Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Automatically Loading Add-ins.

Automatically Loading Add-ins

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 2, 2017)

3

Michael asked if there is a way to selectively load add-ins for specific worksheets. There is a way to do this, but it involves the use of macros attached to the Workbook module for the specific worksheets. Follow these general steps:

  1. Load the worksheet for which you want a specific add-in loaded.
  2. Press Alt+F11 to display the VBA Editor.
  3. Double-click on the ThisWorkbook object in the Project Explorer. Excel opens a code window for This Workbook. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. Double-click the ThisWorkbook object in the Project Explorer.

  4. Place the following macros in the code window:
Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
    AddIns("Add-In Name").Installed = False
End Sub

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    AddIns("Add-In Name").Installed = True
End Sub
  1. In the code, change the name of the add-in ("Add-In Name") to the real name of the add-in you want to use with the workbook.
  2. Close the VBA Editor.
  3. Save your workbook.

If you are not sure of the correct name for a particular add-in (see step 5), you can use the macro recorder to record the process of activating an add-in. That will show you the exact name you should use in the above macros.

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 (11788) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Automatically Loading Add-ins.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Valid Numbers in Form Fields

When you create a form you need to use special form fields. If you want to limit what users can enter in a form field, ...

Discover More

Displaying Quick Document Statistics

Need to see how many pages, words, paragraphs, or lines are in your document? Word makes it easy to retrieve such ...

Discover More

Detecting the Beginning of a Sentence in a Macro

Macros can make life easier, as they provide a fast and efficient way of processing text in a document. Such is the case ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Tab Key Jumps a Screen at a Time

Have you ever pressed the Tab key, expecting to move to the next cell in your worksheet, only to have Excel completely ...

Discover More

Problem with Missing Context Menu Option

When you right-click a cell, does it seem that the Context menu is missing an item or two? Here's how to get those items ...

Discover More

Changing an Invalid Autosave Folder

Excel allows you to specify where it stores various files used by the program. One location you can specify is where ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 3 - 2?

2018-03-02 11:04:31

David Gray

The problem with any such approach is that macro code in a template is copied into the new workbook, marking it as macro enabled. Even if you save it as a plain workbook, you must first deal with the embedded macro prompt.

2018-03-01 08:56:57

Talak

there are several best ways to achieve that than type code every time you create a new file (assuming you always create Workbooks manually).

First option (cleanest)

Every time you create a new Document in Excel (same with other Office documents), the application loads the default model.
You can edit this model and load every add-in you want. Every time a new document is created, the custom default add-ins will be loaded as well.

First option (less clean but supports automation and better adaptivness)

You can write code in VBA using code.
In other terms, you can make a code every time you open the default document which writes some code lines likes the one you wrote automatically on any new document or with the "saveas" option (note that XLSX workbooks will display an error message when trying to save macros).
As well, you can also change the DLLs or addins you want to load when the workbook is created by automation.
For example, you can have different addins in automated workbooks and manually created ones.

2017-09-06 14:25:21

David Gray

I've thought about this approach off and on for many years. My main issue with it is that it marks the workbook as Macro Enabled, and it must be saved as a .XLSM file. Since there's a good chance that the code that I want to use went into an add-in to avoid this issue, I am reluctant to implement it in the real world. There are just too many security issues with making everything a macro-enabled workbook.

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.