What is VBA in Google Sheets terms?
Google Sheets automation runs through Google Apps Script (JavaScript) and recorded macros, not VBA. In Excel, VBA is the desktop language behind macros, UserForms, and many add-ins. Rebuild Excel VBA in Apps Script: triggers, custom menus, and batch range updates replace most workbook automation.
When to use it
Use Apps Script or recorded macros when you are replacing Excel VBA that edits ranges, reacts to edits, or talks to other Google services.
When to skip it
Skip custom code when formulas, pivot tables, or an add-on already cover the workflow with less maintenance.
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Google Apps Script
Apps Script is Google's JavaScript platform for automating Sheets and other Workspace apps. From a spreadsheet you can open Extensions > Apps Script to write code that reads cells, sends email, builds menus, and runs on triggers. It goes beyond formulas when you need custom workflows tied to your file.
Read guide →Google Sheets macros
A macro records your clicks and keystrokes in Google Sheets, then saves them as an Apps Script function you can run again from the Extensions menu or a keyboard shortcut. Macros are the fastest on-ramp to automation when your task is a fixed sequence of formatting or edits.
Read guide →Apps Script triggers
Triggers tell Apps Script when to run a function: on edit, on open, on a schedule, or when a form is submitted. Simple triggers use reserved names like onEdit. Installable triggers are created in the Apps Script Triggers page and can do more, including running as a specific user or on a timer.
Read guide →Script Editor
The Script Editor is the Apps Script workspace inside your spreadsheet where you write JavaScript that talks to Sheets, Gmail, and other Google services. You open it from Extensions > Apps Script. Every function you save can be run manually, bound to a trigger, or linked from a custom menu.
Read guide →bound script
A bound script, also called a container-bound script, lives inside a specific spreadsheet file. You open it from Extensions > Apps Script and it travels with that workbook. getActiveSpreadsheet() works naturally because the script and sheet share one container. Most spreadsheet automations beginners build are bound scripts.
Read guide →Visual Basic
Visual Basic is the language family behind Excel VBA. Google Sheets does not run VB or VBA; the closest equivalent is Google Apps Script, which uses modern JavaScript syntax. Recorded macros in Sheets generate Apps Script you can extend, similar to how Excel's macro recorder outputs VBA.
Read guide →Done reading about VBA?
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