Best Excel VBA Courses to Take Excel to the Next Level

Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular software choices in the world. Many people use the tool because it’s highly customizable, and the software continues to evolve. While most people know the basics of how Excel works, Excel VBA is a complicated extension of the software. Visual basic for applications (VBA) allows you to optimize your time in Excel to make it more efficient.

Therefore, mastering Excel VBA can help you understand Excel and manage macros to help you expedite parts of the process like data entry. With Excel VBA, you can program your own macros and use tools like the recorder, which allows Excel to trace your steps. If you’re interested in learning about Excel VBA, we have you covered. Read on to learn about the best Excel VBA courses.

Orientation

Excel VBA is complicated, so there are many things you need to be aware of before choosing a course. Additionally, it’s worthwhile to know how Excel VBA can help to see if it’s a good fit for you. That said, we’re going to take you through some things to consider.

Instructor

Excel VBA has a lot of moving parts. There is a lot of coding to work through, and you need to know when to use tools like VBA recorders or when to create your own macros. For this reason, finding the right instructor is crucial for your success. A good instructor will show you how to leverage these tools with ease. Furthermore, a good instructor will move at a slow pace and allow you to follow along on your own Excel spreadsheet.

The good news is that we’ve made finding a good instructor hassle-free. The courses we’ve selected all have top-rated instructors with years of experience and a good history with their students. That said, you should always focus on vetting an instructor before choosing their course; you don’t want to end up in a course that doesn’t suit your needs.

Course Style

Excel VBA courses come in many different styles. For this reason, you need to be aware of the style you’re choosing and whether or not it fits your needs. The two main styles are hands-on and lecture-based courses. While most courses have a balance of the two, you’ll notice that most courses lean further in one direction.

For lecture-based courses, the instructor will focus on learning modules that teach you about the concepts. These courses are best for beginners and don’t typically include a lot of hands-on projects. Instead, they’re designed to help you get started. For hands-on courses, the instructor will have you follow along as they create codes, sheets, and more.

So, take some time to determine which approach fits your needs before choosing a course.

Skill Level

While Excel is one of the best resources, it’s also one of the hardest ones to use. The basics are easy, but things get complicated quickly once you move on to VBA and macros. For this reason, we’ve separated each course based on the skill level required to get the best value.

So, make sure you choose a course that fits your needs. Beginner-friendly courses tend to be longer, but the instructors will have more lectures and cover more content. On the other hand, intermediate and advanced courses will focus on specific topics or hands-on learning.

Price

With Excel VBA courses, you’ll come across a handful of prices. It’s complicated software, so there are many different course lengths, instructors, and more. The good news is that some platforms like SkillShare and LinkedIn Learning have monthly subscriptions, which make it easy to take unlimited courses.

While LinkedIn Learning and SkillShare are cost-effective, courses from Udemy and other platforms are typically more pricey. This is because those courses are typically longer, more comprehensive, and come with additional studying materials. That said, you have to weigh the pricing benefits based on your needs.

Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to take a look at the best Excel VBA Courses.

Course Breakdown

Top 8 Best Excel VBA Courses 2023


1. Best Overall: Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Macros

  • 22.5 hours $179.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Leila Gharani
  • Style: Lectures, Hands-on
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Macros is one of our favorite courses because it comes with a ton of content and clear videos. Furthermore, the course offers plenty of hands-on examples you can implement right away.

Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is a comprehensive course that breaks down most Excel VBA concepts you need to know. It is taught by Leila Gharani, an instructor that has decades of experience and knows how to manage Excel and its macros well. Still, what makes this unique is the amount of content you get and how the examples can be used in your work right after completing the course.

The course comes with over 20 hours of content, 50 examples of how to use Excel VBA and macros, information on how to leverage Excel syntaxes, and more. The course will also show you how to create Excel VBA tools to help you automate tasks and make the whole process simple. Furthermore, this is packed with additional studying materials with hundreds of pages of documentation, and the instructor breaks each concept down simply.

Things to Consider

While the course comes with a lot of high-quality content, it's a lot of information to get through. This makes the course beginner-friendly, but it can also create fatigue. That said, other courses teach you similar concepts without requiring a 22-hour time commitment. For example, Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA covers many of the same topics but gets through it all faster.

Who It's For

If you're looking for a well-rounded course, Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is one of the best choices. It comes packed with information for you to work with and includes a lot of additional materials. That said, the course is a great fit for students that want to apply the concepts right away. This is because it comes with many examples and shows you how to create three tools you can implement right away.

Pros

  • Over 50 examples of how to use VBA and macros
  • Shows you how to create 3 Excel VBA tools
  • Clear and concise videos

Cons

  • Long and time-consuming
  • Expensive


2. Best for Programming: The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course

  • 30.5 hours $129.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Daniel Strong
  • Style: Lectures
  • Skill Level: Intermediate

Why we like it

We love the Ultimate Excel Programmer Course because it shows you how the programming aspect of Excel VBA works and how to manage macros for the best efficiency. Plus, it comes with the most content and offers excellent value.

The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course is one of the best Excel VBA courses when it comes to value. This is because the course comes with a ton of content and tools you can implement right after getting through the content. It is taught by Daniel Strong, who knows the software well and has been using it for years to automate many tasks in Excel. With Daniel Strong, you're in good hands, and this is reflected by the students that swear by the course's potential.

The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course is also extensive, packed with 278 lectures broken down into 12 sections; there is a lot of content to get through. You'll learn about range properties, WorkBook Events, events, tools and Excel logic, toolbars, menus, and more. Overall, this course shows you how to leverage the programming flexibility.

Things to Consider

The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course is great for programming, but it's not the best for beginners. If you're new to Excel, this course might have some challenging jargon that's hard to learn. Unfortunately, this makes the course even longer for people who lack experience, which brings the value of the course down.

If you're looking for a more beginner-friendly alternative, Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is a better option. While it doesn't cover complex situations, it comes with plenty of examples and real-world uses to help you get started.

Who It's For

If you're already skilled in Excel VBA, this course is a great choice. It will take what you know and help you expand on it. This is accomplished by the instructor showing tools, concepts, and formulas that take Excel to the next level. That said, people from all backgrounds can benefit from the course as long as you're willing to put in the time commitment.

Pros

  • Expands on simple Excel concepts
  • Made for programmers
  • Over 30 hours of content

Cons

  • Challenging for beginners


3. Best Value: Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA

  • 5 hours $49.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Kyle Pew
  • Style: Hands-on
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

We love this course because it shows you how to master Excel VBA with hands-on projects and tools. While the lecture content is less than other courses, the instructor makes up for it with plenty of applicable tools.

Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA is an exciting course that puts practice before lectures. While many students have success learning with videos and taking notes, Kyle Pew prefers the hands-on approach. While this course has five hours of lecture content, it is outshined by the downloadable resources, documents, and tools you can use after completion.

There are five projects for students to undertake throughout the course, each with its own benefit and learning opportunity. Students will learn about automating daily routines, how to create macros, how to use custom macros, and how to complete real-life projects. Additionally, the course takes the time to show you when it's best to use VBA or a macro recorder.

Things to Consider

Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA is a great course for working with tools and learning the software, but it's not perfect. This is because it is only good for some learners. While some do well with hands-on practice, other students thrive on video lectures and breakdowns of key concepts.

If you're looking for courses that have more lecture content, The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course and Unlock Excel VBA and Macros are great choices. Both courses come with over 20 hours of lecture content and offer hands-on practice tools.

Who It's For

If you're interested in learning Excel through hands-on practice, this course is a great choice. You'll learn everything you need to know about VBA and macros by following along with the instructor. This is also well-suited for students that prefer hands-on learning over lecture content. In fact, it's one of the best courses to take what you've learned and turn it into something you can apply in the real world.

Pros

  • Has five examples you can follow along with
  • Plenty of hands-on learning opportunities
  • Teaches you when to use VBA or macro recorders
  • Great value

Cons

  • Not a lot of lecture content


4. Best Hands-On Learning: Excel VBA Programming Examples

  • 4.5 hours $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Gopal Prasad Malakar
  • Style: Hands-on
  • Skill Level: Intermediate

Why we like it

We like Excel VBA Programming Examples because it streamlines the learning process. While it’s shorter than most courses, it combines excellent value with hands-on practice.

Excel VBA Programming Examples is one of the best courses for practice. The course focuses on hands-on learning, and the instructor takes you through several examples you can apply right away. Students will learn how to use Excel as a database and pull data from sources like MS access. The course also shows you how to combine Excel VBA with practical applications and even Excel extensions.

Excel VBA Programming Examples also shows how to use Excel for inventory management and other data retrieval processes. The instructor has you follow along closely for each feature, which makes it one of the most practical courses if you're creating new sheets or using multiple sheets to store information. While it lacks lecture content, its practicality is one of its biggest strengths.

Things to Consider

The main drawback to this course is the lack of lecture content and background learning. While the course is suitable for beginners, people who are just starting might walk away without learning much. This is because you'll create sheets by following along instead of working on your own unique projects.

If you're looking for a course that focuses more on lecture content and background knowledge, Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is a better option. While it still has practice examples, the instructor spends more time teaching the basics.

Who It's For

This course is a great choice if you're looking to create spreadsheets and automate tasks for a specific project. While this won't teach you how to follow along on your own projects, by the time you're done, you'll have a solid foundation that translates to the projects you're working on.

Pros

  • Teaches how to use VBA in basic ways
  • Directly translates to projects you're working on
  • Teaches how to incorporate data from other sources
  • Excellent value

Cons

  • Lacks lecture content
  • Not the best course for beginners


5. Best for Beginners: Learning VBA in Excel

  • 3 hours $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Curt Frye
  • Style: Lectures
  • Skill Level: Intermediate

Why we like it

We love Learning VBA in Excel because it introduces you to VBA and then ties it all together. You’ll learn about the basics and how to apply them in the workplace.

Learning VBA in Excel is an affordable Excel VBA course that introduces students to the topic without getting too complex. While the course doesn't take a deep dive into the software, it covers most topics and keeps students engaged with additional learning materials, quizzes, and hands-on projects. The instructor has decades of experience in the technology sector and knows how to use Excel VBA for many applications. His diverse background helps students learn how flexible VBA can be when used correctly.

Learning VBA in Excel is also a well-rounded course. The course is packed with valuable information and spends time defining the terminology. For example, the instructor makes sure students know what variables, constants, and calculations are. Additionally, the course teaches you about how you can add logic into your coding and how to leverage Excel events.

Things to Consider

Learning VBA in Excel is a great course, but it suffers from many of the issues that shorter courses tend to have. The biggest issue is that it lacks the depth that longer courses like Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA have. Unfortunately, this is something that can't be improved because of the lack of time.

Who It's For

If you're interested in a basic VBA course that goes more in-depth than some of the shorter SkillShare courses, Learning VBA in Excel is a great choice. While it doesn't have a lot of content, it's engaging and efficient. The course has a lot to offer for beginners and defines some of the challenging terms that many people get stuck on with Excel VBA. Additionally, it is also a great refresher for more advanced students.

Pros

  • Defines most VBA terms for beginners
  • Covers most topics relevant to VBA without being too in-depth
  • Great refresher course for more intermediate students

Cons

  • Short course
  • Not a lot of hands-on learning


6. Best for Macros: Excel VBA: Macros for Beginners

  • 9 hours $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Abdelrahman Abdou
  • Style: Lectures
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

SkillShare doesn’t always have the most in-depth courses, but we love Excel VBA: Macros for Beginners because it offers a ton of information on a budget. Plus, there are other opportunities for education with the same instructor.

Abdelrahman Abdou has been an online instructor for over five years. He knows how to teach concepts online and how to make students feel comfortable. The instructor also has more than eight years of experience with Excel and has a background in engineering. When it comes to working with the best instructor, Abdou is one of the best in the industry for Excel courses –Excel VBA: Macros for Beginners is no exception.

The course is broken down into many sections that are easy to follow and understand. You'll find many topics in the course like coding, managing data, organizing sheets, recording macros, working with variables, adding and closing workbooks, and more. Overall, the course gives you a comprehensive breakdown for beginners that aren't familiar with the macros of VBA in general.

Things to Consider

While this course works well, it doesn't help with everything. This is because it doesn't offer hands-on learning like many of the other Excel VBA courses. Unfortunately, this is important because Excel VBA requires a lot of practice and time to master. If you're looking for an alternative that offers both lectures and hands-on learning, Master Microsoft Excel Macros and Excel VBA is a great alternative.

Who It's For

If you're in the market for an affordable course that covers a lot of information, this is a great choice. While it's not the most in-depth, it's one of the best options on SkillShare. This course is also loaded with helpful information for beginners, and the instructor spends a lot of time on each subject. Furthermore, it's one of the few courses that spend a lot of time on definitions.

Pros

  • Goes over important definitions that beginners need to know
  • The instructor has eight years of experience with Excel
  • Every section is broken down into easily digestible sections
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Some of the sections are too short
  • Doesn't offer many hands-on learning opportunities


7. Best for the Basics: Excel VBA and Macros Programming for Absolute Beginners

  • 2 hours $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Muhammad Ali Yasin
  • Style: Lectures
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

Excel VBA and Macros Programming for Absolute Beginners is one of our top choices because of the way it’s structured. While it’s a short course, it covers many topics in ways that beginners can understand.

Excel VBA and Macros Programming for Absolute Beginners is a simple course that breaks down Excel for beginners. It is broken down into several small sections that make VBA and macros easy to understand. While the instructor moves quickly, each topic has enough information to provide a solid foundation for beginners.

The course also comes with a lot of good information. You'll get the basics of what VBA is and how to use it to your advantage. It also teaches about Excel variables, VBA recorders, getting started with various forms, storage, and coding. Overall, it does a good job covering the basics in an easily digestible way.

Things to Consider

When it comes to VBA, many of the concepts are hard to understand, which is why many courses spend a lot of time on each subject. While this course makes things easy to understand, it doesn't cover any of the topics in-depth. If you're looking for a more comprehensive alternative, Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is a great choice.

Who It's For

If you're looking for an affordable VBA course, that's easy to understand, this is a great choice. It does a great job of breaking things down for students that don't have a lot of experience with the software. That said, it doesn't add much value for people with a background in VBA or students that want to pursue more advanced tools and coding.

Pros

  • Breaks everything down quickly and effectively
  • Covers most topics relevant to VBA and macros
  • Short and to the point
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Only for beginners
  • Very short


8. Best Quick Learning Option: Excel Introduction to Macros and VBA

  • 37 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Chris Smith
  • Style: Lectures, hands-on
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

This is one of our favorite courses because the instructor keeps things simple. While many courses dive right into complex coding, this course starts you off slowly.

Excel Introduction to Macros and VBA is a simple course that's designed to be quick and efficient. While you won't learn everything you need to learn in under 40 minutes, this will start you off with a solid foundation to build on. This is why the course works so well in conjunction with more hands-on courses like Excel VBA Programming Examples.

That said, it still offers a lot of value. The instructor, Chris Smith, was a former Microsoft Excel MVP, and he's developed content for the company and for learning. The course also offers some hands-on learning in an introductory way. For example, Smith will show you how to create a macro, watch it work, and even how to edit it. While the course is simple, we were impressed with how much you can learn in less than an hour.

Things to Consider

This course is great for what it is: an introduction to Excel VBA and macros. Still, it doesn't offer much more than that. It's designed to help you get started, but the instructor can't cover much ground in under an hour. If you're looking for a more comprehensive course, The Ultimate Excel Programmer Course is a great alternative. While it's more complex, it offers more content and hands-on learning.

Who It's For

If you've never used Excel VBA or macros before, this course is one of your best options. It will help you get started and show you how to start tinkering with macros and VBA tools. The course is also a good fit for people who aren't too familiar with Excel. Even if you've never opened a spreadsheet before, you can walk away from this course with value and a new tool to use.

Pros

  • Short and simple
  • Perfect for beginners
  • Teaches how to create and edit a macro

Cons

  • Very short
  • Not the best value
  • Only suitable for beginners


Excel VBA: Your Questions Answered

Excel on a computer in an officeExcel VBA takes a long time to master, so we're sure you'll have questions along the way. Below we have answers to some of the most common Excel VBA questions.

Excel VBA is challenging to learn and takes a lot of time. While the software can be difficult to work with, it’s clear that VBA can be learned through practice, lectures, and hands-on learning. For this reason, we recommend using a combination of hands-on learning and lecture-based learning to make the most of your experience.

Learning Excel VBA is not easy. There is a lot to learn, especially when you factor in macros. That said, learning Excel VBA becomes easier as you learn. This means you want to be proactive and focus on learning as much as you can through practice sessions, courses, and tinkering on your own.

Excel has been around for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Therefore, Excel VBA is a useful skill in 2021 and will continue to be relevant for many years. While the systems continue to evolve, so do the VBA and macro strategies.

The time it takes to learn Excel VBA varies from person to person. If you have no experience, it can take you more than 30 hours to learn the basics, systems, and macros. In fact, it might take even longer before you consider yourself a master. That said, this depends on the person. Depending on how quickly you grasp new concepts and how patient you are, the rate at which you learn Excel VBA will vary.



Extra Credit

Excel spreadsheet

Now that you’ve seen the courses, it’s time to take a deeper look. While having the best courses in front of you is a great place to start, you need to shop based on your needs. The good news is that we’re here to help. We’re going to take you through a handful of situations and make course recommendations based on those needs. So, if you’re still unsure, read on.

Getting Started

Getting started with Excel is easier said than done. There is a lot you have to know, and it doesn’t get easier because new tools are being created every year. This is why Excel is challenging for many beginners – even people with experience have trouble with VBA, macros, and more. The good news is that many beginner-friendly courses can help you get started.

That said, it depends on where you’re starting. If you’ve never opened a spreadsheet or heard of the term “macro” before, we recommend starting with Excel Introduction to Macros and VBA. This course is less than an hour, and by the end, you’ll know how to create and edit a macro. It will also give you some background information to carry with you to more advanced courses.

Another great choice for beginners is Unlock Excel VBA and Macros. Unlike the previous course, Unlock Excel VBA and Macros is more extensive and comes with over 20 hours of lecture content. Furthermore, it offers hands-on learning you can apply to the spreadsheets you already have.

Regardless of where you start, everyone has to start somewhere. While Excel VBA is complex, it’s not impossible to learn, and many great courses can help you get started.

Getting the Most Content

Excel has a lot of unique terminologies, coding tricks, and software tools. This gives Excel a steep learning curve that’s hard to get through if you don’t have a lot of time or resources. This is why we recommend shopping for courses that have a lot of content—when it comes to Excel, content is king.

For this reason, we recommend a course with over 20 hours of content. One of the best options is the Ultimate Excel Programmer Course because it comes with over 30 hours of content. Additionally, the course comes with plenty of additional study materials.

Hands-On Practice

With Excel VBA, practice makes perfect. This is because it requires a lot of time, patience, and commitment. You need to learn about things like macros and how to create or edit them. While this is challenging, many hands-on courses have you follow along to master each tool. These courses work best for students that understand the basics and are ready to apply what they learned.

One of the best courses for hands-on practice is Excel VBA Programming Examples. This course will take you through a handful of situations and show you how VBA and macros can help you become more efficient. Furthermore, it teaches when to use a VBA recorder or when to create your own macros. In fact, it even shows how to create custom macros.

Final Thoughts

Excel can be one of your best tools or your biggest nightmare. Excel is one of the most efficient and complex tools available with so many software options, codes, and spreadsheet tools. That said, Excel is also useful for many tasks. Once you learn how to automate many of those tasks, you can save time, money, and effort.

So, we recommend mixing and matching some of these courses. Start with some lecture-heavy courses, then move on to ones that force you to apply what you’ve learned through hands-on projects.