VBA Check if File or Folder Exists

VBA allows you to check if a file or folder exists by using the Dir function.

Using the Dir Command to Check If a File Exists

As we mentioned in the introduction, the Dir function allows us to check if a selected file exists on the computer. Here is the code:

Sub CheckFileExists ()

Dim strFileName As String
Dim strFileExists As String

    strFileName = "C:\Users\Nikola\Desktop\VBA articles\Test File Exists.xlsx"
    strFileExists = Dir(strFileName)

   If strFileExists = "" Then
        MsgBox "The selected file doesn't exist"
    Else
        MsgBox "The selected file exists"
    End If

End Sub

We first assigned the file path to the variable strFileName. Then we use the Dir function to get the file name into the variable strFileExists. If the file exists in the directory, its name will be assigned to the string variable strFileExists.  If it does not exist then strFileExists will remain blank.  Finally, the message box appears informing us if the file exists or not.

Using the Dir Command to Check If a Folder Exists

Similarly to checking if a file exists, you can check if a folder exists. You just need to add one argument to the Dir command. Let’s look at the code:

Sub CheckFolderExists ()

Dim strFolderName As String
Dim strFolderExists As String

    strFolderName = "C:\Users\Nikola\Desktop\VBA articles\Test Folder\"
    strFolderExists = Dir(strFolderName, vbDirectory)

    If strFolderExists = "" Then
        MsgBox "The selected folder doesn't exist"
    Else
        MsgBox "The selected folder exists"
    End If

End Sub

We first assigned the folder path to the variable strFolderName. Then we use the Dir function to get the file name into the variable strFileExists. In order to check a folder, we need to add the second argument to the function – vbDirecotry. If the folder exists in the directory, its name will be assigned to the variable strFolderExists. If not strFolderExists will remain blank.

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