Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 3, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
When Helen starts Excel, it doesn't show anything—no worksheet, no headers, no anything. This is confusing to Helen, as she would like Excel to start with a new, blank workbook.
There are several reasons that this could be happening in Excel. The first thing is very easy—just restart your computer. This is always a good idea to make sure that there is nothing inadvertently in memory that could be causing the issue.
If that doesn't work for you, and you are starting Excel by double-clicking a shortcut, then you need to check something in how the shortcut is put together. Get out of Excel and do the following:
Now when you double-click on the shortcut, Excel should start normally and you should see the screen that allows you to specify if you want to start with a blank workbook, a previously opened workbook, or a new workbook based on a template. (This is the normal way Excel is supposed to open.)
If you want to just open a blank worksheet and bypass the screen just mentioned, you can do so by following these steps:
Now you should be able to restart Excel and bypass the default options. Instead, you should see a blank workbook, automatically.
Finally, there is one other thing you can check. Your system could be configured such that the default workbook (the one that appears whenever you start Excel or open a new workbook) is hidden. This is easy enough to check—just start Excel and display the View tab of the ribbon. If the Unhide tool (in the Window group) is available, it means that there is a hidden workbook. Click the tool, and you can see if that workbook is named one of the default names, such as Book1 or Book2.
If you find that this is an issue on your system, the fix is a bit more complex. You should first use Windows to open the XLStart folder. (This is where the user-defined default workbook is stored.) You can use the search capabilities of Windows to locate the folder on your system. Its exact location can vary depending on how Excel was installed on your system, as well as the version of Excel you are using. For most modern versions of Excel, this is the default path for the folder:
C:\Users\"your name"\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART\
In this path, "your name" is a placeholder for your actual Windows username. You should also note that the AppData folder is hidden, by default. This means that to access the folder, you'll need to enable the display of hidden files on your Windows system. You can do that by following this tip, over on the WindowsTips site:
https://windows.tips.net/T011964
Once you navigate to the XLStart folder, you should see a file in there called either Book.xltx or Book.xltm. (The extension depends on whether the workbook contains macros or not.) This workbook is the default used whenever you open a blank workbook. You'll need to open it, in Excel, but in doing so you won't see anything—remember that it is hidden. You can display the View tab of the ribbon, click Unhide, and choose to unhide the workbook. Immediately save it again. Now any new, blank workbooks will be visible, as you would expect.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10424) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Have you ever tried to save a workbook, only to be notified that someone else has made changes in it? What if you are the ...
Discover MoreDo you need to compare two workbooks to each other? While you can use specialized third-party software to do the ...
Discover MoreYou may want to add, to your worksheet, the date on which a particular workbook was created. Excel doesn't provide a way ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-09-03 05:10:58
jamies
May be that the file was saved ( as far as Excel is concerned) with a second view active ,
and that may well be associated with it being saved ( by default - the fault being your lack of attention) to OneDrive, rather than the normal local, or corporate server location.
clue - is that at the top of the window there is a - 2 at the end of the filename -
if so, possible solution -
if needed use Ctrl+F1 to see the ribbon
use the View command set and create a new view -
that may - well should show a window with - 3 shown at the end of the filename, and your data in the window
Save the file, or - better SaveAs to a local folder -
but check where Excel is offering to save the file - If OneDrive, maybe selects a local folder
And when you see a list of files in the proffered folder - you can right-click on a file and use the rename facility, (or copy and paste) before you select the "Save" action.
then go to the empty window and close that window using the top right corner [x]
Save - and close the file,
reopen it, and there should be 2 windows with data -
what was the one you thought you had saved earlier before seeing the problem (with a - 1), and one with a -2 tat is the new one you created - renumbered as you got rid of the -2 that was confusing Excel.
Now you can close that -2 window, and Save, or SaveAs the - hopefully fixed file.
Then - get rid of the unwanted OneDrive copy, or/and the unwanted ones from the other folders you used.
A lot of reading, but a fairly fast and simple solution - if you are fortunate.
2022-03-19 11:07:08
John Mann
In my Excel 2010, there in no option "Show the Start screen when this Application Starts" in the General tab of Options, in fact there isn't very much at all, just a few lines using maybe 1/3 of the screen height. It makes no difference whether I have a new blank workbook, and actively used workbook, or no workbook at all - I get the same limited options in General tab.
My copy of Excel 2010 always starts with a blank workbook when I start is from a desktop shortcut (no switches in the shortcut command line).
Does the setting Allen described exist elsewhere in Excel 2010, or only in later versions?
2022-02-19 15:47:55
Tomek
Sorry for the messy posting; here is the corrected one
There are actually two locations for the startup Book.xlt? file. The other one is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\XLSTART\
or if you have 64 bit office:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\XLSTART\
If there is a Book.xlt? file in there, it will take precedence over the one in the User Startup location.
For more info see:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/customize-how-excel-starts-6509b9af-2cc8-4fb6-9ef5-cf5f1d292c19#bkmk_xlstart
2022-02-19 15:45:14
Tomek
There are actually two locations for the startup Book.xlt? file. The other one is:
bsp
bsp
bsp
bspC:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\XLSTART\
or if you have 64 bit office:
bsp
bsp
bsp
bspC:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\XLSTART\
If there is a Book.xlt? file in there, it will take precedence over the one in the User Startup location.
For more info see:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/customize-how-excel-starts-6509b9af-2cc8-4fb6-9ef5-cf5f1d292c19#bkmk_xlstart
2022-02-19 06:59:58
Alex B
The shortcut for C:\Users\"your name"\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART\
being:-
%AppData%\microsoft\excel\xlstart
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments