How to Turn an Excel Spreadsheet Into a Standalone Application

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Excel is a powerful program for creating spreadsheets, and like other elements of Microsoft Office, it allows you to embed your own Visual Basic code. One problem with this, however, is that distributing your original spreadsheets to others can allow them to see your Visual Basic code, which may be proprietary information. Compile a spreadsheet into a standalone application to distribute a spreadsheet without others being able to see or copy your proprietary programming.

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Step 1

Download and install the XCell Compiler using the link in the Resources section.

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Step 2

Launch Microsoft Excel and open the spreadsheet that you would like to convert to a standalone EXE file.

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Step 3

Click the Office jewel in the upper-left corner of the window. Click "Excel Options."

Step 4

Click the "Trust Center" link on the left side of the window, then click the "Trust Center Settings" button.

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Step 5

Click the "Macro Settings" link on the left side of the window, then place a check in the box labeled "Trust access to the VBA project object model." Click "OK."

Step 6

Click the "Add-Ins" tab at the top of the Excel window.

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Step 7

Click the "DoneEx" menu, then click "XCell Compiler" and "Compile." If XCell Compiler is not registered yet, a window will be displayed. Click "Close."

Step 8

Click the "..." button next to "Target Path," and browse to the location where you would like the converted file to be saved. Click the "Compile" button.

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Step 9

Click "OK" and close Excel. Find the converted EXE file in the location that you specified in the previous step. The program will open when double-clicked just as a standard application.

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