Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 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: Using InputBox to Get Data.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
If you are developing a simple custom application in Excel, you may want to use the InputBox function to retrieve information from the user, and then place that information in a particular place in a worksheet. This can be easily done in the following manner:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 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:
UserValue = InputBox("Value to use?")
Cells(1, 1).Value = UserValue
These two lines, when inserted into a macro, prompt the user for input. This input is assigned to the UserValue variable by the InputBox function. The contents of this variable are then deposited in cell A1 of the current worksheet using the Cells method. If you prefer, you could also use the Range object to specify a location for the value, as shown here:
UserValue = InputBox("Value to use?")
Range("B3").Value = UserValue
This example deposits the value of UserValue into cell B3.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12496) 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: Using InputBox to Get Data.
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2023-12-10 11:28:47
J. Woolley
Some more notes about VBA's InputBox and Excel's Application.InputBox:
VBA's InputBox function is modal. Prompt is limited to approximately 1024 characters. XPos/YPos are in twips; both are ignored if either is omitted. The default position is centered about one-third down the screen; changes to the default position are not persistent. A String is returned (max 254 characters); it is null ("") if the user clicks Cancel.
Excel's Application.InputBox method is non-modal, so the user can select worksheet cells or copy/paste from another application. Prompt is limited to 255 characters. Left/Top are in points but do not seem to have any effect; changes to the default position are persistent (apparently saved in the Registry). If return Type is specified, it will validate the input and permit a correction; default Type is String. False is returned if the user clicks Cancel. If Type is 8, a Range object is returned; in this case, On Error code is necessary. For example,
Dim R as Range
Set R = Nothing
On Error Resume Next
Set R = Application.InputBox(..., Type:=8)
On Error GoTo 0
If R Is Nothing Then ... 'user clicked Cancel
My Excel Toolbox includes the InputBoxVBA_Custom and InputBoxApp_Custom functions. Both allow positioning that can be either the location of a worksheet's cell or absolute screen coordinates; the standard VBA function only permits the latter. Otherwise, these custom functions work the same as the standard ones.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/
2023-12-10 03:06:06
Alex Blakenburg
It is worth being aware that you also have the option of using Application.InputBox which allows you to specify the type of data to be entered and in doing so provides some automated validation. Also if the type of data is Cell reference it allows the user to use the mouse to select the Cells or Cells.
2023-12-09 12:38:00
J. Woolley
Obviously, the Tip's code can be simplified. For example:
Cells(1, 1).Value = InputBox("Value to use?")
It should be noted that VBA's InputBox function returns a String (text). If the String represents a numeric, date, or logical value, Excel converts it accordingly when it is "deposited" in cell A1.
For more on this subject, see https://excelribbon.tips.net/T011416
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