VBA & Macro Problems

How to Create Excel VBA UserForms on a Mac

Phi Hung Vo Oct 13, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to know if and how they can create Visual Basic UserForms in Microsoft Excel for Mac.

How to Create Excel VBA UserForms on a Mac

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Attempting to design and implement a custom graphical interface (UserForm) for VBA macros on a Mac device.
Observed behavior: Excel for Mac does not include the visual UserForm designer found in the Windows version, preventing users from creating or editing user forms through the standard graphical interface.

Before you start

Verify that your Excel for Mac is fully updated and ensure you have developer tools enabled in the ribbon to access the Visual Basic Editor.

Solution 1Recommended

Design on Windows and Import to Mac

The most efficient workaround is to use the visual designer in Excel for Windows, then transfer the completed form files to your Mac environment.

Since the visual designer is completely missing in Office for Mac, creating complex forms blindly via code can be tedious. If you have access to a Windows PC or a virtual machine running Windows, you can utilize the native UserForm editor there.

Create the form on Windows

Open Excel for Windows, press ALT + F11 to launch the Visual Basic Editor, and use the standard toolbox to visually design your UserForm.

Export the UserForm files

In the Project Explorer, right-click your newly created UserForm and select 'Export File'. This will save a .frm and a .frx file to your computer.

Transfer to your Mac

Copy both the .frm and .frx files to your Mac using a USB drive, cloud storage, or email.

Import into Excel for Mac

Open Excel on your Mac, launch the Visual Basic Editor, click 'File' > 'Import File', and select the .frm file you transferred. The form will now be available in your Mac project.

File dependency: Make sure you always keep the .frm and .frx files together in the same folder during the transfer, as the .frm file relies on the .frx file for graphical elements.

Solution 2

Generate UserForms Programmatically Using VBA Code

If you cannot access a Windows computer, you can still generate and modify UserForms strictly through VBA code by enabling specific object libraries.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the UserForm visual designer missing in Excel for Mac?

Microsoft has not included the visual UserForm designer in Mac versions of Office from 2016 onward due to architectural differences between Windows and macOS. The backend framework required for the drag-and-drop UI designer is not natively supported on macOS.

Can I edit the layout of an existing UserForm directly on my Mac?

No. While the form will function and trigger its background code on a Mac, you cannot adjust the graphical layout, resize buttons, or add new elements visually through the Mac interface. Layout adjustments must be done either via code or imported from a Windows machine.

Will macros attached to my imported UserForm work on Excel for Mac?

Generally, yes. Standard VBA code and logic linked to the UserForm will execute normally on a Mac, provided the code does not call specific Windows-only APIs or libraries (such as ActiveX controls) that are unsupported on macOS.

What happens if I don't enable the Extensibility and Forms 2.0 libraries?

If you attempt to create or modify UserForms programmatically without checking 'Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility 5.3' and 'Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library' in Tools > References, your code will fail to compile and return an object-defined error.

Excel & Data Problems