Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Conditionally Displaying a Message Box.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 21, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
You may have a need to display a message box whenever specific information is placed in a specific cell by the user. Fortunately, using the Change event for a worksheet can help you to figure out when something has been placed in a cell.
For instance, let's say that you wanted to display a message whenever the information in cell C3 is changed. The following, added to the code window for a specific worksheet, will do the trick:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
If Target.Address = "$C$3" Then
MsgBox "Changed It!"
End If
End Sub
The Change event is called and passes the cell range to the routine. In this case, the range is assigned to the Target variable. The address of this range is then checked, and if it is equal to C3 (it has to be noted in absolute terms, such as $C$3), then the message box is displayed.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9397) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Conditionally Displaying a Message Box.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Need to gather some information about the drives on a system? It can be pretty easy to do using a macro, as shown in this ...
Discover MoreWhen you use SUM to determine the total of a range of values, Excel doesn't really pay attention to whether the values ...
Discover MoreOn your system you may have workbooks that contain macros you know are safe to use. Microsoft provides two things you can ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments