Enable VBA Code

How to enable Excel VBA code in a workbook you downloaded from a website.

enabling VBA code:

After downloading and unzipping, you must right click the file and choose properties. From there you’ll see the property dialog for the file. You will have the option to unblock it there. Next time you open the file you will get a macro prompt, and you can enable the VBA code to run.

add-in location:

I like to put my add-ins in my XLSTART folder. The folder opens any files in there when Excel starts, so the add-ins will always get loaded. You can use the VBA property Application.StartupPath to find yours, here are some sample paths it could be in:

C:\Users\[your login]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART 

Some of you might find it here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\xlstart

To use Application.StartupPath, boot Excel and on the developer tab click Visual basic. Then set focus to the immediate window and type

?Application.StartupPath

load add-in on demand:

If you don’t want to have the add-in running all the time, just save the file to a folder on your machine and double click it when you need it. The add-in will load into the current instance of Excel and you can start using it.

Note: you still need to unblock the add-in.