Specifying the Number of Worksheets in a New Workbook

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 13, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


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

  4. Adjust the value shown in the Include this Many Sheets control.
  5. 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, 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

Removing Unused Styles

Got an older document that has a bunch of unused styles defined in it? You can get rid of those styles easily by using ...

Discover More

Who Has the File Open?

Open a workbook that someone else is working on, and you won't be able to save your changes back into the same file. ...

Discover More

Summing Only Positive Values

If you have a series of values and you want to get a total of just the values that meet specific criteria, then you need ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Hiding and Unhiding Worksheets

Worksheets are easily accessible in a workbook, but you may not want them to be so open. You can hide worksheets so they ...

Discover More

Naming Tabs for Weeks

Need to set up a workbook that includes a worksheet for each week of the year? Here's a couple of quick macros that can ...

Discover More

Quickly Inserting a New Worksheet

Want a quick way to insert a worksheet? There's nothing faster than using the handy shortcut.

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 7 + 1?

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.