Save a workbook or a worksheet as a template

To save time or to promote standardization, you can use the Save As command to save a workbook as a template that you can use to create other workbooks. InMicrosoft Excel 2010, a template file (.xltx) can include data and formatting, and a macro-enabled template file (.xltm) can also include macros.

You can use one of your own templates to create a new workbook, or you can use one of the many predefined templates that you can download from Microsoft Office Online.

What do you want to do?

Create a template (Save As)

Use a template to create a new workbook

Create a template (Save As)

1. Open the workbook that you want to use as a template.

2. Click File, and then click Save As.

3. In the File name box, type the name that you want to use for the template.

4. In the Save as type box, click Excel Template, or click Excel Macro-Enabled Template if the workbook contains macros that you want to make available in the template.

5. Click Save.

   The template is automatically placed in the Templates folder to ensure that it will be available when you want to use it to create a new workbook.

Tip: You can copy any Excel workbook into the Templates folder, then you can use the workbook as a template without saving it in the template file format (.xltx or .xltm). In Windows Vista, the Templates folder is usually C:\Users\<your name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates. In Microsoft Windows XP, the Templates folder is usually C:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates.

Top of Page

Use a template to create a new workbook

1. Click File and then click New.

2. Under Available Templates, do one of the following:

   • To base the workbook on a recently used template, click Recent Templates, and then double-click the template that you want to use.

   • To base the workbook on an installed template, click Sample templates and then double-click the template that you want to use.

   • To base the workbook on a template that you created, click My templates, and then on the Personal Templates tab, double-click the template that you want to use.

   • To base the workbook on another workbook, click New from Existing, and then double-click the workbook that you want to use.

Tip: When you are connected to the Internet, you can also access templates that are available from Office.com. Under Office.Com Templates, click a template category, and then under that category, double-click the template that you want to download. If the template that you want to download has been supplied by a member of the Microsoft Office.com Community, you must click I accept to accept the License Agreement for Community Templates Terms of Use before you can download that template.

Top of Page