Insert or delete a worksheet

By default, Microsoft Office Excel provides three worksheets in a workbook, but you can insert additional worksheets (and other types of sheets, such as a chart sheet, macro sheet, or dialog sheet) or delete them as needed. You can also change the number of worksheets that appear by default in a new workbook.

If you have access to a worksheet template that you created or one that is available on Office Online, you can base a new worksheet on that template.

The name (or title) of a worksheet appears on its sheet tab at the bottom of the screen. By default, the name is Sheet1, Sheet2, and so on, but you can give any worksheet a more appropriate name.

Note: Sheet tabs are displayed by default, but if you do not see them, verify that the Show sheet tabs check box is selected in the Advanced category of the Excel Options dialog box (Microsoft Office Button , Excel Options).

What do you want to do?

Insert a new worksheet

Insert multiple worksheets at the same time

Change the number of worksheets in a new workbook

Insert a new sheet that is based on a custom template

Rename a worksheet

Delete one or more worksheets

Insert a new worksheet

To insert a new worksheet, do one of the following:

• To quickly insert a new worksheet at the end of the existing worksheets, click the Insert Worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen.

  

• To insert a new worksheet in front of an existing worksheet, select that worksheet and then, on the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Insert, and then click Insert Sheet.

  

  Tip: You can also right-click the tab of an existing worksheet, and then click Insert. On the General tab, click Worksheet, and then click OK.

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Insert multiple worksheets at the same time

1. Hold down SHIFT, and then select the same number of existing sheet tabs of the worksheets that you want to insert in the open workbook.

   For example, if you want to add three new worksheets, select three sheet tabs of existing worksheets.

2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Insert, and then click Insert Sheet.

   

   Tip: You can also right-click the selected sheet tabs, and then click Insert. On the General tab, click Worksheet, and then click OK.

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Change the number of worksheets in a new workbook

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Excel Options.

2. In the Popular category, under When creating new workbooks, in the Include this many sheets box, enter the number of sheets that you want to include by default when you create a new workbook.

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Insert a new sheet that is based on a custom template

1. If needed, create the worksheet template that you want to base a new worksheet on.

   How to create a worksheet template

   1. Select the worksheet that you want to use as a template.

   2. Click Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save As.

   3. In the File name box, type the name of the worksheet template.

      • To create a custom worksheet template, type the file name that you want to use.

      • To create the default worksheet template, type sheet.

        Note: Custom templates are automatically saved in the Templates folder. The default worksheet template, sheet.xltx or sheet.xltm, should be saved in the XLStart folder, which is usually C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\XLStart.

   4. On a computer that is running Windows Vista    

      • In the list, click Excel Template or Excel Macro-Enabled Template.

        On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP    

        • In the Save as type box, click Excel Template or Excel Macro-Enabled Template.

   5. Click Save.

2. Right-click the sheet tab of a worksheet, and then click Insert.

3. Double-click the template for the type of sheet that you want.

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Rename a worksheet

1. On the Sheet tab bar, right-click the sheet tab that you want to rename, and then click Rename.

   

2. Select the current name, and then type the new name.

   Tip: You can include the name of the sheet when you print the worksheet.

   How to print sheet names

1. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Header & Footer.

2. In the Page Layout View, click the location where you want the sheet name to appear.

3. In the Header & Footer elements group, click Sheet Name .

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Delete one or more worksheets

1. Select the worksheet or worksheets that you want to delete.

   How to select worksheets

   To select	Do this
   A single sheet	Click the sheet tab. If you don't see the tab that you want, click the tab scrolling buttons to display the tab, and then click the tab.
   Two or more adjacent sheets	Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down SHIFT while you click the tab for the last sheet that you want to select.
   Two or more nonadjacent sheets	Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down CTRL while you click the tabs of the other sheets that you want to select.
   All sheets in a workbook	Right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu.

   Tip    When multiple worksheets are selected, [Group] appears in the title bar at the top of the worksheet. To cancel a selection of multiple worksheets in a workbook, click any unselected worksheet. If no unselected sheet is visible, right-click the tab of a selected sheet, and then click Ungroup Sheets on the shortcut menu.

2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click the arrow next to Delete, and then click Delete Sheet.

   

   Tip: You can also right-click the sheet tab of a worksheet or a sheet tab of any selected worksheets that you want to delete, and then click Delete.

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