBrowse2()
ActiveWorkbook.FollowHyperlink _
Address:="c:\temp\MyHTMLfile.htm", _
NewWindow:=True
End Sub
Again, the browser opens a new window and displays the specified file. You can change the Address parameter to any URL that you desire.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2003) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Opening an HTML Page in a Macro.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
Do you use special characters (such as the pound sign) in your worksheet names? If so, you could run into problems creating ...
Discover MoreCopying information from one place to another in a worksheet is easy. Copying hyperlinks may not seem that easy, but you can ...
Discover MoreDoes it bother you when you enter a URL and it becomes "active" as soon as you press Enter? Here's how you can turn off this ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-08-15 18:40:59
Gary
Hi Allen,
Thanks for the tip.
I wonder if you can add to this with some code as to what to do after you open the file, and save it as a pdf file?
Warm Regards
Gary
2016-04-12 03:56:54
aa
This is not working for me ms 2007. any solutions
2016-01-03 22:16:13
John Abdul
Exactly what i needed. Thank you !
2014-10-21 14:45:40
Tim
Excelent. Just what I needed to send an email from a custom button on a dialog box.
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments