Finding Unused Names

Richard has a workbook that he's been using for a while, and it has quite a few names in it (named ranges, named formulas, etc.). He wonders if there is an easy way to find names that are not used at all, as he'd like to get rid of those names.

There is no built-in way to get rid of these unused names. You can, however, create a macro that will do the trick for you. This is most easily done by using the Find method to figure out which names have references that can be "found." If the reference cannot be found, then the name is not in use.

Sub RidOfNames()
    Dim myName As Name
    Dim fdMsg As String

    On Error Resume Next
    fdMsg = ""
    For Each myName In Names
        If Cells.Find(What:=myName.Name, _
          After:=ActiveCell, _
          LookIn:=xlFormulas, _
          LookAt:=xlPart, _
          SearchOrder:=xlByRows, _
          SearchDirection:=xlNext, _
          MatchCase:=False, _
          SearchFormat:=False).Activate = False Then
            fdMsg = fdMsg & myName.Name & vbCr
            ActiveWorkbook.Names(myName.Name).Delete
        End If
    Next myName
    If fdMsg = "" Then
        MsgBox "No unused names found in the workbook"
    Else
        MsgBox "Names Deleted:" & vbCr & fdMsg
    End If
End Sub

The macro steps through all the elements of the Names collection and does a search for each name. If the name cannot be found, then the name is deleted. When the macro is completed, it displays a message box that lists the names that were removed from the workbook.

There are problems with the RidOfNames macro, though. It doesn't check everywhere that a name might be used. For instance, it doesn't determine if names are referenced in a macro or if they are used on other worksheets (including hidden worksheets) in your workbook. It also doesn't check to see if a particular name is used in a conditional formatting rule or in charts, drop-down lists, and other objects. So, it is possible that the macro could delete names you really do need to keep. (This means you should be careful and run it only on a workbook you hae backed up elsewhere.) Even with the drawbacks, RidOfNames can work wonders in simple workbooks that don't have other macros (besides this one) and that contain most of their data on a single worksheet.

If you would rather not create your own macro, you can opt to use a free add-in by Jan Karel Pieterse. The add-in, called Name Manager, allows you to (guess what?) manage names better than you can do with native Excel. One of the functions it provides is the ability to get rid of names that are no longer needed. You can find the add-in here:

https://jkp-ads.com/excel-name-manager.asp

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10998) 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: Finding Unused Names.