Formatting with Themes — Soliciting Help 17
You can change the theme in a workbook by clicking the Themes button in the
Ribbon’s Page Layout tab and selecting a new theme from the gallery that appears.
Remember: The three Microsoft Office applications — Excel 2007, Word 2007, and
PowerPoint 2007 — share the same themes. If you create reports that combine
elements from each application, your reports will have a consistent look if you
use a common theme.
Soliciting Help
With so many features and options available in Excel, it isn’t unusual to get
stuck once in a while. Fortunately, Excel provides the following methods for get-
ting help easily:
Enhanced ScreenTips: Standard ScreenTips (also called ToolTips) have
been available in Excel for some time and provide textual context to
commands. After you hover your mouse pointer over a command in earlier
versions of Excel, Excel displays the action of the command using either a
single word (such as Paste) or a brief phrase (such as Increase Font Size).
A standard ScreenTip helps to decipher the meaning of a command button,
for example, when the button has no associated text and the command
meaning is unclear from the button icon.
Enhanced ScreenTips take the concept a step further by adding a short
description explaining the purpose of the command (hence the prefix
Enhanced). Some Enhanced ScreenTips include an explanatory graphic
when a text description is insufficient to explain the meaning of the com-
mand. Enhanced ScreenTips are available for all commands on the Ribbon.
In many cases, the ScreenTip explanation provides enough information, so
you don’t have to seek additional help. By default, Excel 2007 uses
Enhanced ScreenTips for all commands.
Contextual help: If the Enhanced ScreenTip doesn’t offer enough for you
to understand the use of a specific command, you can get more detailed
help. After you hover the mouse pointer over the command, the Enhanced
ScreenTip that pops up lets you know whether additional help for the com-
mand is available by indicating that you can press F1 for more help.
If you are in a dialog box and need help for the dialog box options, press
the help button (the question mark) to get contextual help.
General help: Click the help button (the question mark) on the right side
of the Ribbon or press F1 when you are not in a specific context (for exam-
ple, the mouse pointer is not hovering over a command in the Ribbon) to
display a list of general help topics.
18 Part 1: Getting to Know Excel 2007
When you use contextual help or general help, Excel displays the help viewer,
shown in Figure 1-9. The viewer sports Internet browser-style controls. In fact, it
was built using the same technology that Microsoft uses in its Internet Explorer
browser application. Of course, the viewer is not a full-fledged browser because
you can view only Excel help content.
Search box
Home Print
Refresh Text size
Stop TOC
Forward Go (search) Maximize/Restore
Back Pin Search scope Minimize Close
Figure 1-9
Status bar Connection status
Search result window
Soliciting Help 19
The major features of the help viewer follow:
Search box: You can enter specific search text in this box. The viewer
stores a list of your text searches for the current help session. Click the
drop-down arrow on the side of the box to view and select an item from the
list if you want to review a previous search result.
Search button: Click the Search button (or press Enter) to initiate a search
after you enter the search text in the search box. Click the arrow next to
the search button to define the search scope. By default, if your computer
is connected to the Internet, Excel will display help content from an online
source. If possible, you should use this source as your first choice because
Microsoft updates the contents of online help regularly.
If you are offline when you initiate a search, Excel uses help content inter-
nal to your system. You can force Excel to use internal help content always
by clicking the arrow next to the Search button and choosing Offline Excel
Help from the menu.
Whether online or offline, you can narrow you search scope further by
selecting an appropriate option from the Search button menu.
Search result window: This window displays the results of your search
request. If you use contextual help or enter text in the search box, the
window displays help information specific to the context of the search. If
you use general help, the window displays a list of general help topics in
the form of titled links. Clicking a link displays a new set of links with more
specific titles. Click the specific link title that best matches your search cri-
terion to display detailed information on the topic.
Status bar: The left side of the status bar (located at the bottom of the help
viewer) displays the current search scope. The right side of the status bar
displays the connection status. You can click in the connection status area
to switch quickly between viewing online and offline help content.
Maximize/Restore button: Click this button for a full-screen view of the
help window. Click again to restore the window to its previous size.
Minimize button: Click this button to hide the help viewer window. Click
the Help button on the Windows taskbar (normally located below the Excel
window) to redisplay the viewer.
Close button: Click this button to close the help viewer.
Pin button: By default, Excel keeps the help viewer window on top when
you are working in the application. Use the Pin button to control this
behavior. If you “unpin” the viewer, Excel hides the window automatically if
you click anywhere inside the Excel window.
20 Part 1: Getting to Know Excel 2007
TOC (Table of Contents) button: Click this button to display a Table of
Contents pane on the left side of the help viewer. The pane displays the
same list of topics that the main windows displays after you select general
help or click the Home button. Clicking a main topic in the pane displays a
list of subtopics, similar to the subtopics that the main windows displays
after you click a general help topic link. The Table of Contents pane is con-
venient if you want to view the details of multiple subtopics in succession.
Text size button: Click this button to select a size for the text in the search
result window.
Print button: Click this button to print the help topic that the search result
window displays.
Home button: After browsing multiple helps topics in the search result
window, you might want to return to the list of main help topics to choose
another general topic link. Click the Home button to return to the list of
main help topics.
Refresh button: Click this button to refresh the help topic list after you
connect or disconnect from the Internet while the help viewer is open.
Stop button: Click this button to cancel a search request if the help viewer
is experiencing difficulties connecting to the online help source.
Back and Forward buttons: After browsing multiple helps topics in the
search result window, you might want to navigate among results and various
levels of detail. Click the Back or Forward button to perform your navigation.
If you want to resize the help viewer window, move the mouse pointer to any
edge of the window until the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, and
then drag the mouse.
Part 2
Managing Workbooks
Working with documents is critical to using any software. Microsoft Excel docu-
ments are known as workbooks. This part covers the procedures that you need
to know to manage workbook documents efficiently.
In this part . . .
Arranging Windows Automatically
Comparing Two Workbooks Side by Side
Creating an Empty Workbook
Creating Multiple Windows (Views) for a Workbook
Opening and Saving Files
Protecting and Unprotecting a Workbook
Working with Workbook Templates
22 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
Activating a Workbook
A workbook is active when its window is maximized in the Excel window or after
you select any part of the workbook when its window is not maximized. See also
“Familiarizing Yourself with the Excel 2007 Window,” in Part 1 and “Switching
among Open Workbooks,” later in this part.
Arranging Windows Automatically
If you want all your open workbook windows visible on-screen, you can move
and resize them manually — or you can have Excel do it automatically. Follow
these steps to make all open workbooks visible on the Excel screen:
1. Click the View tab in the Ribbon.
2. Click the Arrange All button. Excel displays the Arrange Windows dialog
box.
3. Choose from the Tiled, Horizontal, Vertical, or Cascade options.
4. Click OK.
You can save the layout of your open workbooks for future use. See “Using a
Workspace File,” later in this part.
See also “Comparing Two Workbooks Side by Side,” later in this part.
Changing the Default File Location
When you’re opening a document in Excel, by default the Open dialog box
points to the My Documents folder (Windows XP) or the Documents folder
(Windows Vista) as the starting location to open documents. If you keep fre-
quently used documents in a different folder, you may want the Open dialog box
to point to this different folder to save some navigation steps. To change the
default folder, follow these steps:
1. Click the Office button, and then click the Excel Options button. The Excel
Options dialog box appears. The options are divided into sections, which
appear in a list on the left side of the dialog box.
2. Click the Save section.
Activating a Workbook — Closing a Workbook 23
3. In the Default File Location text box, enter the path of the new default
starting location to open documents. For example, if your new default
document location is in a subfolder named Excel, which itself is in the My
Documents or Documents folder, add \Excel to the default path. The new
location in the text box should read C:\Users\Username\Documents\
Excel, where Username is the actual name of the user indicated in the
text box.
4. Click OK.
Closing a Workbook
If you’re no longer working with a workbook , you may want to close the work-
book so that you can work on other documents without distraction. Closing
unneeded workbooks also frees memory and minimizes potential screen clutter.
To close the unneeded workbook or workbooks, follow these steps:
1. If multiple workbooks are open, ensure that the workbook you want to
close is active as follows: Click the View tab on the Ribbon, click the
Switch Windows button, and select the workbook from the list of names in
the menu.
2. Use any of the following methods to close the workbook:
• Click the Office button and then choose Close.
• Click the Close button on the far right of the Ribbon tab area (or on
the workbook’s title bar if the workbook is not maximized).
• Double-click the Control button on the far left of the workbook’s title
bar if the workbook is not maximized.
• Press Ctrl+F4.
• Press Ctrl+W.
If you’ve made any changes to your workbook since the last time you saved it,
Excel asks whether you want to save the changes before closing the workbook.
24 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
Comparing Two Workbooks Side by Side
Sometimes you have two versions of a workbook, and you want to compare the dif-
ferences in the data visually. Excel provides a convenient feature that allows you to
compare two documents side by side. To use this feature, follow these steps:
1. Open the workbooks you want to compare.
2. Click the View tab on the Ribbon and then click the View Side by Side
button. Excel arranges the windows of the two workbooks horizontally. If
you have more than two workbooks open, Excel displays a dialog box
from which you select the name of the workbook you want to compare
with the active workbook.
3. Click a worksheet tab in each workbook to display the worksheet data you
want to compare.
4. In the View tab, click the Synchronous Scrolling button to toggle synchro-
nized scrolling on and off. After you enable synchronized scrolling,
the rows and columns in the two worksheets being compared scroll
simultaneously.
5. You can click the Reset Window Position button in the View tab to ensure
that the two workbook windows are sized equally and aligned horizon-
tally. You need to use the button only if you adjust either or both window
sizes during the current session.
You can save the layout of the open workbooks you’re comparing for future use.
See “Using a Workspace File,” later in this part.
Creating an Empty Workbook
After you start Excel, it automatically creates a new (empty) workbook that it
calls Book1. If you’re starting a new project from scratch, you can use this blank
workbook.
You can create another blank workbook in the following ways:
Press Ctrl+N.
Click the Office button, choose New, select Blank Workbook, and click
Create.
You can add a button to the Quick Access toolbar that allows you to create a
blank workbook with a single mouse click. Click the arrow to the right of the
Quick Access toolbar and choose New from the menu. Excel adds the New button
to the toolbar. See also “Working with the Quick Access Toolbar,” in Part 1.
Comparing Two Workbooks Side by Side — Opening Nonstandard Files 25
Creating Multiple Windows (Views) for a Workbook
Sometimes, you want to view two parts of a worksheet at once. Or you want to
see more than one sheet in the same workbook at the same time. You can
accomplish either of these actions by displaying your workbook in one or more
additional windows.
To create a new view of the active workbook, click the View tab on the Ribbon
and then click the New Window button. Excel displays a new window for the
active workbook. To help you keep track of the windows, Excel appends a colon
and a number to the workbook name in each window, as shown in Figure 2-1.
Figure 2-1
See also “Arranging Windows Automatically,” earlier in this part, and “Comparing
Two Workbooks Side by Side,” earlier in this part.
Remember: A single workbook can have as many views (that is, separate win-
dows) as you want.
Displaying multiple windows for a workbook also makes copying information
from one worksheet to another easier. You can use Excel’s drag-and-drop proce-
dures to copy a cell, a range, or a chart. See also “Copying Cells and Ranges,” in
Part 4, and “Resizing, Moving, Copying, and Deleting an Embedded Chart,” in
Part 10.
Opening Nonstandard Files
In addition to files in its native format, Excel 2007 can open files in non-Excel
2007 formats, including older Excel and text files. Excel 2007 can open files that
weren’t saved in its native format by using filters to open the foreign file as a
workbook document.
26 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
To open a file in a non-Excel 2007 format, follow these steps:
1. Click the Office button and then choose Open. Excel displays the Open
dialog box.
2. Windows XP: In the Files of Type drop-down list, select the file type.
Windows Vista: Click the button located above the Open and Close button
and choose a file type from the menu. By default, the button text reads All
Excel Files (*.xl*;*.xlsx;*.xlsm) but the text changes if you select a differ-
ent file type.
3. Windows XP: In the Look In drop-down list, navigate to the folder that con-
tains the file.
Windows Vista: In the Folders window on the left side of the dialog box,
navigate to the folder that contains the document. If the Folders window
isn’t displayed, click Folders.
4. Select the file and click Open, or double-click the filename.
See also “Opening a Workbook,” immediately following this section.
Opening a Workbook
If you open a workbook in Excel, the entire document loads into memory, and
any changes that you make occur only in the copy that’s in memory.
To open an existing workbook , follow these steps:
1. Click the Office button and then choose Open to display the Open
dialog box. Alternatively, press Ctrl+O or Ctrl+F12 to display the Open
dialog box.
2. Windows XP: In the Look In drop-down list, navigate to the folder that con-
tains the document.
Windows Vista: In the Folders window on the left side of the dialog box,
navigate to the folder that contains the document. If the Folders window
isn’t displayed, click Folder (see Figure 2-2).
3. Select the workbook in the selected folder and click Open, or double-click
the filename.
You can select more than one document in the Open dialog box. The trick is to
press and hold Ctrl while you click each document. After you select all the docu-
ments you want, click Open.
Opening a Workbook — Protecting and Unprotecting a Workbook 27
Figure 2-2
Remember: You can open a workbook you have worked with recently without
navigating through the Open dialog box. On the right side of the Office menu,
Excel provides a Recent Documents list. If the document that you want to open
appears in this list, you can choose it directly from the menu.
Protecting and Unprotecting a Workbook
Excel provides several levels of protection for your sensitive work. Here are
some ways you can protect your workbooks. You can protect
A workbook from being opened by unauthorized personnel
A workbook from being saved with the same filename
A workbook’s structure (control the manipulation of worksheets in a
workbook)
A workbook’s windows (control the sizing and positioning of a workbook’s
windows and any workbook views you create)
You should write down any passwords you use and store them in a safe location.
If you forget or lose your passwords, you won’t be able to undo the areas you
protected by any normal means.
Safeguarding your workbook from unauthorized users
Follow these steps to restrict unauthorized personnel from opening or modify-
ing a workbook:
1. Open a workbook or select an already opened workbook you want to
protect.
28 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
2. Click the Office button and choose Save As. Excel displays the Save As
dialog box.
3. Click Tools and choose General Options from the menu. Excel displays the
General Options dialog box.
4. In the Password to Open text box, enter a password that must be used
before a user can open the workbook.
5. In the Password to Modify text box, enter a password that must be used
before a user can save the workbook under the same filename. Passwords
can be up to 15 characters and are case sensitive.
6. Click OK. Excel asks you to reenter the passwords for confirmation.
7. Reenter the passwords.
8. Windows XP: In the Save In drop-down, select the folder in which to save
the workbook and then click Save.
Windows Vista: If the Folders window isn’t displayed, click Browse
Folders, click Folders to display the Folders window, and then select the
folder in which to save the document. Then click Save.
9. If you’re saving the workbook with the same name, respond when Excel
displays a message asking you to confirm overwriting the file.
To remove passwords from the workbook, follow the previous steps, except
delete the passwords in Step 4, Step 5, or both.
See also “Saving Files,” later in this part.
If you are using a workbook saved in an earlier version of Excel, Excel 2007 displays
a message offering to convert the workbook to the Office XML file format (the
default file format) before you save the workbook with passwords. You should
choose to accept the suggestion only if you will not be sharing the workbook with
users who have earlier versions of Excel. See also “Saving Files,” later in this part.
The General Options dialog box offers other safeguarding options. Select the
Always Create a Backup check box if you want Excel to always save a backup
copy of the existing workbook before you save the workbook. If you select the
Read Only Recommended check box, when the workbook is opened, Excel dis-
plays a message suggesting that the workbook be opened as read only. The user,
however, can choose to ignore the suggestion.
Protecting and unprotecting a workbook structure or window
To protect a workbook structure or window properties from accidental or inten-
tional alteration, follow these steps:
Protecting and Unprotecting a Workbook — Saving Files 29
1. Click the Review tab on the Ribbon and then click the Protect Workbook
button. Excel displays the Protect Workbook dialog box.
2. Select the appropriate check box(es), as follows:
• Structure prevents any of the following changes to a workbook sheet:
adding, deleting, moving, renaming, hiding, or unhiding.
• Windows protects the workbook window from being moved or resized.
3. If you feel that you need a high level of protection, supply a password
in the Password text box, and click OK. When Excel requests that you
reenter the password for confirmation, do so.
4. Click OK.
To unprotect a workbook structure or window, click the Review tab on the
Ribbon and then click the Unprotect Workbook button. If you did not supply a
password when the workbook was protected, Excel unprotects the workbook
automatically. Otherwise, Excel prompts you to enter a password.
Saving Files
When you save a workbook, Excel saves the copy in memory to your drive —
overwriting the previous copy of the workbook. When you save a workbook for
the first time, Excel displays its Save As dialog box.
Excel 2007 uses a new default format for saving workbook documents. This new
format is based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML). Office 2007 applica-
tions use an extension to XML called Office Open XML. Workbooks saved in
Office Open XML maintain full fidelity with everything in your document, includ-
ing (in the case of Excel) formulas, formatting, charts, tables, and macros. XML
and Office Open XML are text-based formats (versus the binary formats found in
earlier versions of Office applications).
You don’t need to have a complete (or even partial) knowledge of XML or Office
XML to work in Excel 2007. However, it is useful to know that Excel 2007, like ear-
lier versions, saves files with a different file extension depending on the type of
file you are saving. A list of the standard file types and the extension names they
use are given in the following table. We also include the corresponding file exten-
sions used in earlier versions of Excel.
30 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
File Type 2007 Extension Pre-2007 Extension
Excel workbook default format .xlsx .xls
Excel macro-enabled workbook .xlsm .xls
Excel workbook template .xltx .xlt
Excel macro-enabled workbook template .xltm .xlt
Excel binary workbook .xlsb .xls
Excel add-in .xlam .xla
Excel workspace .xlw .xlw
Excel user interface customization* .xlb .xlb
* In Excel 2007, you can customize the Quick Access toolbar as we discuss in Part 1. In earlier versions of Excel, you can customize an existing
menu or toolbar or create a menu or toolbar. Excel saves these customizations automatically in an .xlb file, whose location depends on the
operating system you’re using (Windows XP or Windows Vista).
Remember: Unlike earlier versions of Excel, the table indicates that Excel 2007
workbooks or templates containing macros (scripts written to enhance Excel in
some manner) are stored in files that differ from files without macros. If you
attempt to save a macro-based workbook or template in a format that doesn’t
support macros (.xlsx or .xltx), Excel gives you the option to save the file with-
out macros or to select a format that supports macros (.xlsm or .xltm).
Saving a workbook
Use any of the following methods to save the active workbook:
Click the Office button and then choose Save.
Click the Save button on the Quick Access toolbar.
Press Ctrl+S.
Press Shift+F12.
If the document you’re saving does not yet have a name, Excel prompts you for a
name by opening its Save As dialog box. You can give the document a name and
navigate to the folder where you want to store the file. See also “Saving a work-
book under a different name,” in the next section.
Saving a workbook under a different name
Sometimes you may want to keep multiple versions of your work by saving each
successive version under a different name.
To save a workbook with a different name, follow these steps:
Saving Files 31
1. Click the Office button and then choose Save As. Excel displays the Save
As dialog box.
2. Windows XP: In the Save In drop-down list, select the folder in which to
save the workbook.
Windows Vista: If the Folders window isn’t displayed, click Browse
Folders, click Folders to display the Folders window, and then select the
folder in which to save the workbook (see FIgure 2-3).
3. In the File Name text box, enter a new filename. (You don’t need to include
a file extension.)
4. Click Save.
Figure 2-3
Excel creates a new copy of the workbook with a different name, but the original
version of the workbook remains intact. (Note that the original workbook is no
longer open.)
Saving a workbook in a different or earlier file format
To share a workbook with someone who uses an application that opens files in a
format other than Excel 2007, be sure to save the workbook in a file format that
the other application can read.
Excel can save workbook contents in many non-Excel file formats, such as, tab-
or comma-delimited text, html, and standard xml.
To save a workbook in a different file format, follow these steps:
32 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
1. Click the Office button and then choose Save As.
2. In the Save As Type drop-down list, select the format in which you want to
save the file. For example, to save in an earlier Excel file format, select
Excel 97-2003 Workbook.
3. Click Save.
Excel separates a list of some Excel file formats from the complete list of file
types to save you time in navigating the Save As dialog box. Click the arrow at
the end of the Save As option in the Office menu to display the list of some
common Excel file formats.
Remember: If you attempt to save a workbook with features not supported in the
file format you’re saving to, Excel displays a warning message. If the format
you’re saving to is an earlier version of Excel, Excel displays the Compatibility
Checker dialog box, which shows you a list of features that will be lost.
Switching among Open Workbooks
If you have multiple workbooks open, the workbooks usually appear maximized
on-screen so that you can view only one workbook at a time.
To switch the active display among workbooks, use one of the following
methods:
Click the View tab on the Ribbon, click the Switch Windows button, and
then select one of the workbook names in the menu that appears.
Press Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Tab to cycle the active display among the open
workbooks.
Using a Workspace File
The term workspace refers to the layout of all the open workbooks — their
screen positions and window sizes.
You may have a project that uses two or more workbooks, and you may like to
arrange the windows in a certain way to make them easy to access at a later
time. Fortunately, Excel enables you to save your entire workspace to a file.
After you open the workspace file, Excel sets up the workbooks exactly as they
were when you saved your workspace.
Switching among Open Workbooks — Working with Workbook Templates 33
Opening a workspace file
To open a workspace file, follow the steps outlined for “Opening Nonstandard
Files,” earlier in this part, except in Step 2, select Workspaces (*.xlw) from the
drop-down list (Windows XP) or menu (Windows Vista). Excel opens all the
workbooks that you originally saved in the workspace.
See also “Saving a workspace file,” the next section.
Saving a workspace file
To save your workspace, follow these steps:
1. Click the View tab on the Ribbon and then click the Save Workspace
button. Excel displays the Save Workspace dialog box.
2. Use the filename that Excel proposes (for example, resume.xlw or
resume), or enter a different name in the File Name text box.
3. Windows XP: In the Save In drop-down box, navigate to where you want to
save the workspace.
Windows Vista: If the Folders window isn’t displayed, click Browse
Folders, click Folders to display the Folders window, and then select the
folder in which to save the workspace.
4. Click Save.
A workspace file contains not the workbooks themselves but only the informa-
tion that Excel needs to recreate the workspace. Excel saves the workbooks in
standard workbook files. If you distribute a workspace file to a coworker, there-
fore, make sure that you also include the workbook files that the workspace file
refers to.
Working with Workbook Templates
A workbook template is basically a workbook that contains one or more work-
sheets set up with formatting and formulas and ready for you to enter data and
get immediate results. A workbook template can use any of Excel’s features,
such as charts, formulas, and macros. Excel includes templates that automate
the common tasks of filling in invoices, expense statements, and purchase
orders. You can also download several more templates from the Internet. You
can also create your own templates from scratch or from an existing workbook.
Creating a workbook template
To save a workbook as a template, follow these steps:
34 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
1. Click the Office button and then choose Save As.
2. In the Save As Type drop-down list, select Excel Template.
3. If you want to save the template in a subfolder of the Templates folder in
Windows XP: Excel displays the Templates folder in the Save In drop-down
list. Select the subfolder in the Save In drop-down list.
If you want to save the template in a subfolder of the Templates folder in
Windows Vista: Click Browse Folders (if the Folders window isn’t dis-
played) and click Folders to display the Folders window if necessary (the
Templates folder is automatically selected after Step 2), and then select a
subfolder.
To create a new folder in the Templates folder in which you can save the
template, click the Create New Folder button in the Save As dialog box
and give the new folder a name.
4. In the File Name box, enter a name for the template, and then click Save.
Excel saves templates with an .xltx file extension. If your template con-
tains macros, Excel gives you the option to save the template without
macros or to save in a format that supports macros (.xltm). See also
“Saving Files,” earlier in this part.
You can also save a template in an earlier file format. In Step 2, select Excel
97-2003 Template from the Save As Type drop-down list box.
To prevent overwriting the template file when you create a new workbook from
a template, always save your templates in the Templates folder or a subfolder
within the Templates folder.
Creating a workbook from a template
If you create a new workbook that you based on a template, Excel creates a copy
of the template in memory so that the original template, on disk, remains intact.
The default workbook name is the template name with a number appended to it.
For example, if you create a new workbook based on a template by the name of
Report.xltx, the workbook default name is Report1.xlsx. The first time that you
save a workbook that you create from a template, Excel displays the Save As
dialog box so that you can give the file a new name.
To create a workbook from a template, follow these steps:
1. Click the Office button and then choose New. Excel displays the
New Workbook dialog box, as shown in Figure 2-4.
2. Select a template category from the list on the left side of the dialog box.
The choices are as follows:
Working with Workbook Templates 35
• Blank and Recent: This is the default category. From here you can
select Recently Used Templates. Select a template and click Create to
open a copy of the template file.
• Installed Templates: This category displays a gallery of templates
installed in your system. Select a template and click Create to open a
copy of the selected template.
• My Templates: This category contains templates you previously saved
in the Templates folder or in a subfolder in the Templates folder. Click
My Templates to display the New dialog box. Templates you create in
the Templates folder appear in the My Templates tab. If you saved
Templates in one or more subfolders in the Templates folder, the
folder names appear as tabs in the New dialog box. Select a template
from a tab and click OK. Excel opens a copy of the template.
• New from Existing: This category allows you to use any workbook as
a template or to use a template file that’s not in the Templates folder.
Click New from Existing to display the New from Existing Workbook
dialog box. Navigate to the folder containing the file you want to use as
a template, select the file in the folder, and click Create New. Excel
opens a copy of the file.
• Microsoft Office Online: If you are connected to the Internet, you can
select from one of the online categories and Excel will display a list of
available templates in the selected category. Choose a template, click
Download, and Excel opens a copy of the template.
3. Save the workbook after you enter the appropriate data in the template
copy. See also “Saving Workbooks” and “Creating a workbook template,”
earlier in this part.
Figure 2-4
36 Part 2: Managing Workbooks
Creating a default workbook template
You can create a default workbook template that defines the formatting or con-
tent of the new (blank) workbooks that open after you start Excel. Excel bases
every new (blank) workbook that you open on the default workbook template.
The default workbook template that you create replaces Excel’s built-in default
workbook template.
Follow these steps to create a default workbook template:
1. Create a new workbook. See “Creating an Empty Workbook,” earlier in this
part.
2. Add or delete as many worksheets as you want to appear in the new work-
book. See “Adding a New Worksheet” and “Deleting a Worksheet,” both in
Part 3.
3. If you want, turn off the display of gridlines. See “Turning off Gridlines,” in
Part 3.
4. Apply the desired formatting, sheet names, text, styles, and so on.
See Part 8 if you need help applying different formatting options.
5. Select a new theme for the template if you don’t like Excel’s default
choice. See “Formatting with Themes,” in Part 1.
6. Click the Office button, choose Save As, and select Excel Template from
the Save As Type drop-down list.
7. Windows XP: In the Save In drop-down list, locate an xlstart folder. Excel
can use more than one xlstart folder and will open all files located in these
folders on startup. The xlstart folders normally reside in the following
locations: C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\
Microsoft\Excel (where Username is your login username) and C:\
Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 12 folders, respectively.
Windows Vista: If the Folders window isn’t displayed, click Browse
Folders, click Folders to display the Folders window, and then locate the
xlstart folder. Excel can use more than one xlstart folder and will open all
files located in these folders on startup. The xlstart folders normally
reside in: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel
(where Username is your login name) and C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office 12 folders, respectively.
8. In the File Name text box, type book.xlt.
9. Click Save.
All new (blank) workbooks that you create are now replicas of the book.xlt work-
book that you saved in Step 9.
You can always edit the book.xlt file or delete it if you no longer want to use it.
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