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: Identifying the Last Cell Changed in a Worksheet.

Identifying the Last Cell Changed in a Worksheet

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 4, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


John wonders if there is a way in VBA to identify the last cell that was changed by a user. He doesn't want to know if the cell was changed by a macro, but specifically by a user.

The answer is yes—sort of. You can use the Worksheet_Change event to write a handler that will record when any particular cell in a worksheet is changed. A macro that does this could be rather simple, such as this one:

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    Application.StatusBar = Target.Address
End Sub

The macro simply puts the address of the last change into the status bar. You could modify the macro so that it maintained the address in a global variable (declared outside of the event handler) in this manner:

Dim sAddr As String

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    sAddr = Target.Address(False, False)
End Sub

You then could use a regular macro to retrieve the address stored in the sAddr variable and do whatever you want with it.

As for making sure that the event handler doesn't record any changes done by macros, the only way to do this is to turn off event handling before executing any macro command that will modify the worksheet. For instance, the following EnableEvents property change could be used before and after a command that changes the contents of cell A1:

Application.EnableEvents = False
Range("A1") = "Hello"
Application.EnableEvents = True

With event handling turned off, the Worksheet_Change event handler won't be triggered and the "last changed" address won't be updated. The result is that you end up tracking only those changes done by users, not changes done by 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 (3819) 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: Identifying the Last Cell Changed in a Worksheet.

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

Unwanted Styles

Want to get rid of some styles in a document that you don't need any more? It can be a difficult thing to do, unless you ...

Discover More

Using Message Boxes

If your macro needs to communicate with a user, one simple way to do it is to use a message box. Here's how to use this ...

Discover More

Merging and Printing

When you merge information into a document, Word provides two different ways you can create your output. Here's an ...

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 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Renaming Worksheets

Some easy steps to rename the worksheets in your Excel workbook.

Discover More

Unbreakable Formula References to Worksheets

Excel allows you, in your formulas, to include references to cells on other worksheets. Those references include the name ...

Discover More

Forcing a Worksheet to be Protected Again

Excel allows you to protect your worksheets so they can only be changed as you want to have happen. If you unprotect a ...

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.

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 0 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.