Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Copying a File in VBA.

Copying a File in VBA

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 10, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word uses a macro programming language known as Visual Basic for Applications, or VBA. Many of the tasks you can perform in regular Visual Basic you can also perform in VBA. One such task is to copy files. You can do so by using the FileCopy command, as follows:

FileCopy source, target

Of course, you need to provide the appropriate specifications for both the source and target designations. For instance, if you wanted to copy a file named MyFile.Doc from the current directory to the F: drive (perhaps where you have a thumb drive) you could do so:

FileCopy myfile.doc, f:

If you try to copy a file that is currently open (either by Word or through a different program), VBA generates an error.

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 (821) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Copying a File in VBA.

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 three minus 1?

2020-04-03 13:17:04

Rami

Hello Allen,

I've been trying to create a macro that will help me copy and transfer text from one document to another. After selecting text in the first document (Document A), I would like the macro to copy and paste that text into the second document (Document B).
I'm not sure if this is even possible. If it's not, please let me know, and I'll stop researching how to do this.

Thanks!

Rami.

2018-12-31 07:52:04

V.S.Rawat

https://wordmvp.com/FAQs/MacrosVBA/CopyOpenFile.htm

How to copy an open file using VBA

Article contributed by Dave Rado

The VBA FileCopy statement will not copy files that are open. However, the WordBasic equivalent will (this is what is known as progress!).

Unfortunately, the syntax of WordBasic equivalent is different in Word 97 and Word 2000!

The following works even if the file being copied is open:

If Left$(Application.Version, 1) = "8" Then
'Word 97
WordBasic.CopyFile FileName:="c:\OldDirectory\Temp.doc", _
Directory:="C:\NewDirectory\Temp.doc"
Else
'Word 2000 and above
WordBasic.CopyFileA FileName:="c:\OldDirectory\Temp.doc", _
Directory:="C:\NewDirectory\Temp.doc"
End If

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