Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 4, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Anyone who has created a large workbook knows that it is very easy to create a large list of named ranges. Managing those ranges, particularly if you inherit the workbook from someone else, is a much harder task. Part of the problem is that you may lose track of all your ranges and what they refer to.
Having a list of the names in your workbook could be helpful. To get a list, follow these steps:
There's also a shortcut you can use to accomplish these steps: Simply press F3, and Excel displays the Paste Name dialog box. (If you press F3 and nothing happens, it means that the workbook has no named ranges defined within it.) In other words, pressing F3 accomplishes steps 1-4. You can then perform step 5 to get your list of named ranges.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7731) 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: Printing a List of Named Ranges.
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2023-03-06 18:33:01
R McNeil
A couple notes from testing this (in 2016 version):
If you open a blank worksheet to paste into, then this tip will give you a list of Global named ranges.
If you do it within a sheet with data, then it will give you a list of named ranges specific to that sheet.
This would be really cool if it would produce a list of all named ranges in the workbook, regardless of scope.
2023-03-04 10:14:10
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox includes the following dynamic array function to list defined names (named ranges) with workbook, worksheet, or any scope, including names that are normally hidden:
=ListNames([Scope],[SkipHidden],[SkipHeader])
The list includes the following columns: Scope, Name, Visible, Refers To, Value, Comment. When using pre-2021 versions of Excel without support for dynamic arrays, consider UseSpillArray.pdf.
My Excel Toolbox's NamesInFormulas macro lists hyperlinks to formula cells referencing each visible defined name (named range) in the active workbook. (Hidden names are ignored.) The cell's formula will be included in a comment attached to its hyperlink. The following details are also provided for each name: Scope, Name, Refers To, Value, and Comment. Results are recorded in the active workbook's 'NamesIn...' worksheet.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox
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