Resetting Default Names for New Worksheets

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 13, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Peter developed a macro that deletes all the worksheets in a workbook except for one named "Index." This macro works fine. However, after running the macro, if he adds a new worksheet he expects it to be named "Sheet1" as the default, but it is actually named a later number, such as "Sheet3" or "Sheet4." Peter wonders what is required to reset the sheet numbering to the expected default.

The easiest way to reset the sheet numbering is to simply close the workbook and open it again. That, however, involves a manual step on your part. If you are adding the new worksheets via macro, then you probably don't want to manually close and re-open the workbook.

You could, if desired, create a simple macro to do the close and re-open process. This will work as long as the macro is stored in your Personal Macro Workbook and not in the workbook you are closing.

Sub Reopen()
    Dim wb As Excel.Workbook
    Dim sPath As String

    Set wb = ThisWorkbook
    sPath = wb.FullName

    Application.OnTime Now + TimeValue("00:00:01"), _
      Application.Workbooks.Open(sPth)
    wb.Close (True)
End Sub

The macro determines the name of the current workbook and then sets an OnTime event to open the workbook 1 second in the future. During that 1 second, however, the workbook is closed and saved, which allows it to be re-opened successfully.

You could, if desired, also choose to add your new worksheets via macro. The following short macro adds a worksheet and then immediately renames it to the desired name.

Sub AddWs()
  Worksheets.Add after:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)
  Sheets(Sheets.Count).Name = "Sheet" & Sheets.Count - 1
End Sub

You'll want to play with these solutions and find which one works best for your needs, particularly if you are wanting to integrate the solution with an already existing macro.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6103) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding Object Anchors

Do you have documents that contain objects? Understanding how Word handles objects and the way they are anchored can make ...

Discover More

Drop Shadows for Tables

When adding borders and shading to a document's elements, Word allows you to quickly add drop shadows to paragraphs, text ...

Discover More

Quickly Finding Synonyms

If you need to find some synonyms for a specific word in your document, here's how you can do it. (Hint: All you need to ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Determining if Calculation is Necessary

When processing a worksheet with a macro, it may be helpful to periodically recalculate the worksheet. Wouldn't it be ...

Discover More

Counting Empty Colored Cells

There are a variety of ways that you might want to count the cells in your worksheet. One way is to figure out how many ...

Discover More

Continuing Macro Lines

Sometimes a macro command line can get very, very long. This can make it hard to understand when you look at it a month ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four minus 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.