If you insert the following line before the spot where you intend to use the file, it will raise a ‘File not found’ error if the file doesn't exist: FileLen Substitute with a string constant or variable specifying the file name. If you prefer to use a more robust check that does not generate an error, just add this function to your project: Public Function FileExists(filename As String) As Boolean FileExists = Len(Dir(filename, vbNormal)) > 0 End Function Then call it as expected to check if a file exists: If FileExists("C: est.bas") Then End If