Skip to main content

Kutools for Office ā€” One Suite. Five Tools. Get More Done.

How to set tab order of cells or unlocked cells in Excel?

Author Siluvia Last modified

Suppose you need to set the tab order for your own defined cells. For example, pressing the Tab key will move from cell B5 to C6, from C6 to D7, from D7 to E8, then from E8 to B5, as shown in the screenshot below. How to achieve it? This article provides a VBA method for you.

A screenshot of a worksheet showing cells B5, C6, D7, and E8 with a custom tab order highlighted

Set tab order of cells or unlocked cells with VBA code

Set tab order of cells or unlocked cells with VBA code

Please run the following VBA method to set the tab order of cells in a normal worksheet or unlocked cells in a protected worksheet.

1. In the worksheet you need to set tab order, right click the sheet tab and click "View Code" from the context menu.

2. In the "Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications" window, copy and paste the below VBA code into the "Code" window.

VBA code: Set the order of cells or unlocked cells when pressing the Tab key

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    Dim tabArray As Variant
    Dim i As Long
    tabArray = Array("B5", "C6", "D7", "E8")
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    For i = LBound(tabArray) To UBound(tabArray)
        If tabArray(i) = Target.Address(0, 0) Then
            If i = UBound(tabArray) Then
                Me.Range(tabArray(LBound(tabArray))).Select
            Else
                Me.Range(tabArray(i + 1)).Select
            End If
        End If
    Next i
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Notes:

1) In the code, B5, C6, D7, E8 are the order of the input cells, and you must use the uppercase letters of the cell addresses. You can change them based on your needs.
2) For a protected worksheet, the input cells must be unlocked.

A screenshot of the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window with VBA code to set a custom tab order in Excel

3. Press the "Alt" + "Q" keys to close the "Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications" window.

From now on, after inputting data in B5, you will move to the cell C6 when pressing the Tab or Enter key. And then the order will be C6 > D7 > E8 > B5.

Related articles:

Best Office Productivity Tools

šŸ¤– Kutools AI Aide: Revolutionize data analysis based on: Intelligent Execution   |  Generate Code  |  Create Custom Formulas  |  Analyze Data and Generate Charts  |  Invoke Kutools Functionsā€¦
Popular Features: Find, Highlight or Identify Duplicates   |  Delete Blank Rows   |  Combine Columns or Cells without Losing Data   |   Round without Formula ...
Super Lookup: Multiple Criteria VLookup  |   Multiple Value VLookup  |   VLookup Across Multiple Sheets   |   Fuzzy Lookup ....
Advanced Drop-down List: Quickly Create Drop Down List   |  Dependent Drop Down List   |  Multi-select Drop Down List ....
Column Manager: Add a Specific Number of Columns  |  Move Columns  |  Toggle Visibility Status of Hidden Columns  |  Compare Ranges & Columns ...
Featured Features: Grid Focus   |  Design View   |   Big Formula Bar   |  Workbook & Sheet Manager   |  Resource Library (Auto Text)   |  Date Picker   |  Combine Worksheets   |  Encrypt/Decrypt Cells   |  Send Emails by List   |  Super Filter   |   Special Filter (filter bold/italic/strikethrough...) ...
Top 15 Toolsets:  12 Text Tools (Add Text, Remove Characters, ...)   |   50+ Chart Types (Gantt Chart, ...)   |   40+ Practical Formulas (Calculate age based on birthday, ...)   |   19 Insertion Tools (Insert QR Code, Insert Picture from Path, ...)   |   12 Conversion Tools (Numbers to Words, Currency Conversion, ...)   |   7 Merge & Split Tools (Advanced Combine Rows, Split Cells, ...)   |   ... and more
Use Kutools in your preferred language ā€“ supports English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and 40+ others!

Supercharge Your Excel Skills with Kutools for Excel, and Experience Efficiency Like Never Before. Kutools for Excel Offers Over 300 Advanced Features to Boost Productivity and Save Time.  Click Here to Get The Feature You Need The Most...

Office Tab Brings Tabbed interface to Office, and Make Your Work Much Easier

  • Enable tabbed editing and reading in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, Visio and Project.
  • Open and create multiple documents in new tabs of the same window, rather than in new windows.
  • Increases your productivity by 50%, and reduces hundreds of mouse clicks for you every day!

All Kutools add-ins. One installer

Kutools for Office suite bundles add-ins for Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint plus Office Tab Pro, which is ideal for teams working across Office apps.

Excel Word Outlook Tabs PowerPoint
  • All-in-one suite ā€” Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint add-ins + Office Tab Pro
  • One installer, one license ā€” set up in minutes (MSI-ready)
  • Works better together ā€” streamlined productivity across Office apps
  • 30-day full-featured trial ā€” no registration, no credit card
  • Best value ā€” save vs buying individual add-in