{"id":1997,"date":"2021-10-01T10:50:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T10:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exceldepartment.com\/?p=1997"},"modified":"2026-10-31T12:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T12:14:28","slug":"vba-for-beginners-your-first-macro-in-15-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exceldepartment.com\/en\/vba-for-beginners-your-first-macro-in-15-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"VBA for Beginners: Your First Macro in 15 Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You have heard that VBA can automate your Excel tasks and save hours every week. But from where you stand right now, it looks like an insurmountable wall of code and programming. I promise you: in 15 minutes you will have created and run your first working macro.<\/p>\n

I have taught VBA to hundreds of people over the years. Most of them are finance professionals, controllers and project managers \u2013 not programmers. They all share the same starting point: \u201cI have never programmed anything.\u201d And they all succeed in creating their first macro during the first lesson.<\/p>\n

This guide takes you through exactly the same process. No prior knowledge is needed. Just Excel and 15 minutes of your time.<\/p>\n

What you will create<\/h2>\n

In this tutorial we build a simple but useful macro that: 1. Formats header rows automatically (bold, coloured background) 2. Adjusts column widths so all text is visible 3. Adds today’s date to a cell<\/p>\n

It may sound simple, but this macro contains the fundamentals of all VBA work. The same principles apply whether you are building a small formatting macro or a complex reporting system.<\/p>\n

Preparation \u2013 Enable the Developer tab<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Before we can start coding we need to see the VBA tools in Excel.<\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/strong> Open Excel and a blank worksheet<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/strong> Click File in the menu<\/p>\n

Step 3:<\/strong> Select Options at the bottom of the menu<\/p>\n

Step 4:<\/strong> In the dialogue box that opens, click Customize Ribbon<\/p>\n

Step 5:<\/strong> In the right-hand column you will find a list of tabs. Tick the box next to \u201cDeveloper\u201d<\/p>\n

Step 6:<\/strong> Click OK<\/p>\n

Now you see a new tab in the Excel menu called Developer. This is where all the tools for macros and VBA live.<\/p>\n

Your first code \u2013 Hello World<\/h2>\n

Every programmer starts with \u201cHello World\u201d \u2013 a simple program that just shows a message. We will do the same.<\/p>\n

Open the VBA editor<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

There are two ways to open the VBA editor:<\/p>\n

Option 1:<\/strong> Press Alt + F11<\/code> (this is the keyboard shortcut every VBA developer uses)<\/p>\n

Option 2:<\/strong> Go to the Developer tab and click \u201cVisual Basic\u201d<\/p>\n

The VBA editor opens in a new window. Don’t be intimidated by all the panes \u2013 focus on the middle, where the code is written.<\/p>\n

Create a module<\/h3>\n

Code is written in modules. Think of them as containers for your macros.<\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/strong> In the VBA editor, click Insert in the menu<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/strong> Select Module<\/p>\n

A new blank window opens with the title \u201cModule1\u201d at the top. This is your code area.<\/p>\n

Write your first macro<\/h3>\n

Type in the following code exactly as it appears here:<\/p>\n

Sub MittF\u00f6rstaMakro()\n    MsgBox "Grattis! Du har skapat ditt f\u00f6rsta VBA-makro."\nEnd Sub<\/code><\/pre>\n
What does the code mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n