Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. 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: Working while a Macro is Running.
Macros are great for doing the mundane (or not so mundane) processing that is often necessary with Excel data. After you start to use them, you may find that running macros can consume quite a bit of time. While you are running them, there is very little else that you can do, since Excel won't allow you to do any other work while the macro is chunking away.
The best way to do additional work is to open another instance of Excel. As you are working on one workbook in the foreground, the other instance of Excel continues to work away at the macro in the background. This approach works because Windows allows multiple instances of a program, each in its own workspace. The only thing you cannot do is work in the foreground on the same workbook which the macro is using.
In order to open a second instance of Excel, simply follow the steps you followed to open the first instance. For example, if you started Excel by calling up the Start menu and then the Programs submenu, you could do the same thing to open the second instance.
You should realize that the macro running in the background instance of Excel will be affected by you working on a different instance of Excel in the foreground. This, again, is related to how Windows treats different programs. On most systems, the background programs are given a smaller percentage of the CPU's attention than the foreground program.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11031) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Working while a Macro is Running.
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2017-09-18 03:18:19
Barry
@Simonkonde
The solution depends on what version of Excel you are using and also if other people are using the workbook with the macros in them (and the macros are needed for them as well).
Excel itself must have its security settings set to allow macros to run (this is covered elsewhere in another Tip https://excelribbon.tips.net/T011194_Disabled_Macros.html ). I would on newer versions of Excel set u a "trusted" location and store the workbook there. Thirdly, digitally signing an application will allow a higher security setting to be used.
2017-09-17 14:38:02
Simukonde Moses
Thank you for the tips, my request is most of the time i open the macros, they are disabled and every time i have to anable. how can i make it enabled permanently like other computers
2016-09-22 08:10:27
It is perfectly possible to work on a workbook with a macro also running. To do this you need to place a "DoEvents" command in an inner loop that is frequently called from the macro that is running in "background".
The DoEvents allows Excel to process User inputs. It is important that this command is called frequently otherwise Excel will become very unresponsive. Obviously is takes time to process the User inputs so this can slow down the macro even when there are no User inputs to process (it takes time just to check if there are any inputs to process).
The other thing to be borne in mind is if the macro is operating on the user inputted values, so there can be a "clash" between what the User is trying to and what the macro is trying to do. This can be quite disconcerting if the User does know what is going on.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. 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: 
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