Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, 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: Using the Status Bar.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 11, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021
Typically, one of the first things you do when you create a macro is use a command that turns off updating the screen display. This is done because the macro will run faster when it does not have to update the screen. When this is done, one of the most important things you can do is provide feedback to the user so they don't think their system has gone out to lunch.
A common method of providing feedback is through the use of the status bar. Using VBA, this is done with a code line similar to the following:
Application.StatusBar = "Updating past months..."
This line causes the message Updating past months... to display on the status bar of the application program. This message remains there until another message is written to the status bar, either by your macro or by Excel.
If you want to erase the message on the status bar, there are two ways you can do it. The first is to write an empty string to the status bar, as in the following code:
Application.StatusBar = ""
In this case, there is nothing between the quote marks, so an empty string is displayed on the status bar, erasing whatever was there before. The other method is to use the following line:
Application.StatusBar = False
Writing the logical value FALSE to the Application.StatusBar property erases whatever you wrote on the status bar before and restores the default status bar text.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12319) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using the Status Bar.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
If you've got a list of potential words, and you want to know which of those potential words are real, you'll appreciate ...
Discover MoreIf you run a macro you used in an older version of Excel on a newer system, it may seem like the macro runs slower. Here ...
Discover MoreMany times you need to select just the visible cells before taking some action. It is helpful to know how to make this ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-06-11 10:37:10
J. Woolley
If Application.DisplayStatusBar is False, you will not see anything written to the status bar. Therefore, the proper way to use the status bar is illustrated in this example from Microsoft:
oldStatusBar = Application.DisplayStatusBar
Application.DisplayStatusBar = True
Application.StatusBar = "Please be patient..."
Workbooks.Open filename:="LARGE.XLS"
Application.StatusBar = False
Application.DisplayStatusBar = oldStatusBar
See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.application.statusbar
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, 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:
Comments