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Excel VBA - SendKeys Method

The SendKeys method simulates keystrokes that you would manually input in the active window. Use SendKeys with caution, because it can have unexpected results

Author: Debra Dalgleish

SendKeys Warning

The SendKeys method simulates keystrokes that you would manually input in the active window. Use with caution, because it can have unexpected results.

WARNING : You should only use the SendKeys Method if no other option is available, because it can cause problems, if the wrong window is active when the code runs.

Using the SendKeys Method

You can use the SendKeys method in your Excel macros VBA code, to simulate keystrokes that you would manually input in the active window.

The SendKeys method has two arguments: SendKeys(Keys, Wait)

The Keys argument is required, and is the key or keys that you want to send to the application, as text.

The Wait option is optional.

Use True if Excel should wait for the keys to be processed before returning control to the macro.

Use False (or omit this argument) if Excel should continue running the macro without waiting for the keys to be processed.

Keys Argument

For the Keys argument, you can use keys or key combinations, such

SendKeys "+{F2}" ...for Shift + F2

SendKeys "%ie~" ...for Alt + I, E, Enter

There is a full list of the codes, in the Keys and Key Combinations section, below

SendKeys Examples

On the Comments VBA page, there are macros that use the SendKeys method to open a comment for editing.

To see those macros, press Alt+F11, top open the Visual Basic Editor (VBE).

For example, the following macro inserts a comment with no user name, and opens that comment so it is ready for editing.

Sub CommentAddOrEdit()
  Dim cmt As Comment
  Set cmt = ActiveCell.Comment
  If cmt Is Nothing Then
    ActiveCell.AddComment text:=""
  End If
  SendKeys "+{F2}"
End Sub

In this example, SendKeys "+{F2}" is like manually pressing the Shift key, and then tapping the F2 key

That manual shortcut would open the worksheet comment in the active cell, so it is ready for you to edit the comment.

In the screen shot below, on the Review tab of the Excel Ribbon, the Edit Comment tooltip shows the Shift+F2 shortcut.

In Excel 2003, and earlier versions, where there is a Menu Bar, the SendKeys could simulate a keyboard shortcut to run a menu command.

Sub CommentAddOrEdit()
  Dim cmt As Comment
  Set cmt = ActiveCell.Comment
  If cmt Is Nothing Then
    ActiveCell.AddComment text:=""
  End If
  SendKeys "%ie~"
End Sub

In this example, SendKeys "%ie~" is like the manual shortcuts

press Alt and typing I (to open the Insert menu),

then type E (to select the Edit command),

and then press the Enter key, to select that command.

Run a Macro That Uses SendKeys

If a macro uses the SendKeys method, you can run that macro from the Macro window.

On the Ribbon's View tab, click Macro

Then click on the macro name, and click Run.

Or, you could add a button to the Quick Access Toolbar , or to the Ribbon , or to a worksheet , to run the macro.

Problem Running SendKeys Macro

If the SendKeys command isn't working correctly, one of these solutions might help fix the problem

SendKeys Not Working From Shortcut

If you try to run a macro with a keyboard shortcut, and that macro uses the SendKeys method, the SendKeys method might not work. This problem is acknowledged on the Microsoft website: Error Using SendKeys in VB with Shortcut Key Assigned

In this example, the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + C has been assigned to the CommentAddOrEdit macro.

After creating the shortcut, if you press Ctrl + Shift + C, a blank comment is inserted in the cell, but the comment does not open for editing -- the SendKeys method doesn't work.

The problem occurs because this is a very short macro, and you are still press the Ctrl + Shift keys when the macro runs the SendKeys statement. This sends a key combination of Ctrl + Shift + F2 to Excel, instead of Shift + F2.

To solve the problem, you can add a 1 second (or slightly longer) Wait line in the macro, before the SendKeys.

Sub CommentAddOrEdit()
  Dim cmt As Comment
  Set cmt = ActiveCell.Comment
  If cmt Is Nothing Then
    ActiveCell.AddComment Text:=""
  End If
    Application.Wait (Now() + TimeValue("00:00:01"))
    SendKeys "+{F2}"
End Sub

Keys and Key Combinations

For the Keys argument, you can use keys or key combinations. You can type a character, such as "a" or use codes from the table below:

To combine keys with Ctrl, Shift and/or Alt, precede the character with the following codes. For example:
SendKeys "+{F2}" ...for Shift + F2

Get the Workbook

To see the SendKeys sample code, and the list of keys, download the Excel SendKeys workbook . The zipped file is in xlsm format, and contains macros. Enable macros when you open the file, if you want to test the SendKeys macro.

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