Some Excel features are unavailable if you disable Visual Basic for Applications and run Excel

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This article was previously published under Q282847

SUMMARY

If you disable Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and run Microsoft Excel, several Excel features in the following categories are unavailable:

VBA Projects, XLM Macro Code, and ActiveX Controls
Uncompiled Add-ins (.xla files)
Menu Items, Toolbar Buttons and Shortcut Keys related to VBA

Note You can disable VBA in two ways:

By setting its installation setting to Not Available when you install Excel.
By using the Disable VBA for Office Applications system policy.

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MORE INFORMATION

The following features in Microsoft Excel are disabled when VBA is not enabled.

VBA Projects, XLM Macro Code, and ActiveX Controls

You cannot create new code or ActiveX controls, nor can you run existing code or ActiveX controls.
When you open files that contain these programmability-related objects, the objects are removed, and you receive the following warning:
This workbook has lost its VBA Project, ActiveX Controls and any other programmability-related features.
If you click OK, Excel opens the file in read-only mode to ensure that the programmability components are not accidentally lost.
The Excel object model is still available to other programs; however, other programs will not be able to automate Excel to use these programmability objects.

Uncompiled Add-ins (.xla files)

An uncompiled add-in is an add-in file that was created by using VBA. If you open an uncompiled add-in, you receive the same warning as when you open a file that contains a regular VBA Project.

The following list contains some of the built-in add-ins that are unavailable:

Analysis ToolPak
Solver
Conditional Sum Wizard
Euro Currency Tools
Lookup Wizard
All other add-ins, including Report Manager and add-ins from third-party vendors

When VBA is not installed, and you open a file that contains functions provided by these add-ins, Excel changes the formula results to #NAME? because the functions are unavailable.

Note Compiled add-ins such as .xll files, COM Add-ins, and Automation Add-ins are not affected by whether or not VBA is installed.

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Menu items, toolbar buttons, and shortcut keys related to VBA

All items under the Macro submenu of the Tools menu are unavailable, such as Macros, Record New Macro, and Visual Basic Editor
The Standard Visual Basic toolbar is still available, but it is limited to three available buttons: Security, Control Toolbox, and Microsoft Script Editor.
The Control Toolbox is available, but none of its buttons are available.
The ALT+F11 shortcut key to switch to the Visual Basic Editor is disabled, as is the ALT+F8 shortcut key to open the Run Macros dialog box.

Note The Analysis ToolPak worksheet functions that return #NAME? if VBA is not installed include the following:

ACCRINT      CUMIPMT     HEX2BIN      IMSUM        PRICEMAT
ACCRINTM     CUMPRINC    HEX2DEC      INTRATE      QUOTIENT
AMORDEGRC    DEC2BIN     HEX2OCT      ISEVEN       RANDBETWEEN
AMORLINC     DEC2HEX     IMABS        ISODD        RECEIVED
BESSELI      DEC2OCT     IMAGINARY    LCM          SERIESSUM
BESSELJ      DELTA       IMARGUMENT   MDURATION    SQRTPI
BESSELK      DISC        IMCONJUGATE  MROUND       TBILLEQ
BESSELY      DOLLARDE    IMCOS        MULTINOMIAL  TBILLPRICE
BIN2DEC      DOLLARFR    IMDIV        NETWORKDAYS  TBILLYIELD
BIN2HEX      DURATION    IMEXP        NOMINAL      WEEKNUM
BIN2OCT      EDATE       IMLN         OCT2BIN      WORKDAY
COMPLEX      EFFECT      IMLOG10      OCT2DEC      XIRR
CONVERT      EOMONTH     IMLOG2       OCT2HEX      XNPV
COUPDAYBS    ERF         IMPOWER      ODDFPRICE    YEARFRAC
COUPDAYS     ERFC        IMPRODUCT    ODDFYIELD    YIELD
COUPDAYSNC   FACTDOUBLE  IMREAL       ODDLPRICE    YIELDDISC
COUPNCD      FVSCHEDULE  IMSIN        ODDLYIELD    YIELDMAT
COUPNUM      GCD         IMSQRT       PRICE
COUPPCD      GESTEP      IMSUB        PRICEDISC

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REFERENCES

For more information about not installing VBA support in Office, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

281953 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/281953/ ) Features turned off when Visual Basic for Applications is not installed

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