VBA automation error in CreateObject(“InternetExplorer.Application”)

Question

I am getting the an automation error while invoking the following object

Set IE = CreateObject(\"InternetExplorer.Application\")

The error

Answer 1

For others who end up here with the same error...

This can also be caused by referencing the Document object property in an InternetExplorer object that has been quit and set to nothing. That this is not what is happening in this question but the following code throws the same error.

Dim ie As New InternetExplorer
ie.Visible = True
ie.Navigate "google.com"

ie.Quit
Set ie = Nothing

If ie.Document Is Nothing Then 'Error thrown here
    MsgBox "Can't get here"
End If

Answer 2

I just wasted 4 hours on this, and I'm facepalming at how easy the solution was. Excel creates a new activeX instance every time you run the line:

Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")

How exactly that works is out of my league, but those references stick around even after you restart excel. After a couple dozen pile up, excel runs out of memory to make more

Restart your computer, (probably an easier way, but that worked for me) and then stick the line

IE.Quit 

at the end of your code

Answer 3

Add the code to make sure all IE browsers are fully closed right before the Set line.
`Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")`

Change it to:
Call IE_Sledgehammer
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")

Add the Sledgehammer module as its own macro somewhere else in the workbook:

Sub IE_Sledgehammer()
Dim objWMI As Object, objProcess As Object, objProcesses As Object
Set objWMI = GetObject("winmgmts://.")
Set objProcesses = objWMI.ExecQuery( _
"SELECT * FROM Win32_Process WHERE Name = 'iexplore.exe'")
For Each objProcess In objProcesses
On Error Resume Next
Call objProcess.Terminate
Next
Set objProcesses = Nothing: Set objWMI = Nothing
End Sub