Are Excel Macros Going Away?

If you've heard rumors that Microsoft is killing off Excel macros, you're not alone. A lot of people have been asking this after seeing news about Python in Excel and Microsoft's moves to block certain macro files by default.

Contents:

1. Quick Answer

2. Why People Think Macros Are Going Away

2.1 Microsoft Started Blocking Macros by Default

2.2 Python in Excel Arrived

3. What This Actually Means for You

Quick Answer

No, Excel macros are not going away. Microsoft has not announced any plans to deprecate VBA or remove macro support from Excel. What did change is that Excel now blocks macros from internet-downloaded files by default as a security measure, which is very different from removing macros altogether.

Why People Think Macros Are Going Away

Microsoft Started Blocking Macros by Default

In 2022, Microsoft began blocking VBA macros in Office files downloaded from the internet. When you open one of those files, you see a security warning and the macros won't run automatically.

This is a security change, not a removal. Macros you write yourself in a trusted workbook run exactly as they always have. The block targets files from external sources where malicious macro code has historically been a real attack vector. You can still enable macros in blocked files manually, or by moving the file to a trusted location.

So if your own macro-heavy workbooks stopped working after an Office update, that's likely why. Check the file's properties and unblock it, or save it to a trusted folder.

Python in Excel Arrived

Microsoft introduced Python in Excel in 2023, letting you write Python code directly inside cells. This got a lot of coverage, and some people read it as a signal that VBA was being replaced.

It isn't. Python in Excel is an additional tool sitting alongside VBA, not a swap. The two serve different audiences. Python is better suited for data science and statistical work. VBA is still the native language for automating Excel itself, manipulating workbook objects, creating macros, and interacting with the Excel object model directly.

Microsoft has also continued investing in LAMBDA and user-defined functions, which let you build custom formula logic without VBA at all. But again, that's expansion, not replacement.

What This Actually Means for You

VBA has been in Excel since 1993. It is deeply embedded in how businesses run their spreadsheets. Removing it would break an enormous number of enterprise workflows overnight. Microsoft knows this.

If you're currently learning VBA or maintaining existing macro-based tools, keep going. That work is not becoming obsolete. If you create macros regularly, the only real adjustment is being mindful of how you share files with others so the security block doesn't catch them off guard.

The honest long-term picture is that Microsoft is giving users more options, Python, LAMBDA, Power Query, and modern dynamic array formulas. VBA may not be the first recommendation for brand-new projects in the future, but it is absolutely not being switched off.