[Fixed!] Invalid Forward Reference in VBA

Handling errors is always a tedious task in Excel VBA. But things get really difficult when we don’t know exactly what is causing the error. In this article, we will explore the invalid forward reference error in VBA and try to devise some probable solutions to it. To learn more, go through this article carefully.

The above overview image shows enabling AccessibilitycplAdmin 1.0 Type Admin which is one of the fixes for the issue. Follow along with the article to know about other solutions.

Invalid Forward Reference in VBA: 4 Possible Solutions to Fix It

The Invalid forward reference error in VBA in Excel can be caused by different reasons, and It can often be tricky to identify the appropriate method to fix the error. Below, I am giving you 4 possible solutions that you can apply to solve your problems. Let’s go through those solutions one by one.

1. Enabling AccessibilitycplAdmin 1.0 Type Admin

Maybe enabling the AccessibilitycplAdmin 1.0 Type Admin can help you solve your problem. To do that, first, go to Tools >> References from the Toolbar of VBA Editor.

From there, check AccessibilitycplAdmin 1.0 Type Library, and click OK.

Now, re-run your code to check if the error is solved.

2. Make a Copy of Reference Sheet to Fix Invalid Forward Reference

Sometimes the Invalid forward reference error may occur due to improper selection of a worksheet. If you somehow identify that this is the case for you, you can try the following process.

Copy the original sheet that you want to select.
Delete the original sheet.
Rename the newly copied sheet with the original sheet name.
Now, select this sheet.

Hence, instead of using sheetName.Select you can use the following code.

    sheetName = "Sheet1" ‘Change the sheet name according to your need.
    Sheets(sheetName).Copy After:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)
    Application.DisplayAlerts = False
    Sheets(sheetName).Delete
    Application.DisplayAlerts = True
    ActiveSheet.Name = sheetName
    ActiveSheet.Select

📌How Does the Code Work?

sheetName = "Sheet1"

Here, the name of the sheet that we want to select is stored in a string type variable named sheetName.

Sheets(sheetName).Copy After:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)

The worksheet is copied, and its position is set at the end.

DisplayAlerts = False

Here, the notification alert is turned off.

Sheets(sheetName).Delete

The old sheet is deleted.

DisplayAlerts = True

Next, the notification alert is again turned on.

Name = sheetName

The copied sheet is renamed with the name of the original sheet sheetName.

Select

The copied sheet (currently active) is then selected.

Now, run the code to check whether it solves your problem.

3. Create a Worksheet Object Rather Than Referencing a Sheet

Sometimes working with a worksheet object rather than referencing a sheet can solve the invalid reference error that you are facing. For example, instead of writing

Workbooks("Sample.xlsm").Worksheets(Sheet2).Range("B2").PasteSpecial

You can write

Dim xl_WB As Excel.Workbook
Dim xl_WS As Excel.Worksheet
Dim xl_Range As Excel.Range
Set xl_WB = Workbooks("Sample.xlsm")
Set xl_WS = xl_WB.Worksheets(Sheet2)
Set xl_Range = xl_WS.Range("B2")
xl_Range.PasteSpecial Paste:=xlPasteValues

📌How Does the Code Work?

Here, we explicitly declared the workbook, worksheet, and range type variables. Then we assigned corresponding values to those variables. At the end, we applied the Paste Special method.

4. Saving Corrupted Excel File as .xlsx Instead of .xlsm to Solve Invalid Forward Reference

Sometimes, the main Excel file gets damaged, which can cause an invalid forward reference VBA error. To address the problem, you can follow the steps below.

Steps:

Save the file as a .xlsx.
Close the file.
re-open it.
Add the code.
save it as a .xlsm file.
Rerun to the code.

Hopefully, it will solve your problem.

Things to Remember

It is difficult to predict which strategy will be suitable for your specific case, so we advise using all of the provided solutions one by one until your problem is solved.

Download Practice Workbook

Download this practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.

Invalid Forward Reference.xlsm

Conclusion

That is the end of this article regarding how to handle Excel invalid forward reference error in VBA. Here, we try to compile some probable solutions to this error, which can be found across the web in different Excel community forums. If you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends. Moreover, do let us know if you have any further queries. Finally, please visit Exceldemy for more exciting articles on Excel.

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