Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Triggering an Event when a Worksheet is Deactivated.

Triggering an Event when a Worksheet is Deactivated

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 1, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

2

John needs to ensure that certain actions have taken place (information added, etc.) before a user leaves a worksheet. He wonders if there is some sort of macro event such as WorksheetBeforeDeactivate.

There are actually two events you could use for this purpose. You can use the SheetDeactivate event in the ThisWorkbook module to trigger actions whenever a user leaves any worksheet in the workbook:

Private Sub Workbook_SheetDeactivate(ByVal Sh As Object)
    MsgBox Prompt:="You just left sheet:" & Sh.Name
End Sub

If you want to trigger actions only when they leave a particular worksheet, then you can use the Deactivate event in the WorkSheet object:

Private Sub Worksheet_Deactivate()
    ' sheet specific code goes here
End Sub

You should know, however, that in either case the worksheet to which the user is choosing to go will be the active worksheet after the event is completed. If you want to force the user to stay on the worksheet, you need to specifically put them back on the worksheet, in this manner:

Private Sub Worksheet_Deactivate()
    ' sheet specific code goes here
    Sheets("Sheet1").Select
End Sub

This assumes, of course, that the name of the worksheet you want the user to remain on is Sheet1.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7730) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Triggering an Event when a Worksheet is Deactivated.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Printing Selected Worksheets

When you accumulate quite a few workbooks in folder, you might need to print out selected worksheets from all of the ...

Discover More

Counting Groupings Below a Threshold

When analyzing data, you may need to distill groupings from that data. This tip examines how you can use formulas and ...

Discover More

Stopping Fields from Updating when Printing

Fields provide a great way to add dynamic content to your documents. If you don't want those fields to update when you ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Conditionally Displaying a Message Box

You can, from within your macros, easily display a message box containing a message of your choice. If you want to ...

Discover More

Determining an Integer Value

When creating macros, you often need to process numbers in various ways. VBA allows you to convert a numeric value to an ...

Discover More

Negating a Cell Using a Macro

There are two ways to create macros: recording them or writing them from scratch. Some things cannot be done in a macro ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 4?

2024-06-03 12:48:49

J. Woolley

To simply re-activate a worksheet, the Worksheet.Activate method is preferred:

Private Sub Worksheet_Deactivate()
    ' sheet specific code goes here
    If MsgBox("Re-activate " & Me.Name & "?", vbYesNo) = vbYes Then
        Me.Activate
    End If
End Sub

The Worksheet.Select method is normally used to group/ungroup multiple sheets.

2024-06-01 08:16:54

Alex Blakenburg

Rather than hard code the Sheet name you could use
Me.Select
Not a great idea though since it will make it impossible to go to a different sheet.

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.