Use VBA To Determine Hex Color Code
What This VBA Code Does
I ran into an issue where I needed some of my brand colors to be implemented on a web application. The only problem was the web application only accepted Hex color codes. While RGB color codes are readily available inside Excel (visible via the “More Colors…” option within the Color Palette), the Hex codes are not available to access within the Excel application. So here is a VBA macro solution that will quickly give you access to the Hex codes.
VBA Code:
This VBA macro code will loop through the user’s selected cells and write the hex color code for each fill color into the cell to the right.
Sub DetermineHexColor()
'PURPOSE: Display HEX Color Code to the right of each cell's Fill Color
Dim cell As Range
Dim FillHexColor As String
'Ensure a cell range is selected
If TypeName(Selection) <> "Range" Then Exit Sub
'Loop through each cell in selection
For Each cell In Selection.Cells
'Ensure cell has a fill color
If cell.Interior.ColorIndex <> xlNone Then
'Get Hex values (values come through in reverse of what we need)
FillHexColor = Right("000000" & Hex(cell.Interior.Color), 6)
'Reverse the Hex code
FillHexColor = Right(FillHexColor, 2) & Mid(FillHexColor, 3, 2) & Left(FillHexColor, 2)
'Add # sign and display in cell to the right
cell.Offset(0, 1).Value = "#" & FillHexColor
End If
Next cell
'Select just the ActiveCell
ActiveCell.Select
End SubUsing VBA Code Found On The Internet
Now that you’ve found some VBA code that could potentially solve your Excel automation problem, what do you do with it? If you don’t necessarily want to learn how to code VBA and are just looking for the fastest way to implement this code into your spreadsheet, I wrote an article (with video) that explains how to get the VBA code you’ve found running on your spreadsheet.
Getting Started Automating Excel
Are you new to VBA and not sure where to begin? Check out my quickstart guide to learning VBA. This article won’t overwhelm you with fancy coding jargon, as it provides you with a simplistic and straightforward approach to the basic things I wish I knew when trying to teach myself how to automate tasks in Excel with VBA Macros.
Also, if you haven’t checked out Excel’s latest automation feature called Power Query, I have put together a beginner’s guide for automating with Excel’s Power Query feature as well! This little-known built-in Excel feature allows you to merge and clean data automatically with little to no coding!
How Do I Modify This To Fit My Specific Needs?
Chances are this post did not give you the exact answer you were looking for. We all have different situations and it’s impossible to account for every particular need one might have. That’s why I want to share with you: My Guide to Getting the Solution to your Problems FAST! In this article, I explain the best strategies I have come up with over the years to get quick answers to complex problems in Excel, PowerPoint, VBA, you name it!
I highly recommend that you check this guide out before asking me or anyone else in the comments section to solve your specific problem. I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, one of my strategies will get you the answer(s) you are needing faster than it will take me to get back to you with a possible solution. I try my best to help everyone out, but sometimes I don’t have time to fit everyone’s questions in (there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day!).
I wish you the best of luck and I hope this tutorial gets you heading in the right direction!
After 10+ years of creating macros and developing add-ins, I've compiled all the hacks I wish I had known years ago!
Keep Learning
Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.