A macro is one of the best functions you can have in Excel . In general, it is a kind of algorithm that is executed to perform one or more tasks without having to do it manually. It is a very useful way to save time on tasks you constantly do.
Imagine that every week you must make an account table in which the names of expenses and income should be marked in bold and green. This would mean that you should constantly perform these steps when creating the table. However, by creating such a function you can automate this task and every time you have to execute it, you will simply have to apply it without major problems. Depending on the complexity of these, it will be necessary to have knowledge of programming , but there are some that can be easily applied and are available to anyone.
For security, Excel automatically disables macros in all its versions , but after reading this guide there will be no problem with it. We will teach you step by step how to enable and activate them in each version of the software and even how to easily program them so you can start taking advantage of them in your simplest tasks.
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Steps to activate macros in Excel automatically in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016
To start using this utility, you must first do two things; Enable the developer / developer menu and macro security. Here we show you how:
The programmer menu will appear in the menu bar at the top of the screen along with the other menus available in Excel. In it you can start using this function and program them at pleasure.
- First you must open the “ Files ” section and look for the “ Options ” option.
- Then, select the option “ Customize options list ”where you can activate the“ Programmer ”or“ Developer ”box depending on the version of Excel you have.
- Finally you select “ Accept ” and voila, you can see the programmer menu without any problem.
Enable macro security
Once you have enabled the programmer / developer menu you can activate the option “ macro security ” this is very easy to do. Simply follow the steps below:
- Enter the menu “ Programmer / Developer “. In it you will see a series of options related to macros.
- Locate the option “ Macros Security ” which is accompanied by an exclamation point enclosed in a yellow triangle.
- A window will appear with four options in which we must choose one of them. The options are:
- Disable macros without notification
- Disable macros with notification
- Disable macros except digitally signed
- Enable all macros
- To work without limitations, it is best to select the last one , click on Accept and voila, you can start using macros with total freedom.
Steps to enable or disable macros in Excel in all versions
Enable and disable them, it is done through a process as simple as activating them. For this you have two options that we will show you how to apply next.
From a security message
When you open an Excel document that contains previously programmed macros, the program will show you a warning message , just like the browser does to warn you of the use of scripts. This message appears just below the toolbar at the top of the interface.
Depending on the version you have the message will be accompanied by one of two options: “ Enable content ” (Excel 2010 or higher) or “ Options ” (Excel 2017 or lower). In the first case you will simply have to select the alternative that you are raised, while in the second case a window will open where you will have to check the option “ Enable this content ” and then in “ Accept ”.
* However this will simply enable this function for this particular file , if you want all macros to be enabled by default you should use the next method.
From the Trust Center
The procedure to activate them through the trust center requires more steps, but does not mean that it is more difficult. In a few clicks you will have enabled them and you can use them in all the documents you open in the future. For this, what you should do is:
- Go to the files section and select “ Options ”.
- Choose the option “ Trust Center ” and then “ Trust Center Settings ”
- This will open a sale where you must go to the section “ Macros Security ” where four options will appear again:
- Disable macros without notification
- Disable macros with notification
- Disable macros except digitally signed
- Enable all macros
- Choose one of them and click on “ Accept ” and you’re done.
It should be noted that this “ Trust Center ” is the same that opens when you click on the “ Macro Security ” option in the developer / developer section , so you can streamline this process this way.
How can we create a macro effectively?
Now you have enabled everything you need to work with them but How can you create one of them? The answer depends basically on the knowledge you have and what type of these you want to create. In general, there are two ways to do it.
Create Macro from Visual Basic
The first option is to create it with the Visual Basic editor , which requires you to have advanced knowledge in programming. To do this you simply have to enter the “ Developer / Developer ” section in Excel and select “ Visual Basic “. Once there choose the document where you want to create the macro and start writing the codes of each of the actions that will make it up.
The steps to follow after this essentially depend on the type of macro you want to create . At this point you can program all kinds of actions that include formulas and other Excel tools.
Create with Macros Recorder
The second option is to use the recorder. This is the easiest way to do them because you simply have to manually perform the actions you want your function to contain. To do this you must follow the following steps:
- Go to the “ Developer / Developer ” section in the toolbar.
- Select the option “ Record Macro ” .
- A window will open in which you will have to give it a name, choose the abbreviated mode (Ctrl + “chosen key”), if you want it to be an exclusive macro for the document in which you create it or also in the new ones, and a brief description of it.
- Start performing all the actions you want your utility to remember and then perform them automatically.
- When finished select “ Stop recording ” and voila, your macro will be registered in this document and you can use it freely.
How to apply a macro correctly?
You know how to create them now it’s time for you to learn how to apply them. To do this you simply have to go to the “ Developer / Developer ” section and select the option “ Macros “. A window will open with all those available for that document, you just have to select the one you want and click on “ Execute ” to apply it and this will be all. Now you know perfectly how to enable, activate, create and apply a macro in your Excel documents.