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 August 9, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

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. ...

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