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: Determining a Random Value.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 22, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
VBA provides a function to return a random value. You wouldn't necessarily use this function by itself, but as part of a larger macro that may require the use of random values. The syntax for the function is as follows:
x = Rnd()
where x is the result. The value returned will always be between 0 and 1. To translate this to some other random value, all you need to do is multiply the result by the highest number you want to consider. For instance, if you wanted a random number between 1 and 25, you could use the following code line:
x = Int(25 * Rnd()) + 1
Since Rnd always returns a value between 0 and 1 (but never 1 itself), multiplying what it returns by 25 and then using the Int function on that result will return a number between 0 and 24. Finally, 1 is added to this result, so that x will be equal to a number between 1 and 25, inclusive.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2340) 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: Determining a Random Value.
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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:
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