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: Deleting a Macro.

Deleting a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 24, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Many macros that you record or create are used for a specific purpose; they are not intended to be used over and over again for long periods of time. This means that as your needs change, you will have occasions to delete macros. To delete a macro, follow these steps:

Press Alt+F8. Word displays the Macros dialog box.
From the list of macros, select the macro you want to delete. The Delete button becomes available.
Click on Delete.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each macro you want to delete.
Click on Close when finished.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13239) 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: Deleting a Macro.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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What is 1 + 3?

2021-08-28 12:39:23

Tomek

@Ken said: >Only the macros that are attached to the current document can be deleted this way.
It does not seem to be the case. On my machine (MS365 Family, Win10) all macros in all currently opened documents and underlying templates can be deleted the way described.

However, if you need to delete many macros at once, it is faster to go to VBA editor, highlight them and delete them from there.

2021-08-28 09:04:32

Ken

Only the macros that are attached to the current document can be deleted this way. Macros that are in templates will appear in the list but cannot be deleted - the Delete button will be greyed out.

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