How to Customize Excel Defaults on Windows: Templates, AutoRecover and Toolbar

The short version​

Skip the Start screen​

Excel opens to a Start screen showing recent files and a template gallery. To bypass it, go to File > Options > General. Under Start up options, clear the box labeled Show the Start screen when this application starts.

Disabling the Start screen is also necessary if you want Excel to open with a custom Book.xltx template. Microsoft's support documentation agrees. The default workbook template is used automatically to create new workbooks, and the default worksheet template is used to create new worksheets. Microsoft says Excel opens a workbook based on Book.xltx the next time it starts. It also says Ctrl+N creates a workbook from that template.

You aren't locked out of the template gallery. File > New still gets you there.

Put your best commands on the Quick Access Toolbar​

Microsoft describes the Quick Access Toolbar as a set of commands that stays put whichever Ribbon tab is showing. There are two ways to add a command:

1. Right-click it on the Ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Open File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar and browse the full command list. Microsoft notes that commands not on the Ribbon appear under the Commands Not in the Ribbon filter.

Uche keeps hers lean: Redo, Camera, Form, Speak Cells, Focus Cell, and a formatting command or two such as Comma style. Those are her preferences, not Microsoft recommendations. Pick the commands you actually reach for.

If you work on more than one PC, Microsoft supports exporting your Ribbon and toolbar setup from File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar > Import/Export. Importing a customization file wipes your existing Ribbon and toolbar customizations. Export your current setup first if you might want it back.

AutoRecover: five minutes is a preference, not a guarantee​

Microsoft says AutoRecover is on by default and saves every 10 minutes. You can change that under File > Options > Save. Uche drops it to five because she works with large datasets. That's reasonable, but keep its limits in mind:

• AutoRecover keeps periodic recovery copies. It doesn't replace saving your file, and it doesn't promise that you lose no more than five minutes of work.
• AutoSave is a separate feature. Microsoft says it works for Microsoft 365 files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, and it saves every few seconds. Local files don't get it. The old AutoRecovery behavior still covers local files.
• AutoSave can be off even for cloud files. Microsoft lists several causes:
  • the file is in an older format such as .xls
  • OneDrive sync is paused
  • the file was opened from File Explorer or from a local-path entry in the recent files list instead of from within the app
  • your Microsoft 365 subscription isn't active
• If AutoSave isn't on, check the AutoSave toggle in the app header and the AutoSave box under File > Options > Save.

AutoSave brings its own hazards. Microsoft warns that "what-if" analysis on an AutoSave file gets saved whether you intended it or not. The same goes for editing a file and then using Save a Copy. Turn AutoSave off for those jobs, or make the copy before you edit. Version History is the rescue route if you slip up.

Default font and the Normal style​

Uche says Microsoft 365 now defaults to Aptos 11, where older versions used Calibri 11. I couldn't confirm that across every Excel edition, so treat it as her observation. Defaults also vary by platform. Microsoft's Mac documentation says new workbooks there use 12-point Body Font. Choose your own font for new workbooks on Windows under File > Options > General, in the When creating new workbooks section.

The Normal cell style is a separate lever. On the Home tab, open Cell Styles, right-click Normal, and choose Modify, then Format. Changes there flow to every cell using that style. Uche likes top vertical alignment for sheets with notes or wrapped text. She keeps the number format on General and saves tinted fills for templates. Microsoft's glossary notes that the standard font determines the default font for the Normal style.

The catch is that a Normal change only affects the workbook you're in. To make it stick, save it in a default template.

Book.xltx and Sheet.xltx​

This is the part that pays off most. Set up a workbook the way you want new ones to look, covering styles, margins, column widths, theme, and sheet count. Then:

1. Choose File > Save As.
2. Set the type to Excel Template (.xltx). Use .xltm if the workbook contains macros.
3. Name the file Book.
4. Save it in the XLSTART folder.
5. Restart Excel. Microsoft's cell-style guidance says saved styles become available in new workbooks after you exit and restart.

For a worksheet template, build a workbook with a single sheet and save it as Sheet.xltx in the same folder. Excel then uses it when you add a sheet. A Microsoft Q&A answer says that includes the + button next to the last sheet tab, and also Insert > Insert Sheet on the Home tab.

Where is XLSTART?​

Don't assume one path. Microsoft's appearance guidance gives a typical location of C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart. Other sources and Microsoft's own cell-style page cite different locations, such as an AppData Roaming path or a Program Files Office folder, depending on version and install. Uche suggests checking File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations. Do that rather than trusting any single path.

Gotchas​

• Exact names matter. Excel Q&A answers and the Exceljet guide note that the names are language-specific. Book.xltx and Sheet.xltx apply to English versions. Other languages use different names, such as Map.xltx in Dutch.
• Personal templates are different. A template in your personal templates folder shows up under File > New > Personal. It doesn't change the default workbook. Microsoft's usual location for that folder is Documents\Custom Office Templates.
• "Blank workbook" is disputed. Uche says File > New > Blank workbook bypasses Book.xltx. Community sources conflict. One long-standing user report says the template is ignored from the Start screen's blank workbook option and applies via Ctrl+N. A Microsoft Q&A answer says Blank Workbook uses it. I found no Microsoft documentation settling it. Ctrl+N, the New button on the toolbar, and launching with the Start screen disabled are the documented routes, so test the others on your own build.
• To undo it, delete the template from XLSTART. Exceljet-style guides describe that as the way to stop using it.

Is this worth ten minutes?​

For casual users, probably not. If you create the same kind of workbook weekly, a template saves real repetition. Standardizing a template across a team also works well, since you can copy the file to other machines. In a managed environment, test first, because administrators may control Office settings and startup behavior.

My suggested order:

1. Disable the Start screen.
2. Build and save Book.xltx, then test it with Ctrl+N.
3. Add Sheet.xltx.
4. Tune the Quick Access Toolbar and export it as a backup.
5. Check that AutoSave is actually on for cloud files, whatever your AutoRecover interval.

Excel's defaults are fine for a stranger. You aren't a stranger to your own spreadsheets.