excel VBA break execution when there's no break key on keyboard
just press the escape key twice ;-)
Solution #1 (It works most of the time): When some particular keys (Pause, Break or ScrLk) are missing on the keyboard and pressing Esc 2, 3 or multiple times doesn't stop the macro too.
Step #01: If your keyboard does not have a specific key, please do not worry and open the 'OnScreen Keyboard' from Windows Utilities by pressing Win + U.
Step #02: Now, try any of the below option and of them will definitely work depending on your system architecture i.e. OS and Office version
- Ctrl + Pause
- Ctrl + ScrLk
- Esc + Esc (Press twice consecutively)
You will be put into break mode using the above key combinations as the macro suspends execution immediately finishing the current task. For eg. if it is pulling the data from the web then it will halt immediately before executing any next command but after pulling the data, following which one can press F5 or F8 to continue the debugging.
When Solution #1 doesn't work or you need a permanent solution then try adding a new KEY to the Registry. (I am running Win 10 Creators Update on Dell 3530 Inspiron Laptop)
Disclaimer: Please only make changes to Windows Registry at your own risk and it is advisable only if you are windows administrator or have prior experience in the changing the key values in the registry.
You can also look for Solution #2 which use accessibility keyboard Win + U
Solution #2: 1) Click the START, then type REGEDIT into the search box. This will start the registry editor.
2) Explore the Registry, expanding each element HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -SYSTEM -Current Control Set - Control - Keyboard Layout
Click on the Scancode Map, and EDIT the key values to match that shown below. i.e. to have values of : 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,46,e0,44,00,00,00,00,00
Once Done you will need to reboot your laptop, but after that, you can use as the pause/Break Key.
To understand it in detail and customize it as per your needs, please refer this link: KeyBoard Scancodes
Despite this being an old question, I have just encountered the same issue and discovered that Ctrl+Scroll lock works as a break.
"Scroll lock" can be accessed on my DELL Laptop via the blue function key "Fn" and the "F6" key which has a small blue lock symbol on it with an ⇳ symbol in it. At other computers it may look like ⤓ . So effectively I press Ctrl+Fn+F6.