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: Moving Macros from the Personal Workbook.

Moving Macros from the Personal Workbook

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 18, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

1

It is not uncommon to place frequently used macros in the Personal.xls workbook. By placing them there, you are able to have the macros available all the time while you are using Excel. At some point, however, you may want to move the macros to a different workbook. For instance, you may want to place them in a workbook so they are easily accessible by anyone else opening the workbook.

To move macros from the Personal.xls workbook to a different workbook, follow these general steps:

  1. Make sure the workbook that is the target of your macro transfer operation is loaded.
  2. Unhide the Personal.xls file by choosing Unhide from the Window menu.
  3. Press Alt+F11 to display the VBA editor.
  4. Using the Project window, display the macros that you want to move.
  5. Select (highlight) and cut (Ctrl+X) the macros from their original location in Personal.xls.
  6. Using the Project window, display the module in the workbook where you want the macros to be. (If there is not an existing module in the workbook, you may need to create one.)
  7. Paste (Ctrl+V) the macros in the module.
  8. Close the VBA editor.
  9. Hide the Personal.xls file by choosing Hide from the Window menu.
  10. Close and save the workbooks.

It should be noted that when you move the location of the macros, the address by which they are called and invoked is also changed. Thus, if you have any menu items or toolbar buttons that were used to run the macros, these will need to be changed to point to the new location.

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 (2575) 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: Moving Macros from the Personal Workbook.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Including Section Numbers in an Index

When you use Word to create your index, you'll normally only include a page number in the index. If you want to create an ...

Discover More

Making a Cell's Contents Bold within a Macro

When your macro is processing information in a worksheet, do you need to periodically make the contents of a cell bold? ...

Discover More

Controlling AutoComplete for Month Names

Word has a feature called AutoComplete which is helpful when typing some comment things, such as month names. This tip ...

Discover More

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 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

DOS From Macros

Need to run a DOS command from within one of your macros? The answer is the Shell command, described in this tip.

Discover More

Deleting a Macro

Don't need that old macro any more? Here's how to get rid of it so that it is no longer a part of your workbook.

Discover More

Generating Unique, Sequential Names

Do you need to create a number of words or phrases where you only alter a few letters in each one? If the alterations ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six more than 9?

2016-07-16 11:13:03

Mandora

A macro can also be copied out one's Personal Workbook.

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.