VBA Code To Calculate How Long Your Macro Takes To Run
What This VBA Code Does
There are various scenarios where you may want to calculate the time it takes for your VBA code to run. I often do this when trying to test various ways to code a procedure. I like to see which method gives me a faster run time. Below is some simple snippets you can add to the beginning and end of your VBA code to report out how long the procedure took to run.
Display Calculation In Seconds
Sub CalculateRunTime_Seconds()
'PURPOSE: Determine how many seconds it took for code to completely run
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com/the-code-vault
Dim StartTime As Double
Dim SecondsElapsed As Double
'Remember time when macro starts
StartTime = Timer
'*****************************
'Insert Your Code Here...
'*****************************
'Determine how many seconds code took to run
SecondsElapsed = Round(Timer - StartTime, 2)
'Notify user in seconds
MsgBox "This code ran successfully in " & SecondsElapsed & " seconds", vbInformation
End SubDisplay Calculation In Minutes
Sub CalculateRunTime_Minutes()
'PURPOSE: Determine how many minutes it took for code to completely run
'SOURCE: www.TheSpreadsheetGuru.com/the-code-vault
Dim StartTime As Double
Dim MinutesElapsed As String
'Remember time when macro starts
StartTime = Timer
'*****************************
'Insert Your Code Here...
'*****************************
'Determine how many seconds code took to run
MinutesElapsed = Format((Timer - StartTime) / 86400, "hh:mm:ss")
'Notify user in seconds
MsgBox "This code ran successfully in " & MinutesElapsed & " minutes", vbInformation
End SubFor Bottleneck Testing
If you need a very specific timing mechanism to determine bottlenecks in your code, there is a VBA function that was written by Charles Williams called the MicroTimer. To learn more about this function, you can view the code here.
Using 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!
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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.