Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 9, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Ken knows how to create conditional formats in Excel. What he really wants to do, however, is have Excel make an audible sound (a beep or whatever) if the conditions are met.
There is no way to do this without resorting to using macros. If you just want to make a beep sound, you can use something like this:
Function BeepMe() As String Beep BeepMe = "" End Function
All this user-defined function does is to play a sound (which will vary depending on the system you are using) and then return an empty string. You can use the function in your worksheet in this manner:
=IF(A12>300,BeepMe(),"")
If you want to play some sound other than the default system beep, you'll need to use the Windows API PlaySound function. The following code creates a user-defined function that will play the default "tada" sound so prevalent in Windows.
Private Declare Function PlaySound Lib "winmm.dll" _ Alias "PlaySoundA" (ByVal lpszName As String, _ ByVal hModule As Long, ByVal dwFlags As Long) As Long Const SND_SYNC = &H0 Const SND_ASYNC = &H1 Const SND_FILENAME = &H20000 Function SoundMe() As String Call PlaySound("c:\windows\media\tada.wav", _ 0, SND_ASYNC Or SND_FILENAME) SoundMe = "" End Function
This function can be called the same as the previous example:
=IF(A12>300,SoundMe(),"")
If you want to play a different WAV file, simply change the file specification in the SoundMe function.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7658) 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: Conditionally Making a Sound.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
There are many times when you are creating a worksheet that you need to analyze dates within that worksheet. Once such ...
Discover MoreConditional formatting is a great feature in Excel. Here's how you can copy conditional formats from one cell to another ...
Discover MoreIf you need to shade alternating rows in a data table, you'll want to examine how you can accomplish the task with ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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