Saving a Custom Table Style

Mike has a table style that he likes to use to format his tables with a certain color, border, etc. However, he doesn't know of a way to save this table style so that he can use it the next time he creates a new worksheet. Instead, he finds that he has to re-create the table style again each time. Mike wonders if there is a way to save the table style so that he can just use it across many workbooks.

Excel allows you to create your own table styles through the following general steps:

1. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the Format As Table tool, in the Styles group. Excel displays a variety of formats you can use.
3. Scroll down through the options, to the very bottom.
4. Select the New Table Style option. Excel displays the New Table Style dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The New Table Style dialog box.

5. Provide a name for your custom table style.
6. Use the controls in the dialog box to define how you want the style to look.
7. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Your new style is defined, and it will be usable for the balance of the current Excel session. (You can see it at the top of the styles, in the Custom section, when you click the Foramt As Table tool on the Home tab of the ribbon.) If you want the style to be accessible in future sessions of Excel, then it is best to save the workbook as a template. You do that by pressing F12 to display the Save As dialog box and using the Save As Type drop-down list to specify you are saving a template.

Once saved as a template, you can later base new workbooks on this template, which means that the custom table style (along with any other customizations) will be available for you to use.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (4868) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021.