For years, there’s been a persistent claim echoing across social media and corporate boardrooms alike: “Most companies have disabled VBA.” Or more specifically, “Macros are banned in this organization.” It’s usually presented as some kind of proof that VBA is obsolete or dangerous. But what lies beneath that claim is a tangled web of misunderstanding, bad history, corporate politics, and in many cases—fear.
This article unpacks the truth behind the VBA ban myth, and exposes what’s really going on.
1. The Origin Story: Worms and Warnings
In the late 90s, a peculiar phenomenon emerged. Bored developers—trolls, really—began embedding VBA macros in Word documents that would auto-run when opened and spam the document to all your Outlook contacts. These were called “worms.” They weren’t designed for profit or espionage. They were digital mischief. Harmless in intent, but disruptive in effect—clogging email systems across the world.
Microsoft responded swiftly with patches, security warnings, and policy changes that restricted auto-running macros. And fair enough—email systems needed protecting. But that panic created a long-lasting scar on the reputation of VBA. Much like chain letters that were banned by the U.S. government in the 1800s because they clogged the postal service, VBA macros became a scapegoat—not for what they did, but for what they could do if left unchecked.
2. Shadow IT: The Real Reason IT Departments Panic
Let’s move to the present.
The most significant reason VBA is blocked in organizations today has nothing to do with viruses. It’s about control. IT departments fear “Shadow IT”—solutions built by users that IT didn’t authorize and therefore can’t support.
Imagine this: a junior analyst opens a spreadsheet they’ve inherited. It doesn’t work. They call IT. IT says, “We don’t support this. We didn’t build it.” The user is stuck, the help desk is frustrated, and management hears only one thing: risk.
But here’s the irony: every formula, every Power Query, every Office Script is programming. Even typing =SUM(A1:A10) is programming. So the problem isn’t VBA. The problem is the attitude toward user-developed solutions. VBA just happens to be the most powerful—and therefore the most feared—of the lot.
3. The Double Standard: Python Good, VBA Bad?
Here’s where the story gets absurd. Many of the same companies that ban VBA allow other scripting platforms—Python, Office Scripts, Power Automate—without objection.
Why? Because these tools are new. They haven’t yet suffered from a PR disaster. And more importantly, most people don’t fully understand them. That ignorance buys them time.
But technically and functionally, these tools do the same thing: they automate tasks in Excel and beyond. So the distinction is arbitrary. And when you realize that, the ban on VBA begins to look less like a security measure—and more like a political move.
4. Who Really Feels Threatened?
Let’s be blunt. Sometimes the people most opposed to VBA are those who feel upstaged by it.
In one of my contracts, the IT department said I shouldn’t be allowed to operate without their oversight. Their reasoning? “By the time we hear what he’s doing, it’s already too late to stop it.”
The finance manager’s response? “Why do we want to stop it?”
VBA enables lateral thinkers and proactive problem solvers to implement solutions that IT departments often take months to deliver—if at all. It democratizes power. And for some, that’s deeply uncomfortable.
5. What VBA Really Is
Let’s clarify something fundamental: VBA is not a threat. It’s a bridge.
It’s a way of accessing Excel’s full capabilities directly—without needing to navigate ribbons, menus, or convoluted formulas. It gives you procedural control. It lets Excel work for you instead of you working in Excel.
And that’s why it’s so valuable.
6. My Career Was Built on VBA
Every breakthrough I delivered in my career—from process automation to full enterprise transformations—began with VBA.
- When accounting staff were duplicating data entry across incompatible systems, I used a few lines of VBA to eliminate it.
- When auditors couldn’t reconcile three versions of the truth, VBA created a control framework they could rely on.
- When IT said something couldn’t be done, I did it—with VBA.
And I didn’t just deliver results—I got promoted, hired back, and in one case, had my rate increased sevenfold. Not because I knew VBA. But because I used it to solve real business problems quickly and reliably.
7. The VBA Ban Is a Management Problem
Most of the time, when VBA is banned, it’s not because of risk. It’s because of ignorance or insecurity. Managers don’t understand what VBA does. Or they’ve been told by IT that it’s dangerous. Or—worst of all—they’re trying to keep their own teams from being shown up.
But real leadership doesn’t suppress solutions. It encourages them.
Every time I demonstrated the benefit of VBA to forward-thinking managers, they championed it. They used it to transform their departments, improve accuracy, increase efficiency, and reduce reliance on bloated, expensive ERP systems.
8. What Needs to Happen Now
If you’re someone who’s been told that “VBA is banned,” here’s what you should do:
- Ask why. Get to the root of the decision.
- Challenge misinformation. Show that VBA is just one of many tools—no more or less “dangerous” than any other.
- Demonstrate value. Use VBA to solve a problem visibly and reliably.
- Educate management. Don’t assume they understand the tech—they probably don’t. What they do understand is results.
And if you’re a decision-maker? Ask yourself: are we blocking progress because of a two-decade-old scare story? Or because we’re afraid of empowering people outside the IT department?
Conclusion: VBA Wins
The corporate politics, the social media misinformation, the historical baggage—none of it changes this one truth:
VBA works.
It’s fast. It’s built-in. It’s accessible. And it’s solved more problems for businesses than most of the buzzword-laden alternatives ever will.
If you’re still banning it, the question isn’t “why is VBA risky?” The question is: what opportunities are you afraid of discovering?
ABSTRACT
The Real Reason VBA Gets Banned
This article challenges the prevalent idea that VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is widely banned in companies due to security concerns. The author argues this notion is a myth stemming from a history of misinformation related to disruptive “worms” in the late 90s, which unjustly gave VBA a bad reputation despite Microsoft implementing patches and security measures. The real reasons for blocking VBA, according to the text, are rooted in corporate politics, specifically the fear of “Shadow IT” where users build solutions outside of official IT support, and a double standard that favors newer, less understood automation tools like Python and Office Scripts. Ultimately, the piece asserts that the ban is often a symptom of ignorance or insecurity within management and IT departments who fear empowering users with VBA’s problem-solving capabilities, rather than an actual risk.
Title Options:
- VBA and the Politics of Progress
- Why “VBA Is Banned” Is the Most Misunderstood Claim in Excel
- Shadow IT or Silent Hero? The Truth About Macros in the Enterprise
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