Unable to paste VBA code from one source to another

Alastair Thorpe 0 Reputation points
2026-03-23T09:45:38.7333333+00:00

I have various VBA code that I have developed over the years which I have generally stored in text files. However today for the first time when i paste code from one of these into the excel vba it crashed went to recovery and told me that the marco was unsafe, there is no unblock tick in the properties and repeated attempts returned the same result. My Macro security is set to Disable VBA macros with notification. The new file type is .xlsb which is what i use for all. I could copy and paste the code from the text file into cells on the worksheet, but then when I tried to copy them from the worksheet to the VBA it crashed same thing. This is ridiculous. I cannot even copy and paste my own code into my own workbooks !!!!!!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-23T09:46:04.29+00:00

    Excel is treating the pasted VBA as unsafe content and crashing instead of just blocking it. There is no direct fix for this behavior in the provided context, but there are reliable ways to move VBA code between workbooks and sources that avoid copy/paste issues.

    Use one of these approaches instead of pasting from text/worksheet into the VBE:

    1. Copy entire macro modules between workbooks
      1. Open the workbook that already contains the macro (or where the macro will live) and the destination workbook.
      2. Enable the Developer tab if it is not visible:
        • Windows: File → Options → Customize Ribbon → under Main Tabs, check Developer.
      3. On the Developer tab, select Visual Basic to open the Visual Basic Editor (VBE).
      4. In the VBE, open View → Project Explorer (or press CTRL+R).
      5. In Project Explorer, drag the module that contains the macro from the source workbook to the destination workbook. This copies the entire module and its code without using clipboard paste.
    2. Copy code examples from Help or other trusted sources If code is coming from Office Help or similar sources, use the documented copy method:
      1. Display the Help topic that contains the example.
      2. Use the example link to show the code.
      3. Select the code, right‑click → Copy (or CTRL+C).
      4. In the VBE Code window, position the cursor and right‑click → Paste (or CTRL+V).
    3. General tips when editing VBA
      • Use Copy and Paste within the VBE as much as possible to avoid formatting or hidden characters that may come from worksheet cells or external editors.
      • When Help or examples are available for the procedures or events being implemented, copy the full procedure skeleton (from Private Sub ... to End Sub) and then edit inside it.

    If Excel continues to crash when pasting from external sources, rely on module drag‑and‑drop in the VBE and internal copy/paste within the VBE instead of pasting from worksheet cells or external text files.

    References:

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