How to Fix Excel Error 380: Could Not Set BackColor Property on Mac
Question details
The user is encountering Excel Error 380 on a Mac, which indicates an invalid property value issue triggered by a VBA macro attempting to configure a control's BackColor.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Running a VBA macro or interacting with a userform that modifies visual control properties like background colors.
- Observed behavior
- Excel displays 'Error 380: Could not set the BackColor property. Invalid property value.' and halts macro execution.
Verify your current Excel version by selecting Microsoft Excel > About Microsoft Excel from the top menu bar to check if you are running a specific build (such as 16.79.1) associated with this VBA property issue.
Debug the VBA Macro and Correct the Invalid Property Value
Identify the exact VBA task triggering the error and modify the BackColor property value to a universally supported format.
macOS and Windows handle certain VBA color properties differently. A system color constant (like vbButtonFace) that works perfectly on Windows might trigger Error 380 on a Mac because macOS does not recognize it.
Go to the Developer tab on the Excel ribbon and click 'Visual Basic', or press Option + F11 on your Mac keyboard to open the editor.
In the Project Explorer, find the UserForm or Module that was running when the error occurred. Search for any code assigning a value to the 'BackColor' property.
Change the assigned value to a standard RGB color (e.g., RGB(255, 255, 255) for white). Alternatively, bypass the error by placing an apostrophe (') at the beginning of the line to comment it out.
Save your VBA project, close the Visual Basic editor, and run the macro again to confirm that Error 380 is resolved.
Update Microsoft Excel for Mac
Install the latest Office updates to ensure any known bugs related to VBA controls and Mac rendering are patched.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does Error 380 mean in Excel?
Error 380 indicates an 'Invalid Property Value'. It occurs when a VBA script tries to assign a value to a property (like a color, size, or style) that falls outside the acceptable range or is not natively supported by the operating system.
Why does my VBA macro work on Windows but show Error 380 on Mac?
Windows and macOS use different rendering engines and system color codes. A system color constant used for a BackColor property in Windows may not exist on a Mac, resulting in Error 380 when the code is executed.
How can I check my current version of Excel on a Mac?
Click on 'Microsoft Excel' in the top-left corner of your Mac's menu bar, then select 'About Microsoft Excel'. A window will pop up displaying your current version number, which helps identify version-specific bugs.
