How do I issue an HTTP GET from Excel VBA for Mac 2011

The Problem (Q-score 9, ranked #67th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2013

I need to issue an HTTP Get with a query string to a web service from Excel for Mac 2011. I’ve seen the answers for using QueryTables (How can I send an HTTP POST request to a server from Excel using VBA?) but they use the POST method, not a GET method. I also see that it’s easy from a Windows machine, but I’m stuck on a Mac.

Any suggestions, or is it hopeless?

Why the Win32 API declaration is fragile here

This problem involves a Declare statement, which means 32-bit vs 64-bit compatibility is in play. Office 64-bit requires the PtrSafe keyword and LongPtr data types for any handles — the most common root cause of the exact symptom described.

The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+16)

47-line Excel VBA pattern (copy-ready)

Doing further research, I came across Robert Knight’s comment on this question VBA Shell function in Office 2011 for Mac and built an HTTPGet function using his execShell function to call curl. I’ve tested this on a Mac running Mac OS X 10.8.3 (Mountain Lion) with Excel for Mac 2011. Here is the VBA code:

Option Explicit

' execShell() function courtesy of Robert Knight via StackOverflow
' http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6136798/vba-shell-function-in-office-2011-for-mac

Private Declare Function popen Lib "libc.dylib" (ByVal command As String, ByVal mode As String) As Long
Private Declare Function pclose Lib "libc.dylib" (ByVal file As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function fread Lib "libc.dylib" (ByVal outStr As String, ByVal size As Long, ByVal items As Long, ByVal stream As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function feof Lib "libc.dylib" (ByVal file As Long) As Long

Function execShell(command As String, Optional ByRef exitCode As Long) As String
    Dim file As Long
    file = popen(command, "r")

    If file = 0 Then
        Exit Function
    End If

    While feof(file) = 0
        Dim chunk As String
        Dim read As Long
        chunk = Space(50)
        read = fread(chunk, 1, Len(chunk) - 1, file)
        If read > 0 Then
            chunk = Left$(chunk, read)
            execShell = execShell & chunk
        End If
    Wend

    exitCode = pclose(file)
End Function

Function HTTPGet(sUrl As String, sQuery As String) As String

    Dim sCmd As String
    Dim sResult As String
    Dim lExitCode As Long

    sCmd = "curl --get -d """ & sQuery & """" & " " & sUrl
    sResult = execShell(sCmd, lExitCode)

    ' ToDo check lExitCode

    HTTPGet = sResult

End Function    

To use this, copy the code above, open the VBA editor in Excel for Mac 2011. If you don’t have a module, click Insert->Module. Paste the code into the module file. Leave the VBA editor (clover-Q).

Here’s a specific example using a weather forecast web service (http://openweathermap.org/wiki/API/JSON_API)

Cell A1 will be reserved for the name of the city.

In cell A2, enter the URL string: http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.1/forecast/city

In cell A3 which will build the query string, enter: ="q=" & A1

In cell A4, enter: =HTTPGet(A2, A3)

Now, type a city name in cell A1, for example London, cell A4 will show you the JSON response containing the weather forecast for London. Change the value in A1 from London to Moscow — A4 will change to the JSON-formatted forecast for Moscow.

Obviously, using VBA, you could parse and reformat the JSON data and place it where needed in your worksheet.

No claims for performance or scalability, but for a simple one-shot access to a web service from Excel for Mac 2011, this seems to do the trick and met the need for which I posted my original question. YMMV!

Loop-performance notes specific to this pattern

The loop in the answer iterates in process. On a 2026 Office build, setting Application.ScreenUpdating = False and Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual around a loop of this size typically cuts runtime by 40–70%. Re-enable both in the Exit handler.

When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)

Ranked #67th in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 95% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2013 and 2026

The answer is 13 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.