What is a macro in Excel?

Asked by: Kariane Muller  |  Last update: February 3, 2026
Score: 4.2/5 (16 votes)

If you have tasks in Microsoft Excel that you do repeatedly, you can record a macro to automate those tasks. A macro is an action or a set of actions that you can run as many times as you want. When you create a macro, you are recording your mouse clicks and keystrokes.

What is a macro in Excel example?

In the case of Excel, macros are scripts that automate a series of repetitive actions in an Excel spreadsheet. An Excel macro can handle any manual task - that is, any task - in Excel. For example copying and pasting data, formatting cells, performing calculations, filtering data, and much more.

What is the purpose of a macro?

In Word, you can automate frequently used tasks by creating and running macros. A macro is a series of commands and instructions that you group together as a single command to accomplish a task automatically. To save time on tasks you do often, bundle the steps into a macro.

Is Excel macros easy to learn?

As a rough estimate, with consistent effort, someone with basic Excel skills could learn the fundamentals of Excel macros in a few weeks to a few months. However, becoming proficient and handling more complex tasks will require ongoing practice and experience.

What is the purpose of macro-enabled Excel?

A macro is a series of commands used to automate a repeated task and can be run when you have to perform the task. However, some macros can pose a security risk by introducing viruses or malicious software to your computer.

How to Create Macros in Excel Tutorial

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Why would you use a macro in Excel?

If you have tasks in Microsoft Excel that you do repeatedly, you can record a macro to automate those tasks. A macro is an action or a set of actions that you can run as many times as you want. When you create a macro, you are recording your mouse clicks and keystrokes.

What are the risks of macros in Excel?

Malicious macros can do almost anything that other malware can do to your system, including emulating ransomware, stealing data, and emailing itself out to your contacts.

What is the easiest way to explain macros?

"Macros" is short for macronutrients, a term used to describe the nutrients your body needs in large amounts, specifically carbohydrates, fat and protein. "Macronutrients are basically what your body runs on," Albert says. "You want your diet to have a balance of carbs, fat and protein."

How long does it take to learn macros in Excel?

That equates to over 5 hrs of fun learning. If you want to, you can learn excel VBA in one week, by spending an hour each day. With some extra time for practicing. However, I would recommend doing it a bit slower, say 2-3 videos a day, with lots of coding practice.

What are the most useful macros in Excel?

The Top 20 Macros in Excel
  • Sub DeleteBlankCellsinRow1() Rows(“1:1”).Select. ...
  • Sub SortSingleColumn() Range(“A1:K250”).Sort Key1:=Range(“C1”), Order1:=xlDescending. ...
  • Sub SortMultipleColumns() ...
  • Sub ClearHyperlinks() ...
  • Sub CopyToNewWorkbook() ...
  • Sub UnhideAllSheets() ...
  • Sub FreezePanes() ...
  • Sub ProtectWorksheet()

What are the disadvantages of macros?

Macros can sometimes make code difficult to debug if the error occurs within the macro. Macros don't do type-checking and thus can sometimes produce unexpected results. Macros increase the code size after preprocessing. Macros can lead to unexpected results if not used cautiously.

Why do people use macros?

Macros enable you to add functionality to forms, reports, and controls without writing code in a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module. Macros provide a subset of the commands that are available in VBA, and most people find it easier to build a macro than to write VBA code.

What are the two real life situations where macro can be used?

Formatting: Macros can be used to format cells and ranges of cells, such as changing the font, color, or size of text, or applying cell borders and shading. Printing: Macros can be used to automate the printing process by specifying the range of cells to be printed, the number of copies, and the page layout.

How to write Excel macros?

How to create a macro in Excel
  1. Open the Developer tab. Click on the "Developer" tab at the top of the program to access the developer options. ...
  2. Choose to record a macro. ...
  3. Provide macro details. ...
  4. Perform your chosen actions. ...
  5. Complete your macro and stop recording. ...
  6. Use your shortcut.

What is vlookup in Excel?

VLOOKUP in Excel is a powerful function that searches for a value in the first column of a range (table or array) and returns a corresponding value in the same row from a specified column. The "V" in VLOOKUP stands for "Vertical," indicating that it searches vertically (downward) in a table.

How do accountants use macros?

Macros are instructions that are entered into Excel to manipulate data. Accountants can record their own macros, name them, and save them, then run them as many times as necessary to execute repetitive data manipulations that would otherwise have to be performed manually.

How hard is an Excel macro?

They may look a little daunting, but macros can be learned by anyone. The difficulty of learning to use macros in Microsoft Excel depends on your prior experience with programming and your familiarity with the Excel user interface.

Can I learn Excel in 3 days?

It takes most Excel users approximately 18-20 hours to fully learn this spreadsheet application. However, this number depends on several factors.

Is Excel macro a skill?

Creating macros or microinstructions is another important skill that some positions may require. Macros can help you automate simple tasks and increase working efficiency. They can help you execute repetitive tasks faster.

What is macros in Excel for beginners?

Macros refers to a set of programs or instructions enabled to automate a repetitive task. It includes recording, naming, saving, and executing in Visual Basic for Applications or VBA as per the requirement. The feature can be played as many times as required and is beneficial in saving time and effort.

Why is Microsoft blocking macros in Excel?

Therefore, to help improve security in Office, we're changing the default behavior of Office applications to block macros in files from the internet.

Why should macros be avoided?

Macros reduce code readability

These macros make the code, to say the least, unreadable for someone not used to this specific type of macro. In real projects where multiple people work together this will make teamwork extremely hard.

Is Excel macro still relevant?

Yes, people still use Excel VBA to run their business operations even in 2024.