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: Pulling Cell Names into VBA.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 13, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you have used Excel for any length of time, you undoubtedly know that you can define names in your worksheets that refer to various cells and ranges of cells. You can even define names that refer to constants and to formulas. (The naming abilities of Excel are really quite handy.)
As you are developing macros, you may wonder if there is a way to retrieve a list of defined names within a worksheet. This is actually quite easy, if you remember that the defined names are maintained in the Names collection, which belongs to the Workbook object. With this in mind, you can use the following code to put together a variable array that consists of all the names in a workbook:
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:
Dim NamesList()
Dim NumNames As Integer
Dim x As Integer
NumNames = ActiveWorkbook.Names.Count
ReDim NamesList(1 To NumNames)
For x = 1 To NumNames
NamesList(x) = ActiveWorkbook.Names(x).Name
Next x
Once the range names are in the array, you can process them in any way you desire.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2283) 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: Pulling Cell Names into VBA.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
Do you need to find cells that are formatted with a particular color? How you accomplish this task depends on your ...
Discover MoreEver wonder what the macro-oriented equivalent of pressing Ctrl+End is? Here's the code and some caveats on using it.
Discover MoreYou can assign your macros to a series of custom toolbar buttons, but you may only want those buttons to be visible when ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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 © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments