VBA Logical Operators: AND, OR, NOT, IF NOT in Excel VBA

The three descriptions above are easier to hold in mind as a single grid of inputs and results.

Truth Table for VBA Logical Operators

A truth table lists every combination of inputs and the result each operator returns. Reading it once removes the guesswork from any condition you later write.

Two patterns are worth memorising. AND produces True on only one row out of four, so it narrows a selection. OR produces False on only one row, so it widens one. NOT takes a single condition rather than two, which is why it has one column of its own.

VBA Logical Operators Example Source Code

For the sake of simplicity, we will be comparing hard coded numbers.

Add ActiveX buttons to the sheet from the “Insert option.”

Set the properties as shown in the image below

The following table shows the properties that you need to change and the values that you need to update too.

Add the following code to btnAND_Click

Private Sub btnAND_Click()
If (1 = 1) And (0 = 0) Then
    MsgBox "AND evaluated to TRUE", vbOKOnly, "AND operator"
Else
    MsgBox "AND evaluated to FALSE", vbOKOnly, "AND operator"
End If
End Sub

VBA If AND Operator

• “If (1 = 1) And (0 = 0) Then” the if statement uses the AND logical operator to combine two conditions (1 = 1) And (0 = 0). If both conditions are true, the code above ‘Else’ keyword is executed. If both conditions are not true, the code below ‘Else’ keyword is executed.

Both conditions are true here, so clicking the button shows “AND evaluated to TRUE”.

Add the following code to btnOR_Click

Private Sub btnOR_Click()
If (1 = 1) Or (5 = 0) Then
    MsgBox "OR evaluated to TRUE", vbOKOnly, "OR operator"
Else
    MsgBox "OR evaluated to FALSE", vbOKOnly, "OR operator"
End If
End Sub

VBA If OR Operator

• “If (1 = 1) Or (5 = 0) Then” the if statement uses the OR logical operator to combine two conditions (1 = 1) Or (5 = 0). If any of the conditions is true, the code above Else keyword is executed. If both conditions are false, the code below Else keyword is executed.

The first condition is true and the second is false, so OR still returns true and the message reads “OR evaluated to TRUE”.

Add the following code to btnNOT_Click

Private Sub btnNOT_Click()
If Not (0 = 0) Then
    MsgBox "NOT evaluated to TRUE", vbOKOnly, "NOT operator"
Else
    MsgBox "NOT evaluated to FALSE", vbOKOnly, "NOT operator"
End If
End Sub

VBA If NOT Operator

• “If Not (0 = 0) Then” the VBA If Not function uses the NOT logical operator to negate the result of the if statement condition. The inner condition (0 = 0) is true, so Not turns it into false and the code below the ‘Else’ keyword is executed. Had the inner condition been false, Not would have made it true and the code above ‘Else’ would have run instead.

These three buttons each test a fixed value. Real conditions read from the worksheet and mix both families of operator.

How to Combine Logical and Comparison Operators

A production macro rarely tests a hard coded number. It reads a value, compares it, and joins several of those comparisons into one decision. The macro below approves an order only when the product exists, the quantity is sufficient, and the customer account is not on hold.

Sub ApproveOrder()
    Dim QtyOnHand As Long
    Dim QtyOrdered As Long
    Dim OnHold As Boolean

    QtyOnHand = Sheet1.Range("B2").Value
    QtyOrdered = Sheet1.Range("B3").Value
    OnHold = Sheet1.Range("B4").Value

    ' All three parts must hold for the order to pass
    If (QtyOrdered > 0) And (QtyOnHand >= QtyOrdered) And Not OnHold Then
        Sheet1.Range("B5").Value = "Approved"
    Else
        Sheet1.Range("B5").Value = "On hold"
    End If
End Sub

Three rules keep a combined condition readable and correct.

• Bracket every comparison: VBA evaluates comparison operators before logical ones, but brackets make the grouping obvious and prevent a mistake when the condition later grows.
• Mind the precedence of And over Or: A Or B And C is read as A Or (B And C). If you meant (A Or B) And C, the brackets are compulsory.
• Apply Not to a Boolean, not to a number: Not OnHold reads naturally. Avoid Not 5, because Not performs a bitwise operation on numbers and returns -6 rather than False.

⚠️ Warning: VBA does not short-circuit. In If (ws Is Nothing) Or (ws.Name = “Data”) Then, the second part still runs even when the first is true, which raises run-time error 91. Split such guards into nested If statements.

Xor, Eqv, and Imp Operators in VBA

AND, OR, and NOT cover almost every everyday condition, but VBA supplies three more logical operators that occasionally express a rule far more clearly than a nest of If statements.

Xor is the most practical of the three. It suits a rule such as “a discount applies to a staff member or a loyalty member, but not to someone who is both”. Eqv and Imp appear mainly in older code and in logic exercises, so recognising them matters more than writing them.

Download Excel containing above code

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