Tip of the Day | Monday 28 September 2026

This tool shows you the VBA type of the currently selected object in your Excel workbook.
It uses VBA's TypeName(Selection) function to determine whether the selection is a range, chart, picture, shape, control, or another object.

This is especially useful when:

• You are writing or debugging VBA macros and need to know the exact object type
• You are working with shapes, charts, controls, or external elements
• You want to understand how Excel treats your selection in code

The returned type name is always in English, even if you use Excel in another language.

Examples of selection types:

• Range - a selection of worksheet cells
• Chart - a chart object
• Series - a data series inside a chart
• Axis - an axis inside a chart
• LegendEntry - a legend item
• DataLabel - a label inside a chart
• Picture - an inserted image
• Rectangle, Oval, TextBox - shape objects
• GroupObject - a grouped shape
• Button, DropDown, ListBox, CheckBox - form controls

This tool helps you identify exactly what you've selected, which can help when writing or editing macros or debugging issues.

Starting this tool