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: Creating Worksheets with a Macro.

Creating Worksheets with a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 24, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


2

Excel lets you create new worksheets in a number of different ways. What if you want to create a new worksheet and name it all in one step? The easiest way to do this is with a macro. The following is an example of a macro that will ask for a name, and then create a worksheet and give that worksheet the name provided.

Sub AddNameNewSheet1()
    Dim Newname As String
    Newname = InputBox("Name for new worksheet?")
    If Newname <> "" Then
        Sheets.Add Type:=xlWorksheet
        ActiveSheet.Name = Newname
    End If
End Sub

This macro works fine, as long as the user enters a worksheet name that is "legal" by Excel standards. If the new name is not acceptable to Excel, the worksheet is still added, but it is not renamed as expected.

A more robust macro would anticipate possible errors in naming a worksheet. The following example code will add the worksheet, but keep asking for a worksheet name if an incorrect one is supplied.

Sub AddNameNewSheet2()
    Dim CurrentSheetName As String

'Remember where we started
'Not needed if you don't want to return
'to where you started but want to stay
'on the New Sheet

    CurrentSheetName = ActiveSheet.Name

'Add New Sheet
    Sheets.Add

'Make sure the name is valid
    On Error Resume Next

'Get the new name
     ActiveSheet.Name = InputBox("Name for new worksheet?")

'Keep asking for name if name is invalid
    Do Until Err.Number = 0
        Err.Clear
        ActiveSheet.Name = InputBox("Try Again!" _
          & vbCrLf & "Invalid Name or Name Already Exists" _
          & vbCrLf & "Please name the New Sheet")
    Loop
    On Error GoTo 0

'Go back to where you started
'Not needed if you don't want to return
'to where you started but want to stay
'on the New Sheet
    Sheets(CurrentSheetName).Select

End Sub

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2022) 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: Creating Worksheets with a Macro.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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Comments

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What is 3 + 2?

2018-02-11 09:08:12

Victoria

I would like to seek assistance on my project to use macro in a report. however, I just start recording and cannot make the thing I want as an output.

would you mind helping me on this?

appreciate your utmost assistance.

thank you


2017-10-08 14:49:31

Barry

I would always recommend allowing the User to Cancel out, and this case deleting the worksheet added.


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