Excel VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method

This Excel VBA tutorial explains how to use Workbook.SaveAs Method.

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Excel VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method

VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method is same as the action Save As

 

The options under Tools are also available in VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method.

 

For example, we can add password to workbook.

To understand what Workbook.SaveAs Method is capable of, let’s see what arguments it has.

Syntax – Excel VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method

expression .SaveAs(FileName, FileFormat, Password, WriteResPassword, ReadOnlyRecommended, CreateBackup, AccessMode, ConflictResolution, AddToMru, TextCodepage, TextVisualLayout, Local)

Name	Required/Optional	Data Type	Description
Filename	Optional	Variant	A string that indicates the name of the file to be saved. You can include a full path; if you don’t, Microsoft Excel saves the file in the current folder.
FileFormat	Optional	Variant	The file format to use when you save the file. For a list of valid choices, see the XlFileFormat enumeration. For an existing file, the default format is the last file format specified; for a new file, the default is the format of the version of Excel being used. Name Value Description xlAddIn 18 Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Add-In xlAddIn8 18 Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Add-In xlCSV 6 CSV xlCSVMac 22 Macintosh CSV xlCSVMSDOS 24 MSDOS CSV xlCSVWindows 23 Windows CSV xlCurrentPlatformText -4158 Current Platform Text xlDBF2 7 DBF2 xlDBF3 8 DBF3 xlDBF4 11 DBF4 xlDIF 9 DIF xlExcel12 50 Excel12 xlExcel2 16 Excel2 xlExcel2FarEast 27 Excel2 FarEast xlExcel3 29 Excel3 xlExcel4 33 Excel4 xlExcel4Workbook 35 Excel4 Workbook xlExcel5 39 Excel5 xlExcel7 39 Excel7 xlExcel8 56 Excel8 xlExcel9795 43 Excel9795 xlHtml 44 HTML format xlIntlAddIn 26 International Add-In xlIntlMacro 25 International Macro xlOpenDocumentSpreadsheet 60 OpenDocument Spreadsheet xlOpenXMLAddIn 55 Open XML Add-In xlOpenXMLStrictWorkbook 61 (&H3D) Strict Open XML file xlOpenXMLTemplate 54 Open XML Template xlOpenXMLTemplateMacroEnabled 53 Open XML Template Macro Enabled xlOpenXMLWorkbook 51 Open XML Workbook xlOpenXMLWorkbookMacroEnabled 52 Open XML Workbook Macro Enabled xlSYLK 2 SYLK xlTemplate 17 Template xlTemplate8 17 Template 8 xlTextMac 19 Macintosh Text xlTextMSDOS 21 MSDOS Text xlTextPrinter 36 Printer Text xlTextWindows 20 Windows Text xlUnicodeText 42 Unicode Text xlWebArchive 45 Web Archive xlWJ2WD1 14 WJ2WD1 xlWJ3 40 WJ3 xlWJ3FJ3 41 WJ3FJ3 xlWK1 5 WK1 xlWK1ALL 31 WK1ALL xlWK1FMT 30 WK1FMT xlWK3 15 WK3 xlWK3FM3 32 WK3FM3 xlWK4 38 WK4 xlWKS 4 Worksheet xlWorkbookDefault 51 Workbook default xlWorkbookNormal -4143 Workbook normal xlWorks2FarEast 28 Works2 FarEast xlWQ1 34 WQ1 xlXMLSpreadsheet 46 XML Spreadsheet
Password	Optional	Variant	A case-sensitive string (no more than 15 characters) that indicates the protection password to be given to the file.
WriteResPassword	Optional	Variant	A string that indicates the write-reservation password for this file. If a file is saved with the password and the password isn’t supplied when the file is opened, the file is opened as read-only.
ReadOnlyRecommended	Optional	Variant	True to display a message when the file is opened, recommending that the file be opened as read-only.
CreateBackup	Optional	Variant	True to create a backup file.
AccessMode	Optional	XlSaveAsAccessMode	The access mode for the workbook. Name Value Description xlExclusive 3 Exclusive mode xlNoChange 1 Default (does not change the access mode) xlShared 2 Share list
ConflictResolution	Optional	XlSaveConflictResolution	An XlSaveConflictResolution value that determines how the method resolves a conflict while saving the workbook. If set to xlUserResolution, the conflict-resolution dialog box is displayed. If set to xlLocalSessionChanges, the local user’s changes are automatically accepted. If set to xlOtherSessionChanges, the changes from other sessions are automatically accepted instead of the local user’s changes. If this argument is omitted, the conflict-resolution dialog box is displayed. Name Value Description xlLocalSessionChanges 2 The local user’s changes are always accepted. xlOtherSessionChanges 3 The local user’s changes are always rejected. xlUserResolution 1 A dialog box asks the user to resolve the conflict.
AddToMru	Optional	Variant	True to add this workbook to the list of recently used files. The default value is False.
TextCodepage	Optional	Variant	Ignored for all languages in Microsoft Excel. When Excel saves a workbook to one of the CSV or text formats, which are specified by using the FileFormat parameter, it uses the code page that corresponds to the language for the system locale in use on the current computer. This system setting is available in the Control Panel, by clicking Region and Language, clicking the Location tab, under Current location.
TextVisualLayout	Optional	Variant	Ignored for all languages in Microsoft Excel. When Excel saves a workbook to one of the CSV or text formats, which are specified by using the FileFormat parameter, it saves these formats in logical layout. If left-to-right (LTR) text is embedded within right-to-left (RTL) text in the file, or vice versa, logical layout saves the contents of the file in the correct reading order for all languages in the file without regard to direction. When an application opens the file, each run of LTR or RTL characters are rendered in the correct direction according to the character value ranges within the code page. (Unless an application that is designed to display the exact memory layout of the file, such as a debugger or editor, is used to open the file.)
Local	Optional	Variant	True saves files against the language of Microsoft Excel (including control panel settings). False (default) saves files against the language of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) (which is typically US English unless the VBA project where Workbooks.Open is run from is an old internationalized XL5/95 VBA project).

Example – Excel VBA Workbook.SaveAs Method

When you save as a workbook in a location where the workbook name already exists, you will receive the following prompt box.

In order for the Macro to continue to run without prompting the box, the first thing to do is to temporarily turn the alert box off using Application.DisplayAlerts = False, and all answers will become Yes.

The second thing is the Filname argument. Although the documentation says if you omit the Filename, the current folder will be used. I tried with Excel 2013 but it saves to My Document folder, so I use Application.ActiveWorkbook.FullName to make sure the file really saves to the current folder.

The third thing is FileFormat. I choose xlOpenXMLWorkbookMacroEnabled (xlsm) to ensure the Macro is saved successfully.

The below procedure uses SaveAs Method to add password (yourpassword) and then overwrite the existing xlsm workbook.

Sub add_password()
    Application.DisplayAlerts = False
    ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs Filename:=Application.ActiveWorkbook.FullName, FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbookMacroEnabled, Password:="yourpassword"
'OR using specific path
    'ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs "C:\folderA\test.xlsx", Password:="yourpassword"
    Application.DisplayAlerts = True End Sub

Outbound References

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff841185.aspx