Advanced Excel

Excel tip:

Changing Excel file and worksheet defaults

The appearance of any new Excel files or any new worksheets that are inserted into a file are controlled by two template files, Book.xlt and Sheet.xlt.

By opening, modifying and saving these templates you can change the default settings for all new files and/or all newly inserted sheets.

Use Book.xlt to make change to defaults for new workbooks; and Sheet.xlt to change defaults for sheets.

If you can't find either of these files on your computer, you can create and save them yourself.

You can do this simply by creating a new workbook with the setting you want to use as your defaults; then saving them with the appropriate name in the XLStart folder. If you are using Office 2003, this is usually found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\XLStart.

View all Excel hints and tips