Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. 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: Naming Tabs for Weeks.

Naming Tabs for Weeks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 24, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021


When you are starting a new workbook, one common scenario calls for creating a year's worth of worksheets, one for each week of the year. In other words, a workbook could end up containing 52 or 53 worksheets, depending on how many weeks there are in a particular year.

If you have a need to create such a workbook, you know that individually creating and naming all the worksheets can be a real hassle. This is where a macro would come in handy. The following macro will add the appropriate number of worksheets, and then rename all of the worksheets according to week number (01 through 52).

Sub YearWorkbook1()
    Dim iWeek As Integer
    Dim sht As Variant

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Worksheets.Add After:=Worksheets(Worksheets.Count), _
      Count:=(52 - Worksheets.Count)
    iWeek = 1
    For Each sht In Worksheets
        sht.Name = "Week " & Format(iWeek, "00")
        iWeek = iWeek + 1
    Next sht
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

If you instead need a way to create worksheets that show the ending date of each week for a year, then a different macro is needed.

Sub YearWorkbook2()
    Dim iWeek As Integer
    Dim sht As Variant
    Dim sTemp As String
    Dim dSDate As Date

    sTemp = InputBox("Date for the first worksheet:", "End of Week?")
    dSDate = CDate(sTemp)
    
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Worksheets.Add After:=Worksheets(Worksheets.Count), _
      Count:=(52 - Worksheets.Count)
    For Each sht In Worksheets
        sht.Name = Format(dSDate, "dd-mmm-yyyy")
        dSDate = dSDate + 7
    Next sht
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

This version of the macro asks you for a beginning date. It then uses that date to start naming the different worksheets in the workbook. If you enter a value that cannot be translated to a date, then the macro will generate an error.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12403) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Naming Tabs for Weeks.

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 Horizontal Watermark with a PostScript Printer

In Windows, printer drivers translate formatting into a printer control language, like PostScript, that the printer ...

Discover More

Drawing a Curve

Ever wonder how to add a curved line to your document? With a little practice, adding curves is simple. Here's how.

Discover More

Capitalizing after a Sentence Ending with a Number

Word tries its best to be helpful and correct what it thinks is wrong with your typing. One such correction is to ...

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 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Shifting Objects Off a Sheet

One day you are just editing your worksheet like you normally do, then you see an error that says "Cannot shift object ...

Discover More

Sheets for Days

Need a quick way to have a worksheet for each day in a month? Here's a macro that makes the worksheet creation a snap.

Discover More

Finding the Size of Individual Worksheets

Your workbooks can contain many, many worksheets. Which of those worksheets are the largest, however? Here's some ideas ...

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 nine minus 5?

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.