To show the Developer tab in Excel for Mac, choose Excel › Preferences (Settings on newer macOS), click Ribbon & Toolbar, select Main Tabs under Customize the Ribbon, check Developer, and click Save. The tab appears on the ribbon right away and stays there until you turn it off.
This guide covers the current method, the older View setting some versions use, what the Developer tab is for, recording your first macro, and the Windows steps. The Mac steps come from Microsoft’s guide to using the Developer tab in Excel for Mac.
How to Enable the Developer Tab in Excel for Mac
- Open Excel on your Mac.
- Click Excel in the menu bar and choose Preferences (or Settings).
- Click Ribbon & Toolbar.
- Under Customize the Ribbon, select Main Tabs, then check Developer.
- Click Save and close the window.
A Developer tab appears on the ribbon. It stays visible in every workbook until you uncheck the box.
If you see a View option instead
Microsoft’s Excel for Mac forms article gives an older route that some versions still use: choose Excel › Preferences, click View under Authoring, and check Developer tab under In Ribbon, Show.
What Is the Developer Tab For?
Microsoft lists the Developer tab as the place to write and run macros, use XML commands and form controls, and build add-ins. In Excel for Mac, you’ll mostly use it for:
- Recording macros to repeat a set of steps with one click.
- Visual Basic to open the VBA editor and write or edit macro code.
- Form controls such as buttons, check boxes, list boxes and combo boxes for fill-in forms.
- Macros to run or delete macros you’ve saved.
How to Record Your First Macro
- On the Developer tab, select Use Relative References if you want the macro to work from whichever cell is active.
- Select Record Macro.
- Enter a name. Microsoft says it must start with a letter and can’t include spaces, so use underscores between words.
- Choose This Workbook under Store macro in, add an optional shortcut key and description, and click OK.
- Do the steps you want to record, then select Stop Recording.
The macro is saved and can be run from Developer › Macros. To keep it, save the workbook as a macro-enabled file (.xlsm). If you do this often, change the default save type in Excel for Mac to .xlsm.
Microsoft notes that a macro shortcut key overrides any matching Excel shortcut while that workbook is open, so pick a letter you don’t use for something else.
How to Show the Developer Tab in Excel for Windows
- Click File › Options.
- Click Customize Ribbon.
- Under Main Tabs, check Developer.
- Click OK.
Microsoft’s Show the Developer tab article adds that it stays visible unless you clear the box or reinstall Office.
Troubleshooting
- No Developer option in Excel for the web: The Developer tab isn’t available in Excel for the web. Open the file in the desktop app instead.
- The tab disappeared: check the setting again. Microsoft says reinstalling Office can reset it.
- Macros won’t save: save as Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm). Regular .xlsx files can’t store macros.
Add a Button or Checkbox From the Developer Tab
To add a button on a Mac, click Developer > Button, drag to draw it on the worksheet, choose your macro in the Assign Macro box and click OK. To change the macro later, right-click the button and choose Assign Macro. In Excel for Windows, the same tool is under Developer > Insert > Form Controls > Button. Microsoft’s button guide covers both.
For a checkbox, click Developer > Check Box (on Windows, Insert > Form Controls > Check Box) and draw it on the sheet. Right-click it, choose Format Control, and set Cell link to an empty cell, which then shows TRUE or FALSE as you check and uncheck the box. ActiveX controls don’t work on a Mac, and a button doesn’t write a macro for you. Save the workbook as .xlsm so the macro stays with it. Microsoft’s form-control guide has more detail.
Once the Developer tab is showing, see how to enable macros in Excel so the macros in your workbooks can run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Developer tab change my workbook?
No. It only adds tools to the ribbon. Nothing in your files changes until you use them.
Can I remove the Developer tab later?
Yes. Go back to the same setting and uncheck Developer.
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Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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