Google's Macro Converter needs Enterprise Plus. Here's what to do instead
You moved a workbook to Google Sheets, the buttons stopped working, and you found Google's Macro Converter add-on. Then you found out you can't use it. This page explains why, and compares the four realistic ways to get your VBA macros running in Sheets, with honest costs for each. One of them is our product. We say so where it comes up.
Why the Macro Converter won't run for you
Google's documentation is explicit:
"You must have a Google Workspace Enterprise Plus account or a Google Workspace for Education Plus account." (Google for Developers: Macro Converter overview)
The Marketplace listing says the same: the add-on "is only available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers" (Marketplace listing). On Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus or a personal Gmail account, you can install it but not use it.
That explains the reviews. When we checked (November 2026), the listing showed 3M+ users and a 2.4-star average from 222 ratings. Most written reviews describe the same surprise:
"Downloaded it only to find out it can't be used without an Enterprise Plus License" (review, July 2025)
Enterprise plans have no public price; the pricing page shows "Contact sales". For a team that needs one workbook converted, upgrading is rarely the answer.
Even with Enterprise Plus, the converter doesn't do everything
Google's own guide lists what it leaves to you (Address common issues):
- UserForms: "The Macro Converter doesn't convert UserForms. Manually create them in Apps Script."
- Triggers: "keyboard shortcuts and some event-based triggers, aren't converted". Events like
BeforeCloseandBeforeSavehave no Apps Script equivalent. - Named ranges: Excel tables need a workaround. For "lists of ranges" there is none.
- Printing:
PrintOutconverts, but "the Apps Script API prints to a file instead of a printer."
Google also expects you to "read and understand basic scripts" (overview). Any route still ends with you testing the result.
Your four options
| Option | Typical cost | Time | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Upgrade to Enterprise Plus | Contact Google sales, per user | Days (procurement) | Organizations that want Enterprise features anyway | Paying for every seat to convert a few files; the gaps above still apply |
| 2. Rewrite by hand | Your time | Hours to days per workbook | Small macros, people who know JavaScript | VBA and JavaScript differ in quiet ways (see below) |
| 3. Hire a freelancer | $35 for up to 50 lines (PeoplePerHour); dedicated Fiverr conversion gigs from $250 (Fiverr search) | 2–7 days | Large or messy workbooks, UserForm-heavy apps | Sharing your files; quality varies |
| 4. Convert with an add-on that works on every plan | Free check; $12 per project with VBA Migrate (our product), or a free alternative | Minutes | Typical business macros under 700 lines | You still test the output; very large projects need splitting |
There is also a fifth option many people try first: paste the code into a general AI chat. It works for short snippets. It struggles with whole workbooks, because nothing extracts the modules from your .xlsm, nothing checks which calls have no Google equivalent, and nothing tells you which lines now behave differently.
The quiet differences that break hand or chat conversions
These are VBA behaviours that a line-by-line JavaScript translation gets wrong without any error. We verified the JavaScript results by running them.
| VBA expression | VBA result | Naive JavaScript | JavaScript result |
|---|---|---|---|
Round(2.5) |
2 (banker's rounding) | Math.round(2.5) |
3 |
"10" + 5 |
15 | "10" + 5 |
"105" |
12.6 Mod 5 |
3 (operands rounded first) | 12.6 % 5 |
2.5999999999999996 |
DateAdd("m", 1, #2026-01-31#) |
2026-02-28 | d.setMonth(d.getMonth() + 1) |
2026-03-03 |
Weekday(#2026-11-09#) |
2 (Sunday = 1) | d.getDay() |
1 (Sunday = 0) |
Cells(i, 3) in a loop |
fast in Excel | getRange(i, 3).getValue() per row |
correct but can hit Apps Script's 6-minute limit on big sheets |
One wrong rounding rule inside an invoice macro is enough to make totals disagree with last year's Excel output. That's why whatever route you choose should include a test against real data.
How to decide in two minutes
- Already on Enterprise Plus or Education Plus? Use Google's converter first, then fix the gaps listed above.
- Fewer than ~30 lines and you know JavaScript? Rewrite it yourself. Use the table above as a checklist.
- Under 700 lines of typical business logic (ranges, loops, lookups, MsgBox, Workbook_Open, Worksheet_Change)? Run a free compatibility check with an add-on that works on your plan, and convert if the report looks clean.
- Thousands of lines, many UserForms, or Windows API calls? Hire someone, and run a compatibility report first so you can show them exactly what needs rebuilding.
Try the free check
VBA Migrate is a Google Sheets add-on we built for option 4. It works on Business Starter, Business Standard and personal accounts. The compatibility report is free and unlimited, and your first project up to 150 lines converts free. After that it's $12 per project, one-time. If the converted code doesn't work and we can't fix it, you get a full refund within 14 days.
Run a free compatibility check →
VBA Migrate is not affiliated with Google or Microsoft. Google Sheets™ and Google Apps Script™ are trademarks of Google LLC; Microsoft® Excel® is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Listing figures and prices as checked on 2026-11-10.