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: Specifying Location for a Message Box.

Specifying Location for a Message Box

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Leonard wonders if, when displaying a message box in a macro, there is a way to force the box to appear at a specific location on the screen.

There is no way to do this, as the MsgBox function doesn't include any way to specify a location. Instead, Excel displays the message box centered on the screen. If you need the capability to position the box, then the easiest solution is to rely upon the InputBox function:

sName = InputBox(Prompt:="Enter your name", XPos:=2880, YPos:=1440)

Note that you can specify both an X position and a Y position for the upper-left corner of the box. The values assigned to these parameters are measured from the top-left corner of the screen, and are specified in twips. (There are 1440 twips to an inch.)

An input box does, of course, expect the user to provide input, whereas a message box does not. If you don't want to potentially confuse your users by soliciting input when none is really needed, then you'll need to create a UserForm to simulate a message box.

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 (10028) 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: Specifying Location for a Message Box.

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

Using the IF Worksheet Function

Programmers know that a staple of any language is the ability to create conditional statements. Excel understands this, ...

Discover More

Changing Font Face and Size Conditionally

Conditional formatting does not allow you to change the typeface and font size used in a cell. You can write your own ...

Discover More

Finding the Widest Cell Contents

Need to know which cells in a column are the widest? There are a few ways you can approach the task, and three of those ...

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)

Recording a Macro

One of the most common ways of creating macros is to use Excel's macro recorder. This tip shows how easy it is to use the ...

Discover More

Offering Options in a Macro

It is often helpful to get user input within a macro. Here's a quick way to present some options and get the user's response.

Discover More

Macro Fails after AutoFilter

When developing a macro that others may use, you might want to test it out to make sure it works properly if an ...

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 6 - 0?

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.