Macro to Open Other Office Apps From Excel

These VBA macros open Word, PowerPoint and other programs straight from Excel, and copy the selected cells into a new Word document in one step.

Works inExcel 2010 and later, Windows and Mac
UndoNot possible. Save a copy first
Save asMacro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm)

New to macros? See how to use the macros on this site: copy the code, paste it into a module with Alt + F11, and run it with Alt + F8.

Open Word with a new document

Sub OpenWord()
    Dim wd As Object
    Set wd = CreateObject("Word.Application")
    wd.Visible = True
    wd.Documents.Add
End Sub

Copy the selection into a new Word document

Sub SelectionToWord()
    Dim wd As Object
    Selection.Copy
    Set wd = CreateObject("Word.Application")
    wd.Visible = True
    wd.Documents.Add.Content.Paste
    Application.CutCopyMode = False
End Sub

The cells arrive in Word as a formatted table, ready for a letter or report.

Open PowerPoint

Sub OpenPowerPoint()
    Dim pp As Object
    Set pp = CreateObject("PowerPoint.Application")
    pp.Visible = True
    pp.Presentations.Add
End Sub

Open Notepad or Calculator

Sub OpenNotepad()
    Shell "notepad.exe", vbNormalFocus
End Sub

Sub OpenCalculator()
    Shell "calc.exe", vbNormalFocus
End Sub

Things to know

  • CreateObject works without setting any references, so the code runs on any PC with Office installed.
  • These macros are for Excel on Windows. Shell program names are Windows-only.
  • To email instead, see the email through Outlook macro.

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