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: Macro Fails after Filter.

Macro Fails after AutoFilter

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 13, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

In testing new macros that you develop, you may find that the macro fails when it is run and the information in a worksheet is filtered using the AutoFilter. This can happen because the macro may expect that all the information in the worksheet is available, or it may try to update information that is not visible on the screen.

The best solution to this problem is to make sure that the macro turns off the AutoFilter feature. This can be easily done by adding the following line of code near the beginning of the macro:

ActiveWorksheet.AutoFilterMode = False

This ensures that AutoFilter is off and removes the problems that AutoFiltered data may present for your macro.

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 (3314) 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: Macro Fails after Filter.

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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