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This page presents how to work with Microsoft Excel 2007 features and its redesigned interface. You may also visit our Excel Question page.
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Insert or delete a worksheet
By default, Microsoft Office Excel provides three worksheets (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.) 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 (template: A workbook that you create and use as the basis for other similar workbooks. You can create templates for workbooks and worksheets. The default template for workbooks is called Book.xlt. The default template for worksheets is called Sheet.xlt.) 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
- 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.
- 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
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Excel Options.
- 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
- If needed, create the worksheet template that you want to base a new worksheet on.
How to create a worksheet template
- Select the worksheet that you want to use as a template.
- Click Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Save As.
- In the File name box, type the name of the worksheet template.
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.
- 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.
- Click Save.
- Right-click the sheet tab of a worksheet, and then click Insert.
- Double-click the template for the type of sheet that you want.
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Rename a worksheet
- On the Sheet tab bar, right-click the sheet tab that you want to rename, and then click Rename.

- 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
- On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Header & Footer.
- In the Page Layout View, click the location where you want the sheet name to appear.
- In the Header & Footer elements group, click Sheet Name
.
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Delete one or more worksheets
- Select the worksheet or worksheets that you want to delete.
How to select worksheets

- 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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See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Move or copy a worksheet
You can move or copy a whole worksheet (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.) (or sheet) to another location in a workbook or to another workbook if that workbook is open in the same instance of Excel. However, be careful when you move or copy a worksheet. Calculations or charts that are based on worksheet data might become inaccurate if you move the worksheet. Similarly, if a moved or copied worksheet is inserted between sheets that are referred to by a 3-D formula reference (3-D reference: A reference to a range that spans two or more worksheets in a workbook.), data on that worksheet might be unexpectedly included in the calculation.
You can also use the Cut or Copy commands to move or copy all or part of the data in a worksheet to another worksheet in the same workbook or another workbook. You can also drag worksheet data between workbook windows or workbooks that are open in separate instances of Excel.
What do you want to do?

Move or copy worksheets to another location in a workbook
Move or copy worksheets to another workbook
Move or copy all or part of the worksheet data to another worksheet or workbook
Drag worksheet data between open workbook windows in Excel
Drag worksheet data to another workbook that is open in a separate instance of Excel

Move or copy worksheets to another location in a workbook
- Select the worksheets that you want to move or copy.
How to select worksheets
Keyboard shortcut To move to the next or previous sheet tab, you can also press CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN.
- In the Move or Copy dialog box, in the Before sheet list, do one of the following:
- Click the sheet before which you want to insert the moved or copied sheets.
- Click move to end to insert the moved or copied sheets after the last sheet in the workbook and before the Insert Worksheet tab.

- To copy the sheets instead of moving them, in the Move or Copy dialog box, select the Create a copy check box.
Note When you create a copy of the worksheet, the worksheet is duplicated in the workbook, and the sheet name indicates that it is a copy — for example, the first copy that you make of Sheet1 is named Sheet1 (2).
Tips
- To move sheets in the current workbook, you can drag the selected sheets along the row of sheet tabs. To copy the sheets, hold down CTRL, and then drag the sheets; release the mouse button before you release the CTRL key.
- To rename the moved or copied worksheet, right-click its sheet tab, click Rename, and then type the new name in the sheet tab.
- To change the color of the sheet tab, right-click the sheet tab, click Tab Color, and then click the color that you want to use.
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Move or copy worksheets to another workbook
- To move or copy worksheets to another workbook, make sure that the target workbook is open in the same instance of Microsoft Office Excel.
Note You cannot move or copy worksheets between workbooks that are open in separate instances of Excel. If a workbook is opened in a separate instance of Excel — for example, this can happen when you open that workbook from a Windows SharePoint Services site — make sure that you open that workbook in the same instance of Excel instead by browsing to it in the Open dialog box (Microsoft Office Button
, Open).
- In the workbook that contains the sheets that you want to move or copy, select the sheets.
How to select worksheets
Keyboard shortcut To move to the next or previous sheet tab, you can also press CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN.
- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, and then under Organize Sheets, click Move or Copy Sheet.

Tip You can also right-click a selected sheet tab, and then click Move or Copy.
- In the Move or Copy dialog box, in the To book list, do one of the following:
- Click the workbook to which you want to move or copy the selected sheets.
- Click new book to move or copy the selected sheets to a new workbook.
- In the Before sheet list, do one of the following:
- Click the sheet before which you want to insert the moved or copied sheets.
- Click move to end to insert the moved or copied sheets after the last sheet in the workbook and before the Insert Worksheet tab.

- To copy the sheets instead of moving them, in the Move or Copy dialog box, select the Create a copy check box.
Note When you create a copy of the worksheet, the worksheet is duplicated in the destination workbook. When you move a worksheet, the worksheet is removed from the original workbook and appears in the destination workbook only.
Tips
- To rename the moved or copied worksheet in the destination workbook, right-click its sheet tab, click Rename, and then type the new name in the sheet tab.
- Worksheets that you move or copy to another workbook will use the theme fonts, colors, and effects that are applied to the destination workbook.
- To change the color of the sheet tab, right-click the sheet tab, click Tab Color, and then click the color that you want to use.
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Move or copy all or part of the worksheet data to another worksheet or workbook
Although moving or copying the actual worksheet is a fast and effective way to transfer data to another location, you can also move or copy all or part of the data in a worksheet to another worksheet. This method can be used to transfer data to a worksheet in a workbook that is open in a separate instance of Excel.
- In a worksheet, select the data that you want to move or copy.
Note If the selection includes hidden rows or columns, Excel also copies the data in those hidden rows and columns. You may have to temporarily unhide rows or columns that you do not want to include, and then select each range of data that you do want to move or copy in separate operations. For information, see Hide or display rows and columns.
- On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, do one of the following:

- To move the selected data, click Cut
.
Keyboard shortcut You can also press CTRL+X.
- To copy the selected data, click Copy
.
Keyboard shortcut You can also press CTRL+C.
- Do one of the following:
- Click the worksheet where you want to paste the data.
- Switch to a workbook that is opened in another instance of Excel, and then click the worksheet where you want to paste the data.
- Select the upper-left cell of the paste area (paste area: The target destination for data that's been cut or copied by using the Office Clipboard.).
Note Data in the paste area will be overwritten. Also, if the paste area contains hidden rows or columns, you might have to unhide the paste area to see all the copied cells.
- On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste
.
Keyboard shortcut You can also press CTRL+V.
Tip To keep the column width that was originally specified for the data, click the arrow below Paste
, click Paste Special, and then under Paste, click Column widths.
Notes
- By default, Excel displays the Paste Options button on the worksheet to provide you with special options when you paste cells, such as Keep Source Formatting and Match Destination Formatting. If you do not want Excel to display this button every time that you paste cells, you can turn this option off.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Excel Options.
- In the Advanced category, under Cut, Copy, and Paste, clear the Show Paste Options buttons check box.
- When you copy cells, cell references (cell reference: The set of coordinates that a cell occupies on a worksheet. For example, the reference of the cell that appears at the intersection of column B and row 3 is B3.) are automatically adjusted. However, when you move cells, cell references are not adjusted, and the contents of those cells and of any cells that point to them might be displayed as reference errors. In this case, you will have to adjust the references manually.
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Drag worksheet data between open workbook windows in Excel
If you open more than one workbook in the same instance of Excel, you can drag worksheet data between the workbook windows.
- In Excel, open the workbooks between which you want to transfer worksheet data.
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click Arrange All.

- In the Arrange Windows dialog box, under Arrange, click the options that you want, and then click OK.
- In one of the windows, select the data that you want to move or copy to another window.
- Do one of the following:
- To move the selected data, point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer
, drag the selected data to another window.
- To copy the selected data, hold down CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a copy pointer
, drag the selected data to another window.
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Drag worksheet data to another workbook that is open in a separate instance of Excel
If a workbook is open in another instance of Excel, you can drag worksheet data to it if it is visible on the taskbar.
- Start an instance of Excel, and then open the workbook into which you want to drag worksheet data, or create a new workbook.
- In another instance of Excel, open the workbook that contains the worksheet data that you want to transfer by dragging.
- In a worksheet, select the data that you want to drag to a workbook that is visible on the taskbar.
- Do one of the following:
- To move the selected data, point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer
, drag the selected data to the workbook on the taskbar.
- To copy the selected data, hold down CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a copy pointer
, drag the selected data to the workbook on the taskbar.
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Related Office Online discussions
Read related questions and answers from other Microsoft Office customers.

See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Change the font or font size in Excel
You can change the font or font size for selected cells or ranges in a worksheet. You can also change the default (default: A predefined setting. You can accept the default option settings, or you can change them to suit your own preferences.) font and font size that are used in new workbooks.
What do you want to do?

Change the font or font size in a worksheet
Change the default font or font size for new workbooks

Change the font or font size in a worksheet
- Select the cell, range of cells, text, or characters that you want to format.
How to select cells, ranges, rows, or columns
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To select
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Do this
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A single cell
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Click the cell, or press the arrow keys to move to the cell.
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A range of cells
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Click the first cell in the range, and then drag to the last cell, or hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to extend the selection.
You can also select the first cell in the range, and then press F8 to extend the selection by using the arrow keys. To stop extending the selection, press F8 again.
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A large range of cells
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Click the first cell in the range, and then hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell in the range. You can scroll to make the last cell visible.
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All cells on a worksheet
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Click the Select All button.

To select the entire worksheet, you can also press CTRL+A.
Note If the worksheet contains data, CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet.
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Nonadjacent cells or cell ranges
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Select the first cell or range of cells, and then hold down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges.
You can also select the first cell or range of cells, and then press SHIFT+F8 to add another nonadjacent cell or range to the selection. To stop adding cells or ranges to the selection, press SHIFT+F8 again.
Note You cannot cancel the selection of a cell or range of cells in a nonadjacent selection without canceling the entire selection.
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An entire row or column
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Click the row or column heading.

Row heading
Column heading
You can also select cells in a row or column by selecting the first cell and then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
Note If the row or column contains data, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key selects the row or column to the last used cell. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key a second time selects the entire row or column.
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Adjacent rows or columns
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Drag across the row or column headings. Or select the first row or column; then hold down SHIFT while you select the last row or column.
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Nonadjacent rows or columns
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Click the column or row heading of the first row or column in your selection; then hold down CTRL while you click the column or row headings of other rows or columns that you want to add to the selection.
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The first or last cell in a row or column
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Select a cell in the row or column, and then press CTRL+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
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The first or last cell on a worksheet or in a Microsoft Office Excel table
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Press CTRL+HOME to select the first cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list.
Press CTRL+END to select the last cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list that contains data or formatting.
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Cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner)
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Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+END to extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner).
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Cells to the beginning of the worksheet
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Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet.
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More or fewer cells than the active selection
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Hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell that you want to include in the new selection. The rectangular range between the active cell (active cell: The selected cell in which data is entered when you begin typing. Only one cell is active at a time. The active cell is bounded by a heavy border.) and the cell that you click becomes the new selection.
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- On the Home tab, in the Font group, do the following:
- To change the font, click the font that you want in the Font box
.
- To change the font size, click the font size that you want in the Font Size box
, or click Increase Font Size
or Decrease Font Size
until the size you want is displayed in the Font Size box.

Notes
How to make all text in a cell visible
- Select the cell that contains text that is only partially visible.
- Do one of the following:
- To wrap the text, click Wrap Text
in the Alignment group on the Home tab.
- To shrink the text so that it fits in the cell, click the Dialog Box Launcher
next to Alignment on the Home tab, and then select the Shrink to fit check box under Text control.


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Change the default font or font size for new workbooks
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Excel Options.
- In the Popular category, under When creating new workbooks, do the following:
- In the Use this font box, click the font that you want to use.
- In the Font Size box, enter the font size that you want to use.
Note In order to begin using the new default font and font size, you must restart Excel. The new default font and font size are used only in new workbooks that you create after you restart Excel; existing workbooks are not affected. To use the new default font, you can move worksheets from an existing workbook to a new workbook. For more information, see Move or copy a worksheet.
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See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Freeze or lock rows and columns

Tags column; column headings; header; headings; lock; repeat; title; window

What are tags?
To keep an area of a worksheet visible while you scroll to another area of the worksheet, you can lock specific rows or columns in one area by freezing or splitting panes (pane: A portion of the document window bounded by and separated from other portions by vertical or horizontal bars.).
When you freeze panes, you keep specific rows or columns visible when you scroll in the worksheet. For example, you might want to keep row and column labels visible as you scroll.


A solid line indicates that row 1 is frozen to keep column labels in place when you scroll.

When you split panes, you create separate worksheet areas that you can scroll within, while rows or columns in the non-scrolled area remain visible.
What do you want to do?

Freeze panes to lock specific rows or columns
Split panes to lock rows or columns in separate worksheet areas

Freeze panes to lock specific rows or columns
- On the worksheet, do one of the following:
- To lock rows, select the row below the row or rows that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
- To lock columns, select the column to the right of the column or columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
- To lock both rows and columns, click the cell below and to the right of the rows and columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
How to select cells, ranges, rows, or columns
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To select
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Do this
|
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A single cell
|
Click the cell, or press the arrow keys to move to the cell.
|
|
A range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then drag to the last cell, or hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to extend the selection.
You can also select the first cell in the range, and then press F8 to extend the selection by using the arrow keys. To stop extending the selection, press F8 again.
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A large range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell in the range. You can scroll to make the last cell visible.
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All cells on a worksheet
|
Click the Select All button.

To select the entire worksheet, you can also press CTRL+A.
Note If the worksheet contains data, CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet.
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Nonadjacent cells or cell ranges
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Select the first cell or range of cells, and then hold down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges.
You can also select the first cell or range of cells, and then press SHIFT+F8 to add another nonadjacent cell or range to the selection. To stop adding cells or ranges to the selection, press SHIFT+F8 again.
Note You cannot cancel the selection of a cell or range of cells in a nonadjacent selection without canceling the entire selection.
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An entire row or column
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Click the row or column heading.

Row heading
Column heading
You can also select cells in a row or column by selecting the first cell and then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
Note If the row or column contains data, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key selects the row or column to the last used cell. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key a second time selects the entire row or column.
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Adjacent rows or columns
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Drag across the row or column headings. Or select the first row or column; then hold down SHIFT while you select the last row or column.
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Nonadjacent rows or columns
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Click the column or row heading of the first row or column in your selection; then hold down CTRL while you click the column or row headings of other rows or columns that you want to add to the selection.
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The first or last cell in a row or column
|
Select a cell in the row or column, and then press CTRL+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
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The first or last cell on a worksheet or in a Microsoft Office Excel table
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Press CTRL+HOME to select the first cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list.
Press CTRL+END to select the last cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list that contains data or formatting.
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Cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner)
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+END to extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner).
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Cells to the beginning of the worksheet
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet.
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More or fewer cells than the active selection
|
Hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell that you want to include in the new selection. The rectangular range between the active cell (active cell: The selected cell in which data is entered when you begin typing. Only one cell is active at a time. The active cell is bounded by a heavy border.) and the cell that you click becomes the new selection.
|

- On the View tab, in the Window group, click the arrow below Freeze Panes.

- Do one of the following:
- To lock one row only, click Freeze Top Row.
- To lock one column only, click Freeze First Column.
- To lock more than one row or column, or to lock both rows and columns at the same time, click Freeze Panes.
Notes
- When you freeze the top row, first column, or panes, the Freeze Panes option changes to Unfreeze Panes so that you can unlock any frozen rows or columns.
- You can freeze rows at the top and columns on the left side of the worksheet only. You cannot freeze rows and columns in the middle of the worksheet.
- The Freeze Panes command is not available when you are in cell editing mode or when a worksheet is protected. To cancel cell editing mode, press ENTER or ESC. For information about how to remove protection from a worksheet, see Protect worksheet or workbook elements.
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Split panes to lock rows or columns in separate worksheet areas
- To split panes, point to the split box at the top of the vertical scroll bar or at the right end of the horizontal scroll bar.

- When the pointer changes to a split pointer
or
, drag the split box down or to the left to the position that you want.
- To remove the split, double-click any part of the split bar that divides the panes.
Note You cannot split panes and freeze panes at the same time. When you freeze panes within a split pane, all rows above and columns to the left of the selection will be frozen and the split bar will be removed.
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Related Office Online discussions
Read related questions and answers from other Microsoft Office customers.

See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Change the color of gridlines in a worksheet
By default, gridlines are displayed in worksheets (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.) using the color that is assigned to Automatic. However, you can display gridlines in another color on selected worksheets.
- Select the worksheets for which you want to change the gridline color.
How to select worksheets
- In the Advanced category, under Display options for this worksheet, make sure that the Show gridlines check box is selected.
- In the Gridline color box, click the color you want.
Tip To return gridlines to the default color, click Automatic.
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Change the default font in Excel
By default, Microsoft Office Excel 2007 uses the Body Font font in font size 11 (which is displayed as the Calibri font in font size 11 when you type data in a worksheet, header or footer, or text box) but you can change the default font and font size for all new workbooks that you create.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Excel Options.
- In the Popular category, under When creating new workbooks, do the following:
- In the Use this font box, click the font that you want to use.
- In the Font Size box, enter the font size that you want to use.
Note To begin using the new default font and font size, you must restart Excel. The new default font and font size are used only in new workbooks that you create after you restart Excel; existing workbooks are not affected. To use the new default font, you can move worksheets from an existing workbook to a new workbook. For more information, see Move or copy a worksheet.
See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Change the number of worksheets in a new workbook
By default, Microsoft Office Excel provides three worksheets (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.) in a workbook, but you can change the number of worksheets that appear by default in a new workbook.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click Excel Options.
- On the Popular tab, 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.
See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Hide or display rows and columns

Tags column; column headings; column width; hidden data; row height; show data; unhide

What are tags?
You can hide a row or column by using the Hide command, but a row or column also becomes hidden when you change its row height or column width to 0 (zero). You can display either again by using the Unhide command.
You can either unhide specific rows and columns, or you can unhide all hidden rows and columns at once. The first row or column of the worksheet is tricky to unhide, but it can be done.
What do you want to do?

Hide one or more rows or columns
Display one or more hidden rows or columns
Display all hidden rows and columns at once
Unhide the first row or column of the worksheet

Hide one or more rows or columns
- Select the rows or columns that you want to hide.
How to select cells, ranges, rows, or columns
|
To select
|
Do this
|
|
A single cell
|
Click the cell, or press the arrow keys to move to the cell.
|
|
A range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then drag to the last cell, or hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to extend the selection.
You can also select the first cell in the range, and then press F8 to extend the selection by using the arrow keys. To stop extending the selection, press F8 again.
|
|
A large range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell in the range. You can scroll to make the last cell visible.
|
|
All cells on a worksheet
|
Click the Select All button.

To select the entire worksheet, you can also press CTRL+A.
Note If the worksheet contains data, CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet.
|
|
Nonadjacent cells or cell ranges
|
Select the first cell or range of cells, and then hold down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges.
You can also select the first cell or range of cells, and then press SHIFT+F8 to add another nonadjacent cell or range to the selection. To stop adding cells or ranges to the selection, press SHIFT+F8 again.
Note You cannot cancel the selection of a cell or range of cells in a nonadjacent selection without canceling the entire selection.
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|
An entire row or column
|
Click the row or column heading.

Row heading
Column heading
You can also select cells in a row or column by selecting the first cell and then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
Note If the row or column contains data, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key selects the row or column to the last used cell. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key a second time selects the entire row or column.
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Adjacent rows or columns
|
Drag across the row or column headings. Or select the first row or column; then hold down SHIFT while you select the last row or column.
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Nonadjacent rows or columns
|
Click the column or row heading of the first row or column in your selection; then hold down CTRL while you click the column or row headings of other rows or columns that you want to add to the selection.
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The first or last cell in a row or column
|
Select a cell in the row or column, and then press CTRL+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
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The first or last cell on a worksheet or in a Microsoft Office Excel table
|
Press CTRL+HOME to select the first cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list.
Press CTRL+END to select the last cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list that contains data or formatting.
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Cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner)
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+END to extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner).
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Cells to the beginning of the worksheet
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet.
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More or fewer cells than the active selection
|
Hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell that you want to include in the new selection. The rectangular range between the active cell (active cell: The selected cell in which data is entered when you begin typing. Only one cell is active at a time. The active cell is bounded by a heavy border.) and the cell that you click becomes the new selection.
|

- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Do one of the following:
- Under Visibility, point to Hide & Unhide, and then click Hide Rows or Hide Columns.
- Under Cell Size, click Row Height or Column Width, and then type 0 in the Row Height or Column Width box.
Tip You can also right-click a row or column (or a selection of multiple rows or columns), and then click Hide.
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Display one or more hidden rows or columns
- Do one of the following:
Tip You can also select it by using the Go To dialog box. On the Home tab, under Editing, click Find & Select, and then click Go To. In the Reference box, type A1, and then click OK.
How to select cells, ranges, rows, or columns
|
To select
|
Do this
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A single cell
|
Click the cell, or press the arrow keys to move to the cell.
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|
A range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then drag to the last cell, or hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to extend the selection.
You can also select the first cell in the range, and then press F8 to extend the selection by using the arrow keys. To stop extending the selection, press F8 again.
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A large range of cells
|
Click the first cell in the range, and then hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell in the range. You can scroll to make the last cell visible.
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All cells on a worksheet
|
Click the Select All button.

To select the entire worksheet, you can also press CTRL+A.
Note If the worksheet contains data, CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet.
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Nonadjacent cells or cell ranges
|
Select the first cell or range of cells, and then hold down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges.
You can also select the first cell or range of cells, and then press SHIFT+F8 to add another nonadjacent cell or range to the selection. To stop adding cells or ranges to the selection, press SHIFT+F8 again.
Note You cannot cancel the selection of a cell or range of cells in a nonadjacent selection without canceling the entire selection.
|
|
An entire row or column
|
Click the row or column heading.

Row heading
Column heading
You can also select cells in a row or column by selecting the first cell and then pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
Note If the row or column contains data, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key selects the row or column to the last used cell. Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW key a second time selects the entire row or column.
|
|
Adjacent rows or columns
|
Drag across the row or column headings. Or select the first row or column; then hold down SHIFT while you select the last row or column.
|
|
Nonadjacent rows or columns
|
Click the column or row heading of the first row or column in your selection; then hold down CTRL while you click the column or row headings of other rows or columns that you want to add to the selection.
|
|
The first or last cell in a row or column
|
Select a cell in the row or column, and then press CTRL+ARROW key (RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW for rows, UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW for columns).
|
|
The first or last cell on a worksheet or in a Microsoft Office Excel table
|
Press CTRL+HOME to select the first cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list.
Press CTRL+END to select the last cell on the worksheet or in an Excel list that contains data or formatting.
|
|
Cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner)
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+END to extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner).
|
|
Cells to the beginning of the worksheet
|
Select the first cell, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet.
|
|
More or fewer cells than the active selection
|
Hold down SHIFT while you click the last cell that you want to include in the new selection. The rectangular range between the active cell (active cell: The selected cell in which data is entered when you begin typing. Only one cell is active at a time. The active cell is bounded by a heavy border.) and the cell that you click becomes the new selection.
|

- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Do one of the following:
- Under Visibility, point to Hide & Unhide, and then click Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns.
- Under Cell Size, click Row Height or Column Width, and then type the value that you want in the Row Height or Column Width box.
Tip You can also right-click the selection of visible rows and columns that surround the hidden rows and columns, and then click Unhide.
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Display all hidden rows and columns at once
- To select all cells on a worksheet, do one of the following:
- Click the Select All button.

Note If the worksheet contains data and the active cell is above or to the right of the data, pressing CTRL+A selects the current region. Pressing CTRL+A a second time selects the entire worksheet.
- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Do one of the following:
- Under Visibility, point to Hide & Unhide, and then click Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns.
- Under Cell Size, click Row Height or Column Width, and then type the value that you want in the Row Height or Column Width box.
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Unhide the first row or column of the worksheet
- To select the first hidden row or column on the worksheet, do one of the following:
- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Do one of the following:
- Under Visibility, point to Hide & Unhide, and then click Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns.
- Under Cell Size, click Row Height or Column Width, and then type the value that you want in the Row Height or Column Width box.
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See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Switch to full or normal screen view
To view more data on the screen, you can temporarily switch to full screen view. Full screen view hides the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface Ribbon, the formula bar (formula bar: A bar at the top of the Excel window that you use to enter or edit values or formulas in cells or charts. Displays the constant value or formula stored in the active cell.), and the status bar. To have access to the hidden elements again, you have to return to normal screen view.
- To switch to full screen view, on the View tab, in the Workbook Views group, click Full Screen.
- To return to normal screen view, right-click anywhere in the worksheet, and then click Close Full Screen.
Keyboard shortcut You can also press ESC.
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Use measurement rulers on a worksheet
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 provides a horizontal and vertical ruler in the Page Layout view, and you can use these rulers to measure the width and height of items in a worksheet. By default, the rulers use the measurement units that are specified for your computer's operating system, but you can change the units to inches, centimeters, or millimeters.
What do you want to do?

Measure the width and height of items in a worksheet
Change the ruler units

Measure the width and height of items in a worksheet
- On the View tab, in the Workbook Views group, click Page Layout.

Tip You can also click the Page Layout button
on the status bar.
- Use the horizontal and vertical ruler to measure items in the worksheet (such as column width, row height, or the width and height of pages).
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Change the ruler units
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, click Excel Options, and then click the Advanced category.
- Under Display, in the Ruler units box, click the units that you want to use.
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Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
View two or more worksheets at the same time
You can quickly compare two worksheets (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.) in the same workbook or in different workbooks by viewing them side by side. You can also arrange multiple worksheets to view them all at the same time.
What do you want to do?

View two worksheets in the same workbook side by side
View two worksheets of different workbooks side by side
View multiple worksheets at the same time

View two worksheets in the same workbook side by side
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click New Window.

- On the View tab, in the Window group, click View Side by Side
.
- In the workbook window, click the worksheets that you want to compare.
- To scroll both worksheets at the same time, click Synchronous Scrolling
in the Window group on the View tab.
Note This option is available only when View Side by Side is turned on.
Tips
- If you resize the workbook windows for optimal viewing, you can click Reset Window Position
to return to the original settings.
- To restore a workbook window to full size, click Maximize
at the upper-right corner of the workbook window.
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View two worksheets of different workbooks side by side
- Open both of the workbooks that contain the worksheets that you want to compare.
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click View Side by Side
.

Note If you keep more than two workbooks open, Excel displays the Compare Side by Side dialog box. In this dialog box, under Compare Side by Side with, click the workbook that contains the worksheet that you want to compare with your active worksheet, and then click OK.
- In each workbook window, click the sheet that you want to compare.
- To scroll both worksheets at the same time, click Synchronous Scrolling
in the Window group on the View tab.
Note This option is available only when View Side by Side is turned on.
Tips
- If you resize the workbook windows for optimal viewing, you can click Reset Window Position
to return to the original settings.
- To restore a workbook window to full size, click Maximize
at the upper-right corner of the workbook window.
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View multiple worksheets at the same time
- Open the workbook or workbooks that contain the worksheets that you want to view at the same time.
- Do one of the following:
- If the worksheets that you want to view are in the same workbook, do the following:
- Click a worksheet that you want to view.
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click New Window.

- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each sheet that you want to view.
- If the worksheets that you want to view are in different workbooks, continue with step 3.
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click Arrange All.
- Under Arrange, click the option that you want.
- To view sheets only in the active workbook, select the Windows of active workbook check box.
Tip To restore a workbook window to full size, click Maximize
at the upper-right corner of the workbook window.
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Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Managing worksheets
Hide or display worksheets or workbooks
You can hide any worksheet in a workbook to remove it from view. You can also hide the workbook window of a workbook to remove it from your workspace. The data in hidden worksheets and workbook windows is not visible, but it can still be referenced from other worksheets and workbooks. You can display hidden worksheets or workbook windows as needed.
By default, all workbook windows of workbooks that you open are displayed on the taskbar, but you can hide or display them on the taskbar as needed.
What do you want to do?

Hide a worksheet
Display a hidden worksheet
Hide a workbook window
Display a hidden workbook window
Hide or display workbook windows on the Windows taskbar

Hide a worksheet
- Select the worksheets that you want to hide.
How to select worksheets

- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Under Visibility, click Hide & Unhide, and then click Hide Sheet.
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Display a hidden worksheet
- On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format.

- Under Visibility, click Hide & Unhide, and then click Unhide Sheet.
- In the Unhide sheet box, double-click the name of the hidden sheet that you want to display.
Note You can unhide only one worksheet at a time.
Note If worksheets are hidden by Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code that assigns the property xlSheetVeryHidden, you cannot use the Unhide command to display those hidden sheets. If you are using a workbook that contains VBA macros and you encounter problems when working with hidden worksheets, contact the owner of the workbook for more information.
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Hide a workbook window
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click Hide.

Note When you exit Excel, you will be asked if you want to save changes to the hidden workbook window. Click Yes if you want the workbook window to be hidden the next time that you open the workbook.
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Display a hidden workbook window
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click Unhide.

Note If Unhide is unavailable, the workbook does not contain hidden workbook windows.
- Under Unhide workbook, double-click the workbook window that you want to display.
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Hide or display workbook windows on the Windows taskbar
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, click Excel Options, and then click the Advanced category.
- Under Display, clear or select the Show all windows in the Taskbar check box.
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See Also
Excel > Worksheet and Excel table basics > Formatting data
Change the default theme
A theme (theme: A combination of theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects. A theme may be applied to a file as a single selection.) is a quick and easy way to give a professional and modern look to an entire 2007 Microsoft Office system document. A document theme is a set of formatting choices that include a set of theme colors (theme colors: A set of colors that is used in a file. Theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects compose a theme.), a set of theme fonts (theme fonts: A set of major and minor fonts that is applied to a file. Theme fonts, theme colors, and theme effects compose a theme.) (including heading and body text fonts), and a set of theme effects (theme effects: A set of visual attributes that is applied to elements in a file. Theme effects, theme colors, and theme fonts compose a theme.) (including lines and fill effects).
Every document that you create by using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, or Microsoft Office Excel 2007 has a theme inside it — even blank, new documents. The default theme is Office Theme, with a white background and dark, subtle colors. When you apply a new theme, Office Theme is replaced by a new look, such as the dark background and bright colors of the Metro theme. If you want a different default theme from the Office Theme, you can save time by pre-configuring your document with a different default theme. All content (such as text, tables, and SmartArt graphics) is dynamically linked to the theme, so changing the theme automatically changes the look of your content, unless you customize it.
Which 2007 Microsoft Office system program are you using?

Excel
PowerPoint
Word

Excel
To change the default theme in Office Excel 2007, you need to create a new, default workbook template (template: A workbook that you create and use as the basis for other similar workbooks. You can create templates for workbooks and worksheets. The default template for workbooks is called Book.xlt. The default template for worksheets is called Sheet.xlt.) or a new, default worksheet template. A workbook template can contain multiple worksheets, whereas a worksheet template contains only one worksheet. Workbook and worksheet templates can contain default text, such as page headers, column and row labels, formulas, themes, and other formatting information. The default workbook template is automatically used to create new workbooks, and the default worksheet template is used to automatically create new worksheets.
Create the default template from a new blank workbook
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click New.
- Under Templates, click Blank and recent, and then under Blank and recent, double-click Blank Workbook.
Keyboard shortcut Press CTRL+N
- On the Page Layout tab, in the Themes group, click Themes.

- To apply a theme to the workbook that every new workbook will use, do one of the following:
- To apply a predefined document theme, under Built-In, click the document theme that you want to use.
- To apply a custom document theme that you created, under Custom, click the document theme that you want to use.
Note Custom is available only if you create one or more custom document themes. For more information about creating custom document themes, see Apply or customize a document theme.
- To apply a document theme that is not listed, click Browse for Themes to find it on your computer or on a network location.
- To search for other document themes on Microsoft Office Online, click More Themes on Microsoft Office Online.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, point to Save As, and then click Excel Workbook.
- Browse to your XLStart folder, which is located in the directory where Office Excel 2007 or the 2007 Office release is installed (usually C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12), and then in the File name box, do one of the following:
- To create a default workbook, enter book.xltx.
- To create a default worksheet, enter sheet.xltx.
- In the Save as type list, click Excel Template (*.xltx), and then click Save.
Note Any template in the default XLStart folder opens automatically when you start Excel 2007.
Create the default template from an existing workbook
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click New.
- Under Templates, click New from existing, and then in the New from Existing Workbook dialog box, browse to the computer, network, or Internet location that contains the workbook that you want to use.
- Click the workbook, and then click Create New.
- On the Page Layout tab, in the Themes group, click Themes.

- To apply a theme to the workbook that every new workbook will use, do one of the following:
- To apply a predefined document theme, under Built-In, click the document theme that you want to use.
- To apply a custom document theme, under Custom, click the document theme that you want to use.
Note Custom is available only if you create one or more custom document themes. For more information about creating custom document themes, see Apply or customize a document theme.
- To apply a document theme that is not listed, click Browse for Themes to find it on your computer or on a network location.
- To search for other document themes on Microsoft Office Online, click More Themes on Microsoft Office Online.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, point to Save As, and then click Excel Workbook.
- Browse to your XLStart folder, which is located in the directory where Office Excel 2007 or the 2007 Microsoft Office system is installed (usually C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12), and then in the File name box, do one of the following:
- To create a default workbook, enter book.xltx.
- To create a default worksheet, enter sheet.xltx.
- In the Save as type list, click Excel Template (*.xltx), and then click Save.
Note Any template in the default XLStart folder opens automatically when you start Excel 2007.
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PowerPoint
Note Unlike Word and Excel, PowerPoint includes background style customization options. To add, customize, and format a background style and to use a picture or texture as a slide background, see Add a background to your presentation.

Note For more information about creating custom themes, see Customize a theme in PowerPoint 2007. To apply your custom theme to a presentation, see Apply a theme to your presentation.
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Word
To change the overall look of your Office Word 2007 document, you change both the theme and the style (style: A combination of formatting characteristics, such as font, font size, and indentation, that you name and store as a set. When you apply a style, all of the formatting instructions in that style are applied at one time.) set. You can then set this as the default for all new documents. In Word 2007, the look of a style set is so closely tied to the fonts and colors used in the theme that the theme fonts (theme fonts: A set of major and minor fonts that is applied to a file. Theme fonts, theme colors, and theme effects compose a theme.) and theme colors (theme colors: A set of colors that is used in a file. Theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects compose a theme.) can be changed both on the Home tab in Change Styles (Styles group), and on the Page Layout tab in the Themes group where you can also change the entire theme.
- Click the Microsoft Office Button
, and then click New.
- Under Templates, click Blank and recent, and then under Blank and recent, double-click Blank document.
Keyboard shortcut To open a blank document, press CTRL+N
- On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Change Styles, point to Style Set, and then click the Quick Style set that you want to use.

The gallery of Quick Styles changes to reflect the new Quick Style set.
- Click Change Styles again, point to Colors, and then choose the colors that you want to use.
- Click Change Styles again, point to Fonts, and then choose the fonts that you want to use.
- To adjust the paragraph or line spacing before setting the default theme, see Adjust the spaces between lines or paragraphs.
- Click Change Styles again, and then click Set as Default.
On the Page Layout tab, the buttons in the Themes group update to reflect your changes.
Note Custom themes are available only if you create one or more custom document themes. For more information about creating custom document themes, see Apply or customize a document theme.
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See Also