Chapter 3: Essential Worksheet Operations
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To change a sheet’s name, double-click the sheet tab. Excel highlights the name on the sheet tab so
that you can edit the name or replace it with a new name.Sheet names can be up to 31 characters, and spaces are allowed. However, you can’t use the
following characters in sheet names:: colon
/ slash
\ backslash
[ ] square brackets
< > angle brackets. period
? question mark
’ apostrophe
- asterisk
Keep in mind that a longer worksheet name results in a wider tab, which takes up more space
onscreen. Therefore, if you use lengthy sheet names, you won’t be able to see very many sheet tabs
without scrolling the tab list.Changing a sheet tab color
Excel allows you to change the color of your worksheet tabs. For example, you may prefer to
color-code the sheet tabs to make identifying the worksheet’s contents easier.By default, Excel automatically creates three worksheets in each new workbook. You can change this
default behavior. For example, I prefer to start each new workbook with a single worksheet. After all, you
can easily add new sheets if and when they’re needed. To change the default number of worksheets:- Choose File ➪ Excel Options to display the Excel Options window.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Change the value for the Include This Many Sheets setting and then click OK.
Making this change affects all new workbooks but has no effect on existing workbooks.Changing the Default Number of Sheets
in Your Workbooks