Unable to load PERSONAL.xlsb automatically

Question

I had several Excel macros in PERSONAL.xlsb and for years have been able to use them with no problem. A couple of times in the last couple of weeks, I would receive an error message saying there was a problem trying to load them when starting Excel. I would exit Excel and try again, no problem and macros were available. Yesterday they were available at the start of the day but in the evening they no longer were. I tried the various suggestions identified online, such as checking Trust Center, etc. Everything checked out. Finally I moved PERSONAL.xlsb to another location, restarted Excel, created a meaningless macro to be stored in a new PERSONAL.xlsb which Excel would create. Exited Excel, clicked on the new PERSONAL.xlsb to open it, unhid it, alt-F8 to bring up a list of macros, and it's there. Exited Excel, restarted Excel (not by clicking on a spreadsheet), clicked on the blank-workbook option. Alt-F8 shows does not show the new macro, implying PERSONAL.xlsb was not opened. PERSONAL.xlsb still in XLSTART. Moved it to another location. Copied original PERSONAL.xlsb back to XLSTART, renamed it to PERSONAL1.xlsb. Restarted Excel, blank workbook (also happened if I opened a .xlsm file), alt-F8 now shows all the macros in PERSONAL1 (since it was in XLSTART, Excel would open it also) as well as the .xlsm file opened, but not the one in the new PERSONAL.xlsb. Why won't Excel open PERSONAL.xlsb? I can obviously get around the problem, just have to be careful if creating a new macro that I want to make available thru XLSTART.

Answer 1

The steps outlined in the AI-generated answer were the steps I followed originally, so it provided nothing new. The only thing I would question is the statement "PERSONAL.XLSB only when that file is named exactly PERSONAL.xlsb" implying that the xlsb must be lower case. However, when Excel creates the file in the first place, it is creating it with XLSB and the answer to an AI-generated question (as to whether Excel differentiates between upper case and lower case with respect to file name) is that it is case-insensitive. Its proposed resolution is what I outlined originally.

Answer 2

Excel automatically opens PERSONAL.XLSB only when that file is named exactly PERSONAL.xlsb and is located in a startup folder that Excel actually loads at startup. From the behavior described, Excel is loading XLSTART (because PERSONAL1.xlsb opens and its macros appear), but is skipping the file specifically named PERSONAL.xlsb.

Based on the available information, the supported way to ensure macros in PERSONAL.xlsb are always available is:

1. Confirm the correct XLSTART folder
   • In Excel, select File > Options.
   • Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
   • Select Trusted Locations and verify the path of the XLStart folder.
   • Ensure that PERSONAL.xlsb is stored in this exact folder.
2. Ensure Excel is configured to open files from startup folders
   • Any workbook placed in the XLStart folder is automatically opened when Excel starts.
   • If a workbook with the same name exists in both XLStart and an alternate startup folder, the one in XLStart is the one that opens.
3. Check for an alternate startup folder conflict
   • Go to File > Options > Advanced.
   • Under General, look at At Startup, open all files in.
   • If a path is set here, Excel will also open all files in that folder.
   • Make sure there is no other PERSONAL.xlsb in that alternate startup folder, and that only valid Excel files are there.
4. Verify that PERSONAL.xlsb itself is not corrupt
   • Move PERSONAL.xlsb out of XLSTART to another folder.
   • Start Excel normally (PERSONAL.xlsb should not open).
   • Use File > Open to open PERSONAL.xlsb manually from the other folder and confirm that its macros are visible via Developer > Macros.
   • If it opens and macros work, close Excel, move it back into the verified XLSTART folder, and restart Excel.
5. If Excel still does not open PERSONAL.xlsb automatically
   • Temporarily remove all other workbooks from XLSTART and any alternate startup folder so that PERSONAL.xlsb is the only file there.
   • Restart Excel and check Alt+F8 to see if macros from PERSONAL.xlsb appear.
   • If they do, add other startup files back one by one to identify if another workbook is interfering.

If PERSONAL.xlsb is in the correct XLSTART path, is the only file there, opens manually without issue, and Excel is still not loading it automatically, the supported workaround is to keep using a renamed file (such as PERSONAL1.xlsb) in XLSTART, as Excel will open any workbook in that folder at startup and its macros will be available globally.

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References:

• Create and save all your macros in a single workbook
• Customize how Excel starts
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working