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How to apply a button to run a macro code in Word document?

Sometimes, you may want to apply a button to run a specific macro code in a Word document, but, how could you solve this task in Word file?

Apply a button to run a specific macro code in Word document

The following steps can help you to deal with this job in Word document, please do as this:

1 . Click where you want to use a button, and then press Ctrl +F9 key to insert a pair of braces, and then type the below text between the braces, see screenshot:

MACROBUTTON MacroName Double-Click To Run Macro

doc button to run code 1

Note : MacroName is the code name in your Word file that you want to run when clicking the button, please change it to your need.

2 . Then, right click the field code, and select Toggle Field Codes from the context menu, see screenshot:

doc button to run code 2

3 . And then, you can format the field text with border and shading for making it as a button. Please select the field text, and then choose Borders and Shading from the Borders drop down list under the Home tab, see screenshot:

doc button to run code 3

4 . In the Borders and Shading dialog box, specify the border style and shading color as you need. See screenshot:

doc button to run code 4

5 . Then, click OK , and the field text has been formatted as a button, now when double clicking this button, your specific macro code will be triggered at once, see screenshot:

doc button to run code 5

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assign macro to button word

assign macro to button word

Create or run a macro

In Word, you can automate frequently used tasks by creating and running macros. A macro is a series of commands and instructions that you group together as a single command to accomplish a task automatically.

To save time on tasks you do often, bundle the steps into a macro. First, you record the macro. Then you can run the macro by clicking a button on the Quick Access Toolbar or pressing a combination of keys. It depends on how you set it up.

Record a macro with a button

Click View > Macros > Record Macro .

Record Macro command

Type a name for the macro.

Macro name box

To use this macro in any new documents you make, be sure the Store macro in box says All Documents (Normal.dotm) .

Box for choosing where to store a macro

To run your macro when you click a button, click Button .

Click to assign the macro to a button

Click the new macro (it’s named something like Normal.NewMacros.<your macro name>), and click Add .

The macro and the Add button

Click Modify .

Modify button in the Customize the Quick Access Toolbar box

Choose a button image, type the name you want, and click OK twice.

Button options in the Modify Button box

Now it’s time to record the steps. Click the commands or press the keys for each step in the task. Word records your clicks and keystrokes.

Note:  Use the keyboard to select text while you’re recording your macro. Macros don’t record selections made with a mouse.

To stop recording, click View > Macros > Stop Recording .

Stop Recording command

The button for your macro appears on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Macro button on the Quick Access Toolbar

To run the macro, click the button.

Record a macro with a keyboard shortcut

To run your macro when you press a keyboard shortcut, click Keyboard .

Click to assign the macro to a keyboard shortcut

Type a combination of keys in the Press new shortcut key box.

Check to see whether that combination’s already assigned to something else. If it's already assigned, try a different combination.

To use this keyboard shortcut in any new documents you make, be sure the Save changes in box says Normal.dotm .

Click Assign .

To run the macro, press the keyboard shortcut keys.

Run a macro

To run a macro, click the button on the Quick Access Toolbar, press the keyboard shortcut, or you can run the macro from the Macros list.

Click View > Macros > View Macros .

View Macros command

In the list under Macro name , click the macro you want to run.

Click Run .

Make a macro available in all documents

To make a macro from one document available in all new documents, add it to the Normal.dotm template.

Open the document that contains the macro.

Click Organizer .

Organizer button in the View Macros box

Click the macro you want to add to the Normal.dotm template, and click Copy .

Add a macro button to the ribbon

Click File > Options > Customize Ribbon .

Under Choose commands from , click Macros .

Click the macro you want.

Under Customize the ribbon , click the tab and custom group where you want to add the macro.

If you don't have a custom group, click New Group . Then click Rename and type a name for your custom group.

Click Add .

Click Rename to choose an image for the macro and type the name you want.

Click OK twice.

Write a macro from scratch in Visual Basic

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Macros .

In the Macro name box, type a name for the macro.

Note:  If you give a new macro the same name as a built-in macro in Word, the new macro actions will replace the built-in macro. To view a list of built-in macros, click Word Commands in the Macros in list.

In the Macros in list, click the template or document in which you want to store the macro.

To make your macro available in all documents, be sure to click Normal.dotm .

Click Create to open the Visual Basic Editor.

After you open the Visual Basic Editor, you may want more information about working with Visual Basic for Applications. For more information, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu or press F1.

You can record a sequence of actions, or you can write a macro from scratch by entering Visual Basic for Applications code in the Visual Basic Editor.

Note:  To work with macros in Office Word 2007, you need to show the Developer tab.

Show the Developer tab

Click Popular .

Under Top options for working with Word , select the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box.

Note:  The Ribbon is a component of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface.

Record a macro

On the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Record Macro .

Note:  If you give a new macro the same name as a built-in macro in Office Word 2007, the new macro actions will replace the built-in macro. To view a list of built-in macros, on the Developer tab, in the Code group, click Macros . In the Macros in list, click Word Commands .

In the Store macro in box, click the template or document in which you want to store the macro.

Important:  To make your macro available in all documents, be sure to click Normal.dotm .

In the Description box, type a description of the macro.

Do one of the following:

Begin recording     To begin recording the macro without assigning it to a button on the Quick Access Toolbar or to a shortcut key, click OK .

Create a button     To assign the macro to a button on the Quick Access Toolbar, do the following:

Click Button .

Under Customize Quick Access Toolbar , select the document (or all documents) for which you want to add the macro to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Under Choose commands from dialog box, click the macro that you are recording, and then click Add .

To customize the button, click Modify .

Under Symbol , click the symbol that you want to use for your button.

In the Display name box, type the macro name that you want to display.

Click OK twice to begin recording the macro.

The symbol that you choose is displayed in the Quick Access Toolbar. The name that you type is displayed when you point to the symbol.

Assign a keyboard shortcut     To assign the macro to a keyboard shortcut, do the following:

Click Keyboard .

In the Commands box, click the macro that you are recording.

In the Press new shortcut key box, type the key sequence that you want, and then click Assign .

Click Close to begin recording the macro.

Perform the actions that you want to include in the macro.

Note:  When you record a macro, you can use the mouse to click commands and options, but not to select text. You must use the keyboard to select text. For more information about selecting text by using the keyboard, see Select text .

To stop recording your actions, click Stop Recording in the Code group.

Change the keyboard shortcut for a macro

Click Customize .

Next to Keyboard shortcuts , click Customize .

In the Categories list, click Macros .

In the Macros list, click the macro that you want to change.

In the Press new shortcut key box, type the key combination that you want to choose.

Check the Current keys box to make sure that you aren't assigning a key combination that you already use to perform a different task.

In the Save changes in list, click the option that matches where you want to run your macro.

Click Close .

In the list under Macro name , click the macro that you want to run.

Note:  If you give a new macro the same name as a built-in macro in Office Word 2007, the new macro actions will replace the built-in macro. To view a list of built-in macros, click Word Commands in the Macros in list.

To make quick work of tasks that you do often, in the desktop version of Word you can bundle the steps into macros that run with a single click. In Word for the web, you have to step through such tasks manually.

If you have Word, first click Open in Word to open your document in Word.

Image of the Open in Desktop App command

Then follow the instructions for the desktop version of Word .

When you run the macro in Word and save the document, you’ll see the results of the macro when you reopen your doc in Word for the web.

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assign macro to button word

Assigning a Macro to a Button in Your Text

assign macro to button word

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 12, 2017) This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016

You may already know that you can only assign a macro to a button (a tool) on the Quick Access Toolbar . Word also allows you to add buttons within the text of you document. These buttons have a macro or a Word command assigned to them, and you can control what happens when the button is selected in text. This is all instituted through the use of a field code.

It may be a bit of a misnomer to refer to the result of this field code as a "button," because no graphics are involved whatsoever, although you can create your own graphic and embed it into the field. The syntax for the field code is:

MacroName is the name of the macro or command you want to run, and Display is the text you want displayed by the field code. If you use a graphic instead of text, then the graphic is displayed. When a user double-clicks on the displayed text or graphic, then the macro or command defined by MacroName is executed.

To assign a command or macro to a button, and insert that button in your text, follow these steps:

  • Figure out the name of the macro or Word command you want to use with the button. To find the correct macro or command names you can right click on a blank area of the ribbon then click on Customize (Word 2007) or Customize Quick Access Toolbar (Word 2010 and later). You can find the names in the dialog box.
  • Position the insertion point where you want the button to appear.
  • Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a pair of field brackets.
  • Between the field brackets, type the fieldname MacroButton followed by a space.
  • Type the name of the command or macro you want the button to execute, followed by a space. (This is the name you determined in step 1.)
  • Type the button name text you want displayed, or insert a graphic to be used as a button.
  • Press F9 to update the field display.

Note: If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab .

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8658) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Assigning a Macro to a Button in Your Text .

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates , a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen ...

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assign macro to button word

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2019-08-05 08:27:44

Nhat Minh Nguyen

Hi Mr. Wyatt, Thank you for sharing this wonderful trick. I have a question relating to this. I use this method to assign the 'Back button' macro to a button in Word. It worked perfectly. However, when I convert the document into the PDF file, I could not perform the same like in the word (other hyperlinks work normally). My question is, is there any way I can still use this trick when I onvert the word file into PDF?

2019-07-18 12:10:18

Hi Thank you very much for your useful tips. I think we should insert the field in a shape to assign a macro to that shape.

2017-12-09 19:12:24

Graham Skan

I can't get this to work with a graphic in Word 2007. It's OK with text to click on.

2017-08-12 04:55:42

Does this only work for certain commands? I tried to do an Open in the text and nothing happens. I positioned my insertion point where I wanted the field to be, pressed CTRL+F9 and between the braces typed (without quotes) "MacroButton Open OpenIt". Then I pressed F9 and it collapsed to where I just saw the word "OpenIt". It's definitely a field, but when I click on it nothing happens. What's up? Thanks.

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface .

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assign macro to button word

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How to add a button to a Word document and assign its Click event at run-time

  • Applies to: Microsoft Word

This article demonstrates how you can use a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro to programmatically add a control to a Microsoft Word document and add a Click event handler for that control.

More Information

The following steps illustrate how you can create a Word macro that will add a control to a document and assign the Click event of that control at run-time. The steps are for Word. However, you can apply the same concepts to programmatically manipulate controls in Microsoft Excel workbooks.

The ability to manipulate the Visual Basic Project of a Microsoft Office document at run-time requires a reference to the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility library.

Steps to create the sample

Start a new document in Word.

Press Alt+F11 to go to the Visual Basic Editor.

On the Tools menu, click References .

Select the reference for Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility .

Insert a new module, and then add the following code example.

Run the macro "Test".

Once the macro "Test" finishes running, you will see a new CommandButton control on a new document. When you click the CommandButton control, the Click event of the control fires.

Additional notes for Word 2002 and Word 2003

By default, access to a Word VBA project is disabled. When disabled, the code above may generate the run-time error '6068', "Programmatic Access to Visual Basic Project is not trusted." For more information about this error and how you can correct it, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

282830 Programmatic access to Office VBA project is denied

Additional resources

Daves Computer Tips

How to Assign a Macro to a Button in a Word Document

word logo-new

These buttons have a macro or Word command assigned to them and you can control what happens when the button is clicked in your text. And this is all because you are using a field code!

We really should not refer to the macro as a “button,” because there is no graphic or icon involved. You can, however, create your own graphic and embed it into your field. That field code syntax would be:

MacroButton MacroName Display

MacroName is the name of the macro or command you would like to urn and Display is the text you would like displayed by the field code. If you use a graphic rather than text, then the graphic is displayed. When you double-click on the displayed text or graphic, then the macro or command defined by MacroName will be executed.

Follow the steps below to learn how to assign a command or macro to a button in your text:

  • Position your cursor where you would like the MacroButton to appear.
  • Click CTRL + F9 to insert a field.
  • Between the field brackets, key in the field name MacroButton and a space).

word macro button

  • Key in the name of the command or macro you want the button to executed.
  • To find the correct macro or command names, you can right-click on a blank area of your Ribbon and click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar . You can the names in the dialog box.
  • Key in the button name text you want displayed or inspect a graphic to be used.
  • Click F9 to update the field display.

updated word field

About The Author

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Carol Bratt

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Carol I love your tips 🙂 You make me look like a genius at work every time I use one of your tips. I need to just have a folder for all these. Keep these coming!

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COMMENTS

  1. How to apply a button to run a macro code in Word document?

    1. Click where you want to use a button, and then press Ctrl +F9 key to insert a pair of braces, and then type the below text between the braces, see screenshot: MACROBUTTON MacroName Double-Click To Run Macro Note: MacroName is the code name in your Word file that you want to run when clicking the button, please change it to your need. 2.

  2. Create or run a macro

    Microsoft security Accessibility center Record or create a macro and run it with a button or keyboard shortcut.

  3. Assigning a Macro to a Button in Your Text (Microsoft Word)

    Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a pair of field brackets. Between the field brackets, type the fieldname MacroButton followed by a space. Type the name of the command or macro you want the button to execute, followed by a space. (This is the name you determined in step 1.)

  4. How to add a button to a Word document and assign its Click event

    The following steps illustrate how you can create a Word macro that will add a control to a document and assign the Click event of that control at run-time. The steps are for Word. However, you can apply the same concepts to programmatically manipulate controls in Microsoft Excel workbooks.

  5. How to Assign a Macro to a Button in a Word Document

    Click CTRL + F9 to insert a field. Between the field brackets, key in the field name MacroButton and a space). Key in the name of the command or macro you want the button to executed. To find the correct macro or command names, you can right-click on a blank area of your Ribbon and click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar.