Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 13, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Andrew needs, in his macro, to display a dialog box that allows a user to switch windows. When someone clicks the Window menu (in Excel), the available workbooks are listed at the bottom of the menu. Those are what Andrew needs to show up in the dialog box. He wonders if there is a built-in dialog box to do this, or if he needs to create his own.
The short answer is that there is no built-in dialog box to accomplish this task. You can, however, easily create your own. Here is a simple example:
Sub SwitchWindows()
Dim i As Integer
Dim n As Integer
Dim s As String
Dim v As Variant
n = Windows.Count
s = "Choose Window from:"
For i = 1 To n
s = s & Chr(10) & i & ") " & Windows(i).Caption
Next
s = s & Chr(10) & "Enter a number from 1 to " & n
v = Application.InputBox(prompt:=s, Type:=2)
i = Val(v)
If i >= 1 And i <= n Then
Windows(i).Activate
End If
End Sub
All this does is create a list of the names for each window in your system. It presents them in an InputBox, and then switches to whatever window the user selected.
If you are seeking different ways to present the same information, you can refer to this tip.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11910) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!
Sometimes a macro command line can get very, very long. This can make it hard to understand when you look at it a month ...
Discover MoreIf your macro processes information on a number of worksheets, chances are good that you need your macro to figure out ...
Discover MorePart of the power of VBA is being able to control when some of your code executes and when it doesn't. A primary way to ...
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 © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments