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: Mouse Click Event in VBA.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 10, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Supriyo asked if there is a mouse event handler in VBA. He wants a value inserted in a cell when that cell is clicked on.
The standard way to do this is with the SelectionChange event. Every time the selection changes in the worksheet, the event is triggered. The event doesn't just trigger when a cell is clicked on, but also if someone presses a cursor control key that results in a different cell being selected.
As an example, let's say that you wanted cell B5 to contain the value 10 whenever that cell is selected. To implement that, you could use the following:
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:
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Not Intersect(Target, Range("B5")) Is Nothing Then _
Range("B5").Value = 10
End Sub
This code is added to one of the sheet objects in the Project Explorer area of the VB Editor. Double-click the worksheet you want the event handler to apply to, and then add the macro to the resulting code window.
When the SelectionChange event is triggered, the target (the cell range being selected) is passed to the handler. The macro then checks to see if the target range contains cell B5, and if it does, stuffs the value 10 into cell B5. If you want to make sure that the macro only stuffs information into B5 if only B5 (the single cell) is selected, you can use this version of the macro:
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Target.Address = Range("B5").Address Then _
Range("B5").Value = 10
End Sub
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3070) 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: Mouse Click Event in VBA.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Need to access the advanced capabilities of a printer from within an Excel macro? You may be out of luck, unless you ...
Discover MoreMacros are great at working with text. This tip presents an example that shows this versatility by reversing the contents ...
Discover MoreThe macro programming language used in Excel gives you a great many tools that allow you to modify the way that Excel ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2024-06-23 06:51:42
Mike Berry
Good tip thanks Allen.
I note that this Event only fires when a Different Range is Selected.
Do you know of any way to fire an Event even if the Same Cell is Clicked On Twice in a Row ie WITHOUT the Selection actually changing?
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