User FAQs

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1) Is there any Microsoft documentation for Office Scripts ?

link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/ 
link - developer.microsoft.com/en-us/office-scripts

2) Is there a forum for questions about Office Scripts in Excel ?
Post your questions in the Microsoft Q&A forum with the topic "office-scripts-excel-dev".

link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/topics/office-scripts-excel-dev.html

There is also a forum on techcommunity. The Excel hub forum with the label "Office Scripts".

link - techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/forums/filteredbylabelpage/board-id/ExcelGeneral/label-name/office%20scripts

There is also a forum on Stack Overflow with the tag "office-scripts".

link - stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/office-scripts

3) What is Office Scripts ?
The best way to think of Office Scripts is the JavaScript equivalent of VBA.
It can be used to record tasks and run them later.
This functionality is available to the user via the Automate Tab which needs to be enabled by your 365 administrator.
It has a Record and Play Back feature (similar to VBA).
These scripts can be used for steps in a Power Automate workflow and are only available in Excel at the moment.

4) What is the difference between Office Scripts and VBA ?

link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/vba-differences

5) What is the difference between Office Scripts and Office Add-ins ?
This page explains the differences.

6) Will Office Scripts replace VBA ?
No. Microsoft has not created Office Scripts as a replacement for VBA.
It is an additional programming model that works across platforms, has a sandboxed execution and can be used with Power Automate flows,

7) What is the Script Lab Add-in ?
The Script Lab add-in provides a task pane that contains an IDE (similar to the Visual Basic Editor).
This task pane can be used with both Office Scripts and Office Add-ins.
This task pane can be used to help you understand the Office JS API and to run snippets of code.

8) Where are the Office Scripts actually saved ?
They are saved on your OneDrive.

folder - C:\Users\"user name"\OneDrive\Documents\Office Scripts

9) What is the file format for office scripts ?
All office scripts have the file extension ".osts".

10) What is the ExcelScript namespace ?
The namespace is the top-level namespace used in Office Scripts.
It contains all the core types, classes, and interfaces you use when writing TypeScript automation scripts for Excel.
Every Office Script starts with
The workbook parameter is your gateway into the entire ExcelScript object model.

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) { 
    // your code 
}

11) What is the OfficeScript namespace ?
This namespace contains everything that is not Excel specific.
It includes getting access to script metadata, storage, permissions or the wrapper object.
Having this type of architecture will allow Office Scripts to scale beyond Excel at a later date.

12) Can you run your scripts in Multiple Workbooks ?
Yes. Your scripts are saved in your "personal/local" OneDrive for Business.
They can be run against any workbook that you have open.

13) Can you share your scripts with Other Users ?
Yes. Your scripts can be shared on a per workbook basis.
If a workbook contains a script, that script can be run by any users that have access to that file.
Being able to save them to a SharePoint library is being considered.

14) Can you use Office Scripts with Power Automate ?
Yes. When creating your flow you need to use the Excel Online Business Connector.

link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/samples/automate-tasks-on-all-excel-files-in-folder 
link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/samples/combine-worksheets-into-single-workbook 
link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/samples/convert-csv 
link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/samples/excel-cross-reference 
link - learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/scripts/resources/samples/email-images-chart-table

15) Is it possible to call Office Add-in code from inside an Office Script ?
No. At the moment it is not possible to call the Office JS API from the Office Script API.

16) Is it possible to call the Office Scripts API from inside an Office Add-in ?
No. At the moment the simplified/synchronous API cannot be used when working with the Office JS API.

17) Can you trigger a script from a double-click or change event ?
No. At the moment Office Scripts does not handle events.
Power Automate flows is currently the only way to trigger scripts.

18) Can you get user input while running an Office Script ?
At the moment Office Scripts can only get input from the user at the very start of the script.
This can be achieved by adding more arguments to the main() function

19) Will the WinAPI libraries be available for consumption by Office Scripts ?
No. Office Scripts is designed to run across all platforms, so integration with one operating systems APIs will not work on other platforms.

20) What is the VBA Userform equivalent in Office Scripts ?
There is no clear equivalent at the moment.
Power Automate and Microsoft Forms can be integrated.

21) Are there any videos about Office Scripts ?

(2025 June) - youtube.com/watch?v=d4Dx1N4p_OE - Office Scripts vs VBA In Excel - Excel For Freelancers 
(2021 July) - youtube.com/watch?v=MzSTu8OR87E - Why Office Scripts Won't Replace VBA  
(2021 May) - youtube.com/watch?v=fny4zUycp_w - Introduction to Office Scripts - Leila Gharani