Excel Macros for Newbies

Excel Macros for Newbies

Insight from Cody Baldwin

Every month we get a financial report in Excel, right? And we diligently (of course) organize, edit, delete columns, and reorganize the cells to get it ready for export.

I don’t know about you, but after the second time of doing this, I know exactly what I want it to look like.

I do not, however, want to spend the 10-20 minutes reformatting that sh*t every time. We automate ‘round these parts.

That’s why we’re going to create a ✨ macro ✨.

A macro is a piece of code that executes any series of steps within Excel. The easiest way to create a macro is to simply have Excel record the actions as you take them.

If you’re an Excel junkie (aka my people), you may already know how to do this. If you’re not, do not worry. We’re going to walk through the process in four steps:

1. Create a Developer tab. Go to Excel → Preferences → Ribbon & Toolbar. Check the box in the righthand list that says “Developer” and then “Save.” You’ll now see the Developer tab on the top navigation bar of your spreadsheet.

2. Click “Record Macro.” You’ll need to add a name and description (e.g. monthly revenue report). You’ll now see the “Record” button has turned into “Stop Recording.” This is good. Excel is tracking all your mouse clicks. 

3. Make all of your edits and then press “Stop Recording.” Save the file as an “Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook” from the pull down menu.

4. To check that it worked, click on the “Macros” button in the top left and “Run.” This will show you all of the changes you’ve made.

You’ve now learned about the Macro feature in Excel, basically programming instructions for recurring reports. 

Go forth and save time!  

Learn more: Download an example Excel file here to try this out