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: Appending to a Non-Excel Text File.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 10, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
When using a macro to write information to a text file, you may want to add information to an existing file, rather than creating a new text file from scratch. To do this, all you need to do is open the file for Append rather than Output. The following code shows this process:
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:
Open "MyFile.Dat" For Append As #1
For J = 1 to NewValues
Print #1, UserVals(OrigVals + J)
Next J
Close #1
When the file is opened for Append mode, any new information is added to the end of the file, without disturbing the existing contents.
Understand that the information in this tip shows how to add data to a text file; it doesn't indicate where that data should come from. In other words, if you want the data to come from information stored in variables in your macro, you'll need to determine which variable contents to write to the file. (The example code actually uses variables—the UserVals array—for writing information to the text file.) If, however, you want the information to be pulled from a worksheet, then you'll need to create the code that grabs the information from the desired cells and, in turn, writes it out to the text file. (This tip is not about grabbing the data, but about writing it to the file.)
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2536) 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: Appending to a Non-Excel Text File.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
If you have links in your workbook to data in other workbooks, you may want to control whether Excel updates those links ...
Discover MoreExcel provides different file formats you can use to export your worksheet information. One such file format is CSV, or ...
Discover MoreIf you have a full path designation for the location of a file on your hard drive, you may want a way for Excel to pull ...
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