Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: Closing a Read-Only Workbook.
Gary has a read-only workbook that multiple users can access. They can modify cells but not save their work. On exiting the workbook, Gary wants Excel to just close without informing the user that it is read-only and giving them the option of saving a copy.
This is best accomplished by using a macro to modify the Saved flag in the workbook, just before closing. This flag indicates, internally, whether a workbook needs saving or not. If the flag is False, then Excel knows that the workbook has not been saved (changes have been made without saving). If your macro sets the flag to True, then Excel will close directly because it thinks that all the changes have been saved.
Here's what the macro should look like, at its simplest:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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 Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
If ThisWorkbook.ReadOnly Then
ThisWorkbook.Saved = True
End If
End Sub
The macro should be added to the ThisWorkbook object in the VBA Editor. That way, it is automatically executed just before the workbook is closed. The flag is set to True, and when the macro ends, Excel continues with its normal closing procedures. Since Excel thinks that there are no unsaved changes, the user sees no message and the workbook is closed.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10349) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Closing a Read-Only Workbook.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
While password protecting a workbook does provide some security for the contents in the workbook, if you have several ...
Discover MoreYou may want to add, to your worksheet, the date on which a particular workbook was created. Excel doesn't provide a way ...
Discover MoreIf you need to change the same data in a large number of workbooks, the task can be daunting. Here are some ideas (and ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-06-09 14:00:32
Ken
How can I pause a macro?
2014-08-23 11:32:28
Chris
Unless I'm doing something wrong, this macro only works when the user presses ctrl+w to close out of the workbook. However, if the user presses alt+F4 to close out, then EXCEL will still ask the user if they want to save the changes to a new workbook.
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 © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments