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WhiteRaven069's avatar
WhiteRaven069
Occasional Reader
Nov 10, 2025

Opening workbooks

How do I adjust the settings for a workbook to open on a specific page when the workbook opens? I have a dashboard workbook, and I want the opening page to be the instructions tab. From there the user will be able to navigate between pages.

1 Reply

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Platinum Contributor

    Using VBA to Open a Specific Sheet

    • Open your workbook.
    • Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
    • In the Project Explorer (usually on the left), find your workbook, expand it, and double-click ThisWorkbook.
    • In the code window that appears, paste this code:
    Private Sub Workbook_Open()
        Sheets("Instructions").Activate
    End Sub

    Replace "Instructions" with the exact name of your tab. Sheet names are case-insensitive but must match exactly.

    • Save your workbook as a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm).
    • Close and reopen the workbook. It should now always open on the Instructions sheet.

     

    Without VBA (Manual Navigation)

    Excel itself doesn’t have a built-in “open to this sheet” setting without VBA. But you can:

    • Make the Instructions tab the first tab in your workbook (drag it to the far left).
    • Save the workbook while the Instructions tab is active.
    • This often works if users aren’t reopening via a shortcut that restores the last sheet, but it’s not guaranteed.

     

    Or…

    You can hide all other sheets and in the Instruction sheet you can make links to the other sheets.

    Tip: If you navigate to another sheet via a link, there should also be a link in that sheet to return to the previous sheet.

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

     

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