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: Item Not Available in Library.

Item Not Available in Library

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 3, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Ravi has placed some VBA controls and code in a worksheet. When he shares the workbook with other users and they open it, the functions don't work and report an error "item not available in library." Ravi is wondering how he can get rid of this error.

The first thing to check is whether your macros are actually in the workbook you are sharing with others. Open it on your system, go to the VBA Editor and make sure that the macros are in the project associated with the workbook being shared. If not, you will want to move the macros to the workbook.

A more likely cause of this problem, however, is that your macros are referencing a function or feature that is in a module that you have access to but that the other people do not. An easy way to check this out is to go to their system (if possible) and open the workbook. Then go to the VBA Editor and choose Tools | References. Go through the list of available modules and see if there are any that are prefaced with the word "missing." These are modules that are required for your macros but are missing on the current system.

If you find missing modules, or perhaps modules that the user needs to reference in VBA in order to use your macros, then it might be best to rewrite your macros so that they don't use those modules. This may be easier said than done, but it may (again) be the easiest, cleanest way to let others use your macros.

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 (3313) 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: Item Not Available in Library.

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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