Practical Techniques to Find Last Rows and Columns in Excel Using VBA

In Excel data processing, it is important to know the last row or column used, especially when dealing with a large and ever-changing dataset. Knowing the limitations of the previous row or column helps determine which areas of data to be processed further, such as adding data, creating automated reports, or performing further analysis. Manually searching for the last row or column can be time-consuming, especially if your data is updated frequently.

To that end, VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) offers several efficient ways to automatically find the last row or column in a worksheet. By using this method, you can improve work efficiency and reduce the chances of errors in data processing.

VBA Method to Find Last Used Line

Finding the last row filled in a worksheet is an important step in automating data processing in Excel. Here are two VBA methods that can be used to find the last filled row: End(xlUp) and UsedRange.

Using End(xlUp)

This method is one of the most common and efficient ways to find the last row that is not blank in a column in Excel. Using the End(xlUp) command, you can start at the bottom row in a specified column and move up until you find the first cell that is filled.

How this method works:

• VBA will count the total rows in the worksheet and then use the End(xlUp) method to move up from the last row until it finds the cell containing the data.
• This method is very useful because it can ignore any blank cells that may exist between the data.

Example Code:

Sub FindingLastRow()
	Dim wS As Worksheet
	Dim LastRow As Long

	' Replace "Sheet1" with your worksheet name
	Set wS = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1") 

	' Find the last non-blank row in column A
	LastRow = wS.Cells(wS.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row

	Debug.Print LastRow ' Display the result in the Immediate window
End Sub

Utilizing UsedRange

This method leverages the UsedRange property of the worksheet to define the boundaries of the area that has been used. This way, you can easily find the last row that contains the data, even if there are blank cells between them.

Steps to Use UsedRange:

• The UsedRange provides information about all the cells used in the worksheet, and you can count the number of rows from this area to find the last row.
• However, keep in mind that if there are blank cells at the bottom of the data, this method may not give you the right results.

Example Code:

Sub FindingLastRowUsingUsedRange()
	Dim wS As Worksheet
	Dim LastRow As Long

	' Replace "Sheet1" with your worksheet name
	Set wS = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1") 

	' Find the last non-blank row using UsedRange
	LastRow = wS.UsedRange.Rows.Count

	Debug.Print LastRow ' Display the result in the Immediate window
End Sub

VBA Method to Find Last Used Column

In data processing in Excel, it is important to know the last column that was filled, especially when you are dealing with a dataset that has many columns. Here are two commonly used VBA methods for finding the last column in a worksheet: End(xlToLeft) and UsedRange.

Using End(xlToLeft)

This method is an efficient way to find the last column filled in an Excel worksheet. Using the End(xlToLeft) command, you can start from the rightmost column and move to the left until you find the first column that contains the data.

How this method works:

• VBA will count the total columns in the worksheet and then use the End(xlToLeft) method to move left from the last column until it finds the filled cell.
• This method is especially useful when you want to know the data limit in a particular row, such as the first row.

Example Code:

Sub FindingLastCol()
	Dim wS As Worksheet
	Dim LastCol As Long

	' Replace "Sheet1" with your worksheet name
	Set wS = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")

	' Find the last non-blank column in row 1
	LastCol = wS.Cells(1, wS.Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column

	' Display the result in the Immediate window
	Debug.Print LastCol
End Sub