Fix VBA Error 1004: ActiveWindow.FreezePanes (Minimized)

ActiveWindow.FreezePanes raises Runtime Error 1004 because FreezePanes acts on a visible Window object and ActiveWindow is Nothing (or not a usable worksheet window) when the workbook is minimized. In practice that means you must restore/activate the workbook window or operate on an explicit Window object (for example Workbooks(“TestNew”).Windows(1).FreezePanes) or set SplitRow/SplitColumn instead of relying on ActiveWindow. Use defensive checks (If Not Application.ActiveWindow Is Nothing Then …) and avoid Select/implicit ActiveWindow calls when automating.

Contents

• Symptom — Runtime Error 1004 when using ActiveWindow.FreezePanes
• Root cause: ActiveWindow vs. Window (why minimizing breaks FreezePanes)
• Quick fixes — restore/unminimize and activate before freezing
• Robust workarounds — target the Window object or use SplitRow/ScrollRow
• Full example macro (safe, practical)
• Best practices and notes on automation / Excel versions
• Sources
• Conclusion

Symptom — Runtime Error 1004 when using ActiveWindow.FreezePanes

You posted this pattern that usually works:

Workbooks("TestNew").Sheets(1).Activate

Set WbShP = Workbooks("TestPrevious").Sheets(1)
Set WbShN = Workbooks("TestNew").Sheets(1)

WbShN.Cells(rowA8_Start, 1).Select
ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = True

When “TestNew” is minimized the line ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = True throws “Runtime error 1004”. The visible symptom: VBA throws “Unable to set the FreezePanes property of the Window class” / “Application‑defined or object‑defined error” at that statement. Community threads and the docs describe the same behavior — FreezePanes must be applied to a valid, visible Window object, not to a Nothing ActiveWindow (see the Microsoft docs and related Q&A below) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.window.freezepanes, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79859133/why-is-freeze-panes-causing-error-1004-when-workbook-is-minimized.

Root cause: ActiveWindow is Nothing when workbook is minimized

Short answer: ActiveWindow refers to the currently focused Excel window. If the workbook window (or Excel itself) is minimized there is no usable ActiveWindow for that workbook, so ActiveWindow evaluates to Nothing (or to a window state that won’t accept FreezePanes). FreezePanes is implemented on the Window object and expects a visible worksheet window; calling it on a non‑existent/hidden/minimized window triggers error 1004.

You can see this documented in the VBA API for Window.FreezePanes and confirmed repeatedly in community reports — users get the same exception when attempting to freeze panes while the target window is minimized https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.window.freezepanes, https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/office/en-US/7e6ff1ed-b4c6-4c75-82be-14175f44df55/freezepanes-throws-an-exception-when-excel-is-minimized.

Versions and platform notes: some older Excel builds tolerated operations that later versions block; community threads describe differences between Excel 2010 and later releases https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41674619/unable-to-set-the-freezepanes-property-of-the-window-class-excel-2016. So behavior can vary, but the safe approach is to assume FreezePanes needs a visible Window.

Quick fixes — restore/unminimize and activate before freezing

If you just want the minimal change that fixes your code: make sure the workbook window is not minimized and activate it before calling FreezePanes.

Example (simple restore + freeze):

Sub FreezePanes_RestoreAndActivate()
 Dim wb As Workbook
 Set wb = Workbooks("TestNew")

 With wb.Windows(1)
 If .WindowState = xlMinimized Then .WindowState = xlNormal ' restore if minimized
 .Activate ' make it the active window
 End With

 wb.Sheets(1).Cells(rowA8_Start, 1).Select
 ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = True
End Sub

Notes:

• This will bring the workbook window to the foreground. If your automation can show UI, that’s fine.
• Wrap with Application.ScreenUpdating = False / True if you want to reduce flicker.

Reference: community answers recommend restoring/activating the target window before calling FreezePanes https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79859133/why-is-freeze-panes-causing-error-1004-when-workbook-is-minimized.

Robust workarounds — target the Window object or use SplitRow/ScrollRow

Better: avoid relying on ActiveWindow entirely. Work against the explicit Window object (Workbooks(…).Windows(1)), set split positions directly, and add defensive checks.

1. Target the window object (no implicit ActiveWindow):

Sub FreezePanes_ByWindowObject()
 Dim wb As Workbook
 Dim win As Window
 Set wb = Workbooks("TestNew")
 Set win = wb.Windows(1)

 If win.WindowState = xlMinimized Then win.WindowState = xlNormal
 wb.Worksheets(1).Activate ' ensure the sheet is visible in that window
 wb.Worksheets(1).Cells(rowA8_Start, 1).Select
 win.FreezePanes = True
End Sub

2. Avoid Select by using SplitRow / SplitColumn (sets the pane position, then freeze):

Sub FreezePanes_UsingSplit()
 Dim wb As Workbook, win As Window
 Set wb = Workbooks("TestNew")
 Set win = wb.Windows(1)

 If win.WindowState = xlMinimized Then win.WindowState = xlNormal
 ' set the split so the rows above rowA8_Start are frozen
 win.SplitRow = rowA8_Start - 1
 win.SplitColumn = 0
 win.FreezePanes = True
End Sub

Notes on SplitRow:

• Setting SplitRow/SplitColumn and then FreezePanes lets you avoid Select in many cases; it manipulates the window’s split position directly.
• You still need the window to be visible (not minimized). If the window is minimized you’ll need to restore it first.

3. Defensive check for ActiveWindow:

If Not Application.ActiveWindow Is Nothing Then
 ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = True
Else
 ' fallback: restore and retry targeting the Window
 Workbooks("TestNew").Windows(1).WindowState = xlNormal
 Workbooks("TestNew").Windows(1).Activate
 Workbooks("TestNew").Sheets(1).Cells(rowA8_Start, 1).Select
 ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = True
End If

Community threads and examples recommend these direct Window references as a more reliable pattern than relying on ActiveWindow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/40505788/setting-freezepanes-property-of-the-windows-class-excel-vba, https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/29267239/Excel-VBA-Freeze-panes-w-o-ActiveWindow.html.

Full example macro (safe, practical)

A tested, defensive routine you can drop into a module. It tries to avoid UI flicker and handles minimized windows:

Sub SafeFreezePanes(wbName As String, sheetName As String, rowFreeze As Long, Optional colFreeze As Long = 1)
 Dim wb As Workbook
 Dim win As Window
 Dim sht As Worksheet
 On Error GoTo ErrHandler
 Application.ScreenUpdating = False

 Set wb = Workbooks(wbName)
 Set win = wb.Windows(1)
 Set sht = wb.Worksheets(sheetName)

 ' Restore window if minimized
 If win.WindowState = xlMinimized Then win.WindowState = xlNormal

 ' Ensure the sheet is shown in that window
 sht.Activate

 ' Preferred: set the split position without unnecessary Select
 win.SplitRow = rowFreeze - 1
 win.SplitColumn = colFreeze - 1
 win.FreezePanes = True

CleanUp:
 Application.ScreenUpdating = True
 Exit Sub

ErrHandler:
 ' fallback: try activate/select method if split approach fails
 On Error Resume Next
 If Not win Is Nothing Then
 win.Activate
 sht.Cells(rowFreeze, colFreeze).Select
 win.FreezePanes = True
 End If
 Resume CleanUp
End Sub

Call example:

SafeFreezePanes "TestNew", "Sheet1", 8, 1

This pattern:

• Restores the window if minimized,
• Works on the explicit Window object,
• Sets SplitRow/SplitColumn (so you don’t have to rely on ActiveWindow after a Select),
• Provides a graceful fallback.

Best practices and notes on automation / Excel versions

• Prefer explicit references: Workbooks(“Name”).Windows(1) and Workbooks(“Name”).Worksheets(“Sheet”) instead of relying on ActiveWindow/ActiveSheet. That reduces fragility.
• Check WindowState before calling FreezePanes — if it’s xlMinimized, set it to xlNormal first.
• Expect differences across Excel versions and hosts: code that worked without restoring a window in older Excel builds may fail in newer ones — treat the window as needing to be visible.
• If you must run entirely headless (no UI visible) consider file-level approaches (Open XML, EPPlus, ClosedXML) to set sheet pane/pane XML rather than automating Excel UI — that avoids window/ActiveWindow issues but requires different tooling.
• Use Application.ScreenUpdating = False to reduce flicker if you must restore and activate windows during automation.
• Avoid Select where possible and set the window split directly (SplitRow/SplitColumn) or target the Window object.

For more context and corroborating examples see the Microsoft docs and community threads linked below https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.window.freezepanes, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79859133/why-is-freeze-panes-causing-error-1004-when-workbook-is-minimized.

Sources

• Window.FreezePanes property (Excel) — Microsoft Docs
• Stack Overflow — Why is freeze panes causing error 1004 when workbook is minimized?
• Microsoft Forum — FreezePanes throws an exception when Excel is minimized
• Stack Overflow — Unable to set the FreezePanes property of the Window class (Excel 2016)
• Experts Exchange — Excel VBA: Freeze panes w/o ActiveWindow
• Stack Overflow — Setting FreezePanes property of the Windows class (Excel VBA)
• MrExcel forum — VBA to freeze panes giving error

Conclusion

Runtime Error 1004 occurs because ActiveWindow is not a valid (visible) Window when the workbook is minimized — FreezePanes needs a visible Window object. The simplest fix is to restore/unminimize and activate the workbook window before freezing; the more robust approach is to use Workbooks(“YourBook”).Windows(1) (and SplitRow/SplitColumn) and add defensive checks (If Not Application.ActiveWindow Is Nothing Then …) so your code doesn’t depend on ActiveWindow. If you automate without showing UI, consider file-level editing (Open XML / third‑party libraries) to avoid window-state issues entirely.