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: Macro Fails after AutoFilter.

Macro Fails after Filter

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 5, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

In testing new macros that you develop, you may find that the macro fails when it is run and the information in a worksheet is filtered. This can happen because the macro may expect that all the information in the worksheet is available, or it may try to update information that is not visible on the screen.

The best solution to this problem is to make sure that the macro turns off filtering. This can be easily done by adding the following line of code near the beginning of the macro:

ActiveWorksheet.AutoFilterMode = False

This ensures that filtering is off and removes the problems that filtered data may present for your macro. (It will, of course, result in the loss of any filtering settings, but for the purposes of many macros that may be an acceptable side effect.)

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11083) 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: Macro Fails after AutoFilter.

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 6 + 1?

2025-03-06 12:31:58

Richard R. M. W. Poynter

Should this not be "ActiveSheet.AutoFilterMode = False"? That worked for me whereas "ActiveWorksheet.AutoFilterMode = False" generated a Variable Not Defined error.


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