Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Renaming a Workbook.

Renaming a Workbook

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 2, 2019)

2

There is no intrinsic command within Excel that allows you to rename workbooks or files, as there is in some other programs. It is true that you can simply save a workbook out under a new name, but that results in two files on your drive instead of one. You can use the following steps to rename a workbook quickly and easily, all within Excel:

  1. Make sure the workbook you want to rename is not loaded into Excel. (Close it if it is loaded.)
  2. Press Ctrl+O to display the Open dialog box. (In Excel 2013 you'll need to not only press Ctrl+O, but then click Computer and then Browse. In Excel 2016 or a later version click This PC and then Browse after you click Ctrl+O). You can also press Ctrl+F12 to display the Open dialog box.
  3. In the list of files contained in the dialog box, right-click on the one you want to rename. This displays a Context menu for the workbook.
  4. Choose Rename from the Context menu. The workbook name is highlighted, and you have the opportunity to change the name.
  5. Once the document name is changed, press Enter.
  6. Close the Open dialog box by pressing Esc or clicking on Cancel.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11726) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Renaming a Workbook.

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

Adding a Drop Shadow to a Text Box

Drop shadows add a nice touch to text boxes, making it seem like they are hovering above the page. Here's the simple ...

Discover More

Printing Color Separations with VBA

When printing in color (at a commercial printer) it is necessary to print different colors of your document in different ...

Discover More

Determining If a Number is Odd or Even

If you need to know whether a particular value is odd or even, you can use this simple formula. Designed to be used in a ...

Discover More

Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Loading Unwanted Files at Startup

Imagine how painful it would be if every time you started Excel it tried to load all the files in your root directory? ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Empty Rows after Importing

Import data into a worksheet (or paste it there) and you may find that you end up with a group of blank cells you need to ...

Discover More

Avoiding Scientific Notation on File Imports

When importing information from a CSV file, you may get unintended results from time to time. Here's how to force Excel ...

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.

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

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}] 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 1 + 3?

2019-02-03 13:58:59

Walter Fuhrer

Hi Allen,

Is there a way to rename a workbook (Excel 2013) without breaking the connection when it is linked to other workbook or as a hyperlink to other documents?

Kind regards,
Walter

2019-02-02 16:10:12

Ron

When you rename a workbook, Excel does NOT update the Recent Workbooks list to reflect the new name. This can create some confusion when you are looking for that workbook later.

To alleviate any possible confusion, while you still have the File Open dialog on the screen, you should take a second to open the renamed workbook so it will appear in the Recent Workbooks list under the new name. And then, you may as well go ahead and right click on the old name and choose Remove From List. These two quick steps will alleviate any confusion in the future.

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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.