Excel VBA Editor for Mac is UNUSABLE!

Question

I am using the latest Excel version on a Mac (16.28)

My issue is that the VBA Editor is impossible to use!

Specifically when typing code into a module, whenever I type any code it invariably misses the odd letter and I have to keep going back and correcting it.

Even more annoying is that the Editor will insist on erasing spaces at the end of a line!  When I type a space with about a second the space is eliminated, and tabs are ignored.

I've tried some of the suggestions I've found on the forum and none works (like auto syntax check and disabling an add-in which I don't have).

Is this issue specific to the Mac version or is anyone else suffering with this?

Thanks for any advice.

Geoff

Answer 1

Dear Jim

Many thanks for your advice.

However, I do not wish to get involved with the 'Office Insider' program and prefer to wait until the version is 'officially' released.

I have persevered with this and now think I have found the reason.  I still think it is a Microsoft issue and something they should look at.

The issue, I believe, is One Drive - or, more generally speaking, the Cloud.

If I try to directly edit a macro workbook on my One Drive, I get the issue.  If I download it to my local machine and edit it, the problem goes away.

So, whether it's an issue of Excel communicating correctly with a cloud-based file, or whether it's an issue of the cloud causing some upset within Excel I don't know but I can reproduce the issue by directly editing any macro workbook on my One Drive.  All edits to local macro workbooks do not have the issue.

Thanks all, for your suggestions and help.  Over to Microsoft...

Geoff

Answer 2

Many thanks to those who have responded to my plight.  Your suggestions have useful and thought provoking.

However, while I replied above stating that I thought I had a solution, it appears I do not.

I thought that my 'solution' was an issue between windows Excel 2010 and Mac Excel 2016.

Scenario: I work on a macro workbook at my office in Windows (Excel 2010), and also work on it from home (via iCloud) on my Mac (Excel 2016). Note: I DO NOT have an issue with the VBA editor on my Windows machine using the same workbook.

Therefore, I thought that if I created a blank workbook in Excel 2016 and copied in the macro from the original using a simple copy and paste text (not exporting), my problem would go away.

It did not.  I still get the very annoying issue of a space being deleted with a second or two at the end of a line. Effectively, I cannot type a line of code with some of the spaces being deleted. I get the same result if I export/import the module.

Funnily enough, if a create a module in a new workbook (without saving), the editor works fine(?!).  As soon as I save the workbook as an .xlsm, my problems begin.

In summary if I edit a bank workbook and add a module (without saving), the vba editor works fine.  The second I save it as an .xlsm workbook, the editor is practically unusable.

Note that this happens with a blank new workbook.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Geoff

Answer 3

Hi Geoff.

The 16.29 update is now available. Go to the Help menu and choose Check for Updates to launch AutoUpdate. If you're not offered 16.29 then click the button in AutoUpdate to join the Office Insider program and choose the Insider Slow option. This option gets you the updates a few days earlier than you would otherwise.

If you want to go for broke, you can get 16.30 by joining Insider Fast.

Office Insiders - insider.office.com

Either way, test in the newest build and see if the problem persists.

Answer 4

Hi

The general 16.29 release update should be available to everyone by Wednesday of this week. Keep an eye out for it.

I doubt it will make a differences, but do you have the same issue if you save in Excel Binary (.xlsb) format? If you save in the old (.xls) format?