Record your first macro in Excel (no coding required)

A macro is a recorded sequence of actions you can replay with one click. You don’t need to write any code — Excel writes it for you while you work.

Step 1: Turn on the Developer tab

It’s hidden by default. Go to File → Options → Customize Ribbon, check Developer in the right-hand list, and click OK. A new Developer tab appears in the ribbon.

Step 2: Record a macro

Click Developer → Record Macro, give it a name (no spaces), optionally assign a keyboard shortcut, and click OK. Excel is now recording. Perform the steps exactly as you want them repeated — formatting cells, entering a formula, deleting a column, whatever the repetitive task is — then click Developer → Stop Recording.

Step 3: Run it again

Developer → Macros, select the macro, click Run — or just use the keyboard shortcut you assigned. Every action you recorded happens again, instantly.

Save it correctly

Regular .xlsx files can’t store macros — saving as one silently strips them out with only a small warning easy to miss. Choose Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm) from the Save As dialog instead.

Relative vs. absolute references

By default, a recorded macro repeats actions on the exact same cells every time, regardless of where your selection started. If you want it to work relative to wherever you begin — like “bold whatever cell is currently selected” rather than “always bold C4” — turn on Use Relative References (next to Record Macro) before you start recording.

Peeking at the code

Alt+F11 opens the VBA editor, where the recorded macro shows up as plain-English-ish VBA code. You don’t need to understand it to use macros, but it’s a reasonable way to start learning VBA — record something simple, then read what Excel generated.

A word of caution

Macros can carry malicious code, which is why Excel warns you before running them and disables macros in files from unknown sources by default. Only enable macros in workbooks you trust.