Forum Discussion
How to change the default template that is used whenever I create a new .xlsx file?
I have created a workbook that I would like to use as a template for all new .xlsx files that I create from file explorer. I have read several guides online and almost all of them say the same thing. I have created a custom workbook, named it Book.xltx and placed it in the both the following folders:
- C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART and
- C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\XLSTART\
According to the guides I read online, all I have to do now is restart Excel, and then all the new .xlsx files I create from File Explorer will automatically use this template I created. But after closing Excel using Task Manager, and then opening it again, this does NOT happen. What am I doing wrong? And how can I fix this?
The guides I read online:
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/customize-how-excel-starts-6509b9af-2cc8-4fb6-9ef5-cf5f1d292c19?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us
- https://exceljet.net/how-to-set-a-default-template-in-excel
- https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/excel/2403-excel-change-default-template.html
Ah - that won't work. The template you get by selecting File>New>New Blank Template is a built-in template that cannot be changed.
Book.xltx will be used when
- You start Excel.
- You press Ctrl+N.
- You click New on the Quick Access Toolbar.
You should not save it as a workbook but as a template. Simply changing the extension from .xlsx to .xltx won't work.
Hi HansVogelaar,
That is exactly what I did. I used Excel>File>Save As and selected the appropriate Template file extension and saved it directly to one of the folders I mentioned above. I copy and pasted the file into the other folder I mentioned above. I didn't change the name through File Explorer.
To clarify, when I open the file from File Explorer, it does properly open a new Excel workbook named Book1.xlsx and I'm able to save it separately from the template file as intended.
But that's not the ONLY thing I want to do. I want to overwrite Excel's default "New Workbook" when opening Excel. When I go to Excel>File>New>New Blank Template, I want Excel to open a new file based on the template that I created, not the one that Excel has by default.
Ah - that won't work. The template you get by selecting File>New>New Blank Template is a built-in template that cannot be changed.
Book.xltx will be used when
- You start Excel.
- You press Ctrl+N.
- You click New on the Quick Access Toolbar.
ssgchenhaving had this same problem, I have managed to find a solution if it is still of interest to you.
Unfortunately explorer does not respect the default excel template, instead there is a separate file that is mapped via a registry entry. On the plus side, this means that there is a way to update it if you have administrator privileges on your machine.
Steps:
- Save an xlsx file based on your previously created template
- Open registry editor and navigate to Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xlsx\Excel.Sheet.12\ShellNew
- In explorer, navigate to the folder indicated in the "FileName" item (should be something like C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\ShellNew\excel12.xlsx)
- Replace the excel file in this folder with the xlsx file based on the template
