Where did the personal macro workbook go?

[Von Pookie]

I'm using Excel 2002, and the personal macro workbook has apparently vanished (or whatever seems more plausible).

I honestly don't know what happened, but I went to record a macro just now, and got the following:

"Personal Macro Workbook in the startup folder must stay open for recording."

and then "Unable to record."



I couldn't find anything in the knowledge base, either. Any ideas as to what's going on?

 

[Aku Ankka]

Hi!

This is how I today fixed the problem on my work computer's Excel 2007.
The solution is pretty much like what pboltonchina wrote earlier, but much simpler, without any creating of new Personal.xlsb-files or copying of Modules.

The file had disappeared from
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\XLSTART
but could be found at
C:\Documents and Settings\MyName\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART

So I just copied it from the second folder to the first, and now it's working as it should, all Modules and Macros intact and like they were yesterday.

I'm not sure now whether I found the file under the Application Data folder because our workplace backs up user profiles over night or whether this would have happened at my home PC, too.
Anyway, it was a very quick fix, solved with the Search function and Copy + Paste.

=)

 

[zombiemaster]

Thank you...I had the same problem...I had to go to Disabled Items to find it, but there it was. I had created a shortcut to open the personal.xlsx file manually to retrieve all my saved macros; in 2003 the process to get it back was a bit more straightforward (IMO). Now I know how to do it in 2007 as well! Thanks!

-=ZM=-

Here is the full answer for Excel 2007:

To re-enable an add-in (such as Personal Workbook) that has been hard disabled by Excel 2007 (because Excel detected a serious problem last time you ran Excel)

Symptom:
1) Message on trying to record macro: Personal Macro Workbook in the StartUp Folder must stay open for recording.
2) Your Personal Workbook disappeared.

In Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button.
Click the Excel Options button.
In the categories pane, click Add-ins.
In the details pane, locate the add-in in the Disabled Application Add-ins list.
The Name column specifies the name of the assembly, and the Location column specifies the full path of the application manifest.

If Personal Workbook does not appear among these items, then:

In the Manage box (near bottom of scrren), select and click Disabled Items, and then click Go.
Select the disabled add-in and click Enable.

 

[orson1]

I'm running Excel 2010 on Vista and had this problem today.

The cause in my case is that I have OpenOffice.org installed on my machine and it was previously the default file association for all types of Excel docs.

I changed a bunch of file associations but apparently not the .xlsb type.

When I first recorded a macro to the personal file it changed the file type to OpenOffice.

As it is a hidden file it looked like it had just disappeared (and wasn't in the Excel recent file menu)

I was able to find it in the 'recent items' tab in the start menu, right click on the file and 'open in containing folder' which caused it to be visible so I could then right click on the file and change the association to Excel.

 

[pectin232]

I work for a company where several people log into this PC with different folders for data and application. I am using Excel 2003. I did a few macros as a test but when I restart the application the macros disappear. I then redo them and saved it under the the Personal.xls but it disappeared. Do I save it as a Macro Enabled Template or as under personal.xls and how to I hide the personal.xls from popping up or so when I restart Excel? Thanks

 

[analir]

Well.... you saved my life!!! thank you.

thank you, it was driving me nuts.

 

[AndyOD]

Thanks, this just saved my life! I must also point out that this also works fo Excel 2010.

Here is the full answer for Excel 2007:

To re-enable an add-in (such as Personal Workbook) that has been hard disabled by Excel 2007 (because Excel detected a serious problem last time you ran Excel)

Symptom:
1) Message on trying to record macro: Personal Macro Workbook in the StartUp Folder must stay open for recording.
2) Your Personal Workbook disappeared.

In Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button.
Click the Excel Options button.
In the categories pane, click Add-ins.
In the details pane, locate the add-in in the Disabled Application Add-ins list.
The Name column specifies the name of the assembly, and the Location column specifies the full path of the application manifest.

If Personal Workbook does not appear among these items, then:

In the Manage box (near bottom of scrren), select and click Disabled Items, and then click Go.
Select the disabled add-in and click Enable.

 

[Kwebz]

Does anyone have a fix for this problem using Excel 2011 for Mac?

 

[Rasha Yehya]

Michael Fitzpatrick Thank you, it worked