[PowerPoint VBA] How to Open an Excel File Selection Dialog from a UserForm

2025年12月27日

Background

When building tools in PowerPoint VBA, there is often a need to “open a dialog to select an Excel file using a UserForm.”

Instead of asking users to type a file path manually, allowing them to select it via a file dialog is more reliable and convenient. In this article, I implemented a mechanism where clicking a button opens a dialog to select an Excel file, and the result is displayed in a text box.

Specifications

Use a UserForm in PowerPoint.
Clicking CommandButton1 opens the file selection dialog.
Restrict selection to Excel files (.xls, .xlsx, .xlsm).
Automatically input the selected file path into TextBox1.

UserForm Configuration

CommandButton1: A button to execute the file selection.
TextBox1: A text box to display the full path of the selected file.

Implementation Code (PowerPoint VBA)

Paste the following code into the code area of your UserForm.

' Call file selection process when button is clicked
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
    Call SelectFile(Me.TextBox1)
End Sub

' Show file dialog and set the result to the TextBox
Private Sub SelectFile(textbox As MSForms.TextBox)
    Dim fd As FileDialog
    Set fd = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker)

    With fd
        .Title = "Please select an Excel file."
        .Filters.Clear
        .Filters.Add "Excel Files", "*.xls; *.xlsx; *.xlsm", 1
        
        ' If the user clicks "Open" (.Show returns -1)
        If .Show = -1 Then
            textbox.Text = .SelectedItems(1)
        End If
    End With
End Sub

Code Explanation

Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker): This allows you to use the standard file selection dialog even within PowerPoint.
.Filters.Add: This filters the view to show only Excel files.
.Show = -1: This indicates that the user clicked the “Open” button. (If the user clicks Cancel, the code does nothing).

Important Notes

Ensure that the text box on your UserForm is a standard UserForm control (MSForms.TextBox).
This code is designed for PowerPoint VBA but utilizes standard Office dialog functionality.

Summary

You can call a file selection dialog from a UserForm in PowerPoint VBA.
Combining a CommandButton and a TextBox provides a user-friendly interface.
This prevents typos in file paths and leads to smoother automation.

I hope this helps anyone looking to perform file operations using PowerPoint VBA.