Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Understanding the While...Wend Structure.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 1, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Macros in Word are written in a language called VBA. Like other programming languages, VBA includes certain programming structures that are used to control how the program executes. One of these structures is the While...Wend structure. This structure has the following syntax:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
While condition
program statements
Wend
When a macro is executing and this structure is encountered, the language tests whatever condition you have defined. You can see examples of conditions in many of the macros used in WordTips. If the condition is true, then the program statements between the While and Wend statements are executed. If the condition is not true, execution of the macro continues with the program line following the Wend statement. If the condition is true when Wend is encountered, the macro will loop back up to the While statement and keep executing the loop until the condition becomes false.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11518) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Understanding the While...Wend Structure.
Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!
When processing text with a macro, you often need to remove extraneous spaces from the text. VBA provides three handy ...
Discover MoreWhen working with macros, you may want to create a variable that will remain constant from one instance of the macro to ...
Discover MoreIf you are applying formatting from within a macro, you may want to change the alignment of various paragraphs. Here's ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-11-04 22:20:37
Tomek
Correction:
You can also exit loop in the middle, e.g., using "If condition Then Exit Do"
2021-11-04 22:13:58
Tomek
The While...Wend loop is not very flexible. it is better to use Do ... Loop in case you need additional logic within the loop. In one form:
Do While condition
... program statements ...
Loop
it is essentially the same.
However the condition test can come at the beginning (Do While condition or Do Until condition)
or at the end (Loop {While | Until} condition.
You can also exit loop in the middle, e.g., using "If condition Then Exit Loop"
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments