How to Launch the Default Browser and Display a Web Page in Excel VBA

2025年12月30日

Introduction

This article explains the procedure to automatically launch the default browser from Excel VBA and open a specific web page. Using morinokabu.com as an example, we will introduce code and tips useful for improving business efficiency and instantly displaying internal portals.

Environment

OS: Windows 10 / 11
Excel: Microsoft 365, or Excel 2016 and later
Language: VBA (Visual Basic for Applications)

Sample Code

Sub LaunchDefaultBrowser()
    Dim targetURL As String        ' URL to display
    Dim shellObj  As Object        ' WScript.Shell object
    
    targetURL = "https://morinokabu.com/"
    Set shellObj = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    
    shellObj.Run targetURL         ' Display page in default browser
End Sub

Code Explanation

Item	Description
targetURL	Stores the address of the web page you want to display. By retrieving this from a cell or form, dynamic URL specification is possible.
WScript.Shell	An object used to access Windows shell features. It can be created dynamically using `CreateObject`.
Run Method	Simply passing the URL will automatically launch the default browser and display the page. Use the 2nd and 3rd arguments if you want to control waiting or window style.

Application Ideas

Purpose	Implementation Example
Display Local HTML	You can open offline materials by specifying a file path (e.g., “C:\Guide\index.html”) in `targetURL`.
Link with User Input	It is possible to pass a URL entered via `InputBox` to `Run` and display it in the browser immediately.
Synchronous Execution	By setting `shellObj.Run targetURL, 1, True`, you can make VBA wait for the next process until the browser is closed.

FAQ

Q. How do I specify a particular browser?

A. Please specify the executable file name, such as shellObj.Run “msedge.exe “”” & targetURL & “”””. However, this requires that the browser is installed on the PC.

Q. What should I do if the URL contains Japanese characters?

A. You can prevent errors by encoding the URL using a function like EncodeURL before assigning it.

Summary

By using the Run method of WScript.Shell, you can instantly launch the default browser from Excel VBA and display a web page. Please make use of this as a mechanism to open internal manuals or external sites with a single click.

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