# Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum > Excel Programming / VBA / Macros >  > [SOLVED] unable to record macros ! need help

## bixente

hi all 
i tried to record macros in my workbook but its pop-up message box that says : "unable to record" 
i checked over the internet and all solutions says that i maybe have cell with more then 225 characters. its not right, my longest cell had only 4 characters. 
i also tried to record macro in new workbook and its still pop-up the same message. 
i need help

thanks

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## wrightyrx7

Do you have Macro's enabled? 

http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/ex...010031071.aspx

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## Izandol

Do you have VBA installed? Can you run macros?

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## :) Sixthsense :)

In a new workbook whether Record Macro is enabled or unable to access it?

If so then you should re-install your ms-office by including the VBA part too..  :Smilie:

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## bixente

macros are enabled
how can i check if VBA is installed? and if its not how can i install it? i didnt find direct link to install
thanks

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## Izandol

If you may not record or run macros it is likely that VBA is not installed. If you are able, try to change the Office installation through the Control Panel.

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## bixente

my bad. 
i have office 2013 not 2010 
and when i try to "change" the installation i see that VBA is installed already
any other solutions?
thanks

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## Izandol

When you are trying to record macro are you saving the macro in the active workbook or in the Personal Macro Workbook?

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## bixente

are you talking about this? 
2hxa.png
i tried all of them and its still not working

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## Izandol

Yes I am talking about that. How do you know VBA is installed?

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## bixente

i click "change" on office 2013 through control panel and than "add or remove features" and as you can see in the picture below VBA is appear as installed already 
j5mm.png

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## Izandol

May you record macros in the other Office programs? If yes, I think you should run setup of the Office installation again.

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## bixente

re-install solve the problem
thanks for all the help !

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## :) Sixthsense :)

If that takes care of your original question, please select _Thread Tools_ from the menu link above and mark this thread as SOLVED.  Thanks.

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## adyteo

Select to record the macro in "This Workbook" instead of "Personal Macro Workbook". Does it work?

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## tobyz95

I just ran into this same problem, here is what happened:

tried to create macro but didn't finish it, and it had a compile error

then tried to record a macro and was unable to

searched online for an answer, happened on this post

after trying to close/re-open etc., I was getting ready to try re-install

during all this every time I opened or closed that macro would pop up showing the compile error

so I went to look at it again, and to my surprise not only was that macro there, but the one I tried to record!

Anyway, I deleted both of them, and then was able to record normally again.

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## 26man

You may have an ambiguous name in one of your modules. I'm using 2013 and just ran into same problem that brought me to your thread.  I had copied a macro w/o renaming it something new, which looked like I had two macros by the same name. After changing the name of one, problem was solved.

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## dslomer64

> Select to record the macro in "This Workbook" instead of "Personal Macro Workbook". Does it work?



Adyteo nailed it and 26man made a good suggestion. I took the former's advice and looked for a macro with same name in Personal.xlsb but didn't find one.

For whatever reason I couldn't record into Personal.xlsb--maybe I already had a macro running, but in VBA I DID click the Reset square more than once and clicked the "open" square in lower left of Excel (data) page (same place to click to begin recording) to stop recording, but nothing helped until I simply read the macro recording screen and saw that there ARE options about where to record. Default is Personal.xlsb; choose something else, like the current workbook. 

Problem solved.

(P.S. Once I had two macros going at once, and I don't know how I accomplished that. Things to check for...)

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## willianrcurcio

I have the solution for that: go to Settings> Time & Language> Region> Region Format switch to English (United States), it worked for me, I hope I helped.

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## zshare

Hello,

Strange but it works, as suggested by *willianrcurcio*  changing Region preference works

(Settings> Time & Language> Region> Region Format switch to English (United States))

Many thanks

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