Part I: Getting Started with Excel
If you want to save the newly created workbook, click the Save button. Excel proposes a
filename based on the template’s name, but you can use any filename you like.
Modifying a template
A template file that you download is just like a workbook file. You can open a template file,
make changes to it, and then resave it. For example, with the invoice template shown in
Figure 6.5, you may want to modify the template so that it shows your company informa-
tion and logo and uses your actual sales tax rate. Then, when you use that template in the
future, the workbook created from it will already be customized.
To open a template for editing, choose File ➪ Open (not File ➪ New) and locate the tem-
plate file (it will have an .xltx, .xltm, or .xlt extension). When you open a template file
by choosing File ➪ Open, you’re opening the actual template file—you are not creating a
workbook from the template file.
One way to find the location of your downloaded template files is to look at your trusted
locations list:
- Choose File ➪ Options. The Excel Options dialog box appears.
- Choose Trust Center, and click the Trust Center Settings button. The Trust Center
dialog box appears.
- In the Trust Center dialog box, choose Trusted Locations. You’ll see a list of trusted
locations. Downloaded templates are stored in the location described as User
Templates. If you want to modify (or delete) a downloaded template, this is where
you’ll find it.
On my system, downloaded templates are stored here:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\
After you’ve made changes to the template, use File ➪ Save to save the template file.
Future workbooks that you create from this template will use the modified version
of the template.
Using default templates
Excel supports three types of templates:
The default workbook template This type is used as the basis for new workbooks.
The default worksheet template This type is used as the basis for new worksheets
inserted into a workbook.
Custom workbook templates Usually, these ready-to-run workbooks include formulas,
but they can be as simple or as complex as you like. Typically, these templates are set up so
that a user can simply plug in values and get immediate results. The Microsoft Office Online
templates (discussed earlier in this chapter) are examples of this type of template.
