Merged cells can be frustrating when using VBA code, as they just don’t operate in the same way as normal cells. Even when using Excel without VBA, merged cells cause a whole host of frustrating error messages.
Even if you don’t use them, lots of other users do. So you will encounter merged cells in other workbooks sent to you, there is no way to avoid them.
Unfortuately, in most circumstances, it isn’t as simple as just unmerging them. That might make some unintended changes to the worksheet (though most of them are likely to be presentational changes). Once we have identified the merged cells we can decide what approach to take which each of them.
Which cells are merged? How can we tell easily? As it can be difficult to identify them, the following VBA code will select them all for you:
- from the used range of the worksheet if only one cell is selected
- from the selected range if more than one cell is selected.
Sub SelectAllMergedCells() Dim c As Range Dim mergedCells As Range Dim fullRange As Range Dim rangeDescription As String 'Count cells in selection. If 1 cell then search used range 'otherwise search the selected range If Selection.Cells.Count > 1 Then Set fullRange = Selection rangeDescription = "selected cells" Else Set fullRange = ActiveSheet.UsedRange rangeDescription = "active range" End If 'Loop through each cell in the chosen range of active sheet For Each c In fullRange If c.MergeCells = True Then 'If find first cell set the variable, otherwise add 'to existing list of cells If mergedCells Is Nothing Then Set mergedCells = c Else Set mergedCells = Union(mergedCells, c) End If End If Next 'Select the range of unlocked cells If Not mergedCells Is Nothing Then mergedCells.Select Else MsgBox "There are no merged cells in the " _ & rangeDescription & ": " & fullRange.Address End If End Sub
Now that all the merged cells are selected, its up to you what to do with them.
If you want to convert merged cells to Center Across Selection cells, check out this post.
About the author
Hey, I’m Mark, and I run Excel Off The Grid.
My parents tell me that at the age of 7 I declared I was going to become a qualified accountant. I was either psychic or had no imagination, as that is exactly what happened. However, it wasn't until I was 35 that my journey really began.
In 2015, I started a new job, for which I was regularly working after 10pm. As a result, I rarely saw my children during the week. So, I started searching for the secrets to automating Excel. I discovered that by building a small number of simple tools, I could combine them together in different ways to automate nearly all my regular tasks. This meant I could work less hours (and I got pay raises!). Today, I teach these techniques to other professionals in our training program so they too can spend less time at work (and more time with their children and doing the things they love).
Do you need help adapting this post to your needs?
I'm guessing the examples in this post don't exactly match your situation. We all use Excel differently, so it's impossible to write a post that will meet everybody's needs. By taking the time to understand the techniques and principles in this post (and elsewhere on this site), you should be able to adapt it to your needs.
But, if you're still struggling you should:
- Read other blogs, or watch YouTube videos on the same topic. You will benefit much more by discovering your own solutions.
- Ask the 'Excel Ninja' in your office. It's amazing what things other people know.
- Ask a question in a forum like Mr Excel, or the Microsoft Answers Community. Remember, the people on these forums are generally giving their time for free. So take care to craft your question, make sure it's clear and concise. List all the things you've tried, and provide screenshots, code segments and example workbooks.
- Use Excel Rescue, who are my consultancy partner. They help by providing solutions to smaller Excel problems.
What next?
Don't go yet, there is plenty more to learn on Excel Off The Grid. Check out the latest posts:
If I am not mistaken, I believe replacing your For..Next loop in its entirety with the following code will make the macro more efficient (the code only loops the merged cells rather than each cell in the selection…
Application.FindFormat.Clear
Application.FindFormat.MergeCells = True
With fullRange
Set c = .Find(“”, SearchFormat:=True)
If Not c Is Nothing Then
First = c.Address
Do
If mergedCells Is Nothing Then
Set mergedCells = c
Else
Set mergedCells = Union(mergedCells, c)
End If
Set c = .Find(“”, c, SearchFormat:=True)
Loop While Not c Is Nothing And c.Address First
End If
End With
Application.FindFormat.Clear