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: Using Custom Add-Ins.

Using Custom Add-Ins

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 12, 2019)

2

After you have created your own add-in, you can use it in your system. Once the add-in has been loaded, the functions or features in the add-in become available to any other workbook you may have open, or any time you are using Excel. All you need to do to use your add-in is follow these steps:

  1. Choose Add-Ins from the Tools menu. This displays the Add-Ins dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    2. Figure 1. The Add-Ins dialog box.

  2. If your custom add-in is visible in the dialog box, click the check box beside it and skip to step 6.
  3. Click on the Browse button. Excel displays a standard file dialog box.
  4. Use the controls in the dialog box to locate and select your custom add-in.
  5. Click on OK. The add-in is loaded and made a part of Excel. (You can tell that the add-in is available because it is now listed in the Add-Ins dialog box.)
  6. Click on OK to close the Add-Ins dialog box.

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 (2277) 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: Using Custom Add-Ins.

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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What is five minus 3?

2015-11-04 10:37:57

Willy Vanhaelen

@Lucilla

You can't run an add-in. It loads automatically every time you run Excel. You can access it in the VB editor and insert macros in a module. However those macros are not visible in the Run macro dialog box but they can be assigned to a button in the QAT or you can assign a shortcut key to them via the OnKey method like this (insert it in the add-inn's 'ThisWorkbook' code sheet):

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Application.OnKey "^+a", "ShowAll" 'Shift+Ctrl+A
End Sub

You can also run an add-in's macro from a custom command in the ribbon. For more info on this, see my website at: http://wv-be.com/Ribbon.asp

2015-11-03 12:13:12

Lucilla

Hi,
Thanks a lot for your tips! I am quite new with Add-Ins but also quite good with Macros. I have a macro that, with some files as input produce me a power point with graphs and tables. Now, I would like to create an Add-In from this macro. I saved the file as .xlam and I have added the Add-In on my excel... now??? how can I run the add-in? I cannot find it anywhere! I see it in the list of add-ins from the "option" menu, but from the workbook I cannot call it. I am using excel 2007.

Thanks a lot for any support you can give to me!

Best regards
Lucilla

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