Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sub ColorCell()
Range("A1").Interior.Color = vbRed
End Sub
This one line code would fill the cell A1 of the active sheet with red color.
One of the easiest ways to run a macro is to have a button in the worksheet and click that button to execute
the macro.
The benefit of this method is that it makes it really easy and intuitive for anyone to run the macro. Even if
you share the workbook with someone who has no knowledge of VBA, he/she can just click on the button
and see the actions take place (without even knowing what happens in the back end).
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 1 of 6
02 How to Run a Macro in Excel.docx Asim Amjad
• Click anywhere on the worksheet. It will insert the shape object in the worksheet.
• Resize/Format the shape the way you want. In the example above, I have changed the size, color, and
border. You can also insert any text in the shape by simply selecting it and typing the text.
• Right-click on the shape and select the Assign Macro option. This opens the Assign Macro dialogue
box.
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 2 of 6
02 How to Run a Macro in Excel.docx Asim Amjad
• In the Assign Macro dialogue box, select the macro you want to assign to the shape and click the OK
button.
That’s it! Now the shape would work as a button and whenever you click on it, it will run the assigned
macro.
While the shape is something you can format, a button has a standard format.
You can assign a macro to a button and then can run the macro by simply clicking that button.
• Go to the Developer tab –> Controls –> Insert –> Form Controls –> Button.
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 3 of 6
02 How to Run a Macro in Excel.docx Asim Amjad
o Developer tab is not visible on the ribbon by default and you may need to add it before using
it.
• Click anywhere on the worksheet. As soon as you do this, it will open the Assign Macro dialogue
box.
• Select the macro you want to assign to the button and click on OK. This would insert the button in
the worksheet.
The button inserted using this technique is a standard one and you can’t change the formatting of the button
(unlike shapes, where you can change practically everything).
However, you can change the text of the button. To do this, right-click on it and select Edit Text.
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 4 of 6
02 How to Run a Macro in Excel.docx Asim Amjad
Note: You can also assign a macro to other interactive controls, such as a checkbox or scrollbar.
If you have multiple macros in the workbook, you can see a list of all the macros in the Macros dialogue
box. It makes it easy to run multiple macros from a single place.
• The Macros dialogue box lists all the macros in the workbook. Select the one that you want to run.
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 5 of 6
02 How to Run a Macro in Excel.docx Asim Amjad
• Click Run.
If you are the one writing and testing macros, then instead of inserting buttons, you can directly run a macro
from the VB Editor.
• Select any line within the code in the code window. If you have multiple macros/subs, make sure
your cursor is in the macro that you want to run.
• Go to the toolbar and click on the Green triangle icon (you can also use the keyboard shortcut – F5).
If you only have the VB Editor open (and you can’t see the worksheet), you may not see the change
happening in the worksheet. You can minimize the VB Editor screen and then run the macro to see the
changes in real-time.
asim.iqtm@pu.edu.pk Page 6 of 6