Specifying the Number of Worksheets in a New Workbook

Whenever Denise creates a new workbook, Excel always creates it with three worksheets. She seldom (if ever) uses three worksheets in a workbook, so she deletes the extras. This is a bit bothersome to Denise, so she wonders if there is a way to tell Excel that she only wants one or two worksheets when she creates a workbook.

The short answer is yes, there is a way—and it is quite simple. Before explaining how this is done, though, Denise should be commended on making sure that her workbooks contain only the number of worksheets needed for the data contained therein. (It can be a bother to have extraneous, empty worksheets in a workbook!)

In order to adjust the number of worksheets in a new workbook, follow these steps:

1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 or a later version display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
2. At the left side of the dialog box click General. (If you are using Excel 2007, click the Popular option instead.) (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The General options of the Excel Options dialog box

3. Adjust the value shown in the Include this Many Sheets control.
4. Click on OK.

That's it; the next time you start Excel (or the next time you create a new workbook from within Excel), it will only include the number of worksheets you specified in step 3.

There is a different, lesser-known method you could use for specifying how many worksheets you want in a new workbook—you could create your own workbook template that has the desired number of worksheets. You could also apply any "default formatting" you want to the workbook and the worksheets. When you then create a workbook based on the template, it will be created using the template as a pattern for the new workbook.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (958) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021.