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: Creating Worksheets with a Macro.

Creating Worksheets with a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 14, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

Excel lets you create new worksheets in a number of different ways. What if you want to create a new worksheet and name it all in one step? The easiest way to do this is with a macro. The following is an example of a macro that will ask for a name, and then create a worksheet and give that worksheet the name provided.

Sub AddNameNewSheet1()
    Dim Newname As String
    Newname = InputBox("Name for new worksheet?")
    If Newname <> "" Then
        Sheets.Add Type:=xlWorksheet
        ActiveSheet.Name = Newname
    End If
End Sub

This macro works fine, as long as the user enters a worksheet name that is "legal" by Excel standards. If the new name is not acceptable to Excel, the worksheet is still added, but it is not renamed as expected.

A more robust macro would anticipate possible errors in naming a worksheet. The following example code will add the worksheet, but keep asking for a worksheet name if an incorrect one is supplied.

Sub AddNameNewSheet2()
    Dim CurrentSheetName As String

    'Remember where we started
    CurrentSheetName = ActiveSheet.Name

    'Add New Sheet
    Sheets.Add

    'Make sure the name is valid
    On Error Resume Next

    'Get the new name
     ActiveSheet.Name = InputBox("Name for new worksheet?")

    'Keep asking for name if name is invalid
    Do Until Err.Number = 0
        Err.Clear
        ActiveSheet.Name = InputBox("Try Again!" _
          & vbCrLf & "Invalid Name or Name Already Exists" _
          & vbCrLf & "Please name the New Sheet")
    Loop
    On Error GoTo 0

    'Go back to where you started
    Sheets(CurrentSheetName).Select
End Sub

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 (10846) 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: Creating Worksheets with a Macro.

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. ...

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What is 2 + 8?

2021-04-10 06:05:59

Chris

In order to give the user guidance about sheet naming I used the following prompt string for the input box:

Prompt_String = "This will add a new sheet to the left of " & CurrentSheetName _
& vbCrLf _
& vbCrLf & "Enter a name for the new sheet, but note that" _
& vbCrLf & "* these characters are invalid: \ / * [ ] : ? " _
& vbCrLf & "* names longer than 31 characters are invalid," _
& vbCrLf & "* the names of existing sheets cannot be used, and" _
& vbCrLf & "* the name 'History' is invalid."

where I used the rules shown in https://www.accountingweb.com/technology/excel/seven-characters-you-cant-use-in-worksheet-names .


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