The Problem (Q-score 6, ranked #301st of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2013
I have a thousands of cells in an Excel worksheet which are ComboBoxes. The user will select one at random and populate it.
How do I get the selected ComboBox value? Is there a way to trigger a function (i.e. an event handler) when the ComboxBoxes has been selected?
Why this Range / Worksheet targeting trips people up
The question centers on reaching a specific cell, range, or workbook object. In Excel VBA, this is the #1 source of failures after activation events: every property (.Value, .Formula, .Address) behaves differently depending on whether the parent Workbook is explicit or implicit.
The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+4)
6-line Excel VBA pattern (copy-ready)
If you’re dealing with Data Validation lists, you can use the Worksheet_Change event. Right click on the sheet with the data validation and choose View Code. Then type in this:
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
MsgBox Target.Value
End Sub
If you’re dealing with ActiveX comboboxes, it’s a little more complicated. You need to create a custom class module to hook up the events. First, create a class module named CComboEvent and put this code in it.
Public WithEvents Cbx As MSForms.ComboBox
Private Sub Cbx_Change()
MsgBox Cbx.Value
End Sub
Next, create another class module named CComboEvents. This will hold all of our CComboEvent instances and keep them in scope. Put this code in CComboEvents.
Private mcolComboEvents As Collection
Private Sub Class_Initialize()
Set mcolComboEvents = New Collection
End Sub
Private Sub Class_Terminate()
Set mcolComboEvents = Nothing
End Sub
Public Sub Add(clsComboEvent As CComboEvent)
mcolComboEvents.Add clsComboEvent, clsComboEvent.Cbx.Name
End Sub
Finally, create a standard module (not a class module). You’ll need code to put all of your comboboxes into the class modules. You might put this in an Auto_Open procedure so it happens whenever the workbook is opened, but that’s up to you.
You’ll need a Public variable to hold an instance of CComboEvents. Making it Public will kepp it, and all of its children, in scope. You need them in scope so that the events are triggered. In the procedure, loop through all of the comboboxes, creating a new CComboEvent instance for each one, and adding that to CComboEvents.
Public gclsComboEvents As CComboEvents
Public Sub AddCombox()
Dim oleo As OLEObject
Dim clsComboEvent As CComboEvent
Set gclsComboEvents = New CComboEvents
For Each oleo In Sheet1.OLEObjects
If TypeName(oleo.Object) = "ComboBox" Then
Set clsComboEvent = New CComboEvent
Set clsComboEvent.Cbx = oleo.Object
gclsComboEvents.Add clsComboEvent
End If
Next oleo
End Sub
Now, whenever a combobox is changed, the event will fire and, in this example, a message box will show.
You can see an example at https://www.dropbox.com/s/sfj4kyzolfy03qe/ComboboxEvents.xlsm
Error-handling details to lift with the snippet
This answer wires error flow through MsgBox / Err.Description. Keep that intact: stripping it to “make it cleaner” removes the signal you’ll need when the macro fails silently on a user machine.
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 #301st in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 99% 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.