How to Use and Create Excel Templates

A template is a workbook you start from instead of a blank one. It already has the headings, formulas, formatting and layout, so you only fill in this month's numbers. Opening a template always gives you a new, unsaved copy, which means the original stays clean no matter how many times you use it. Excel comes with hundreds of templates, and you can turn any workbook of your own into one.

Where to find it

Templates live on the File tab, which opens a full-page view instead of a ribbon group: click File, then New. The page shows Blank workbook, a selection of Microsoft's templates and a search box for more. Ctrl+N skips this page and opens a blank workbook straight away.

Your own templates appear on the same page, on a Personal tab, once you've saved one (see below).

Start a workbook from a template

1. Open the template gallery

   Click File › New.

2. Find a template

   Scroll through the suggestions, or type a word such as budget, invoice or calendar in the search box and press Enter. Searching needs an internet connection, because the templates are downloaded from Microsoft.

3. Preview and create

   Click a thumbnail to see a larger preview and a short description, then click Create. A new workbook opens with the template's content.

4. Save your copy

   Fill in your own data, then press Ctrl+S. Because the workbook is new, Excel asks where to save it and what to call it. Save it as a normal workbook (.xlsx).

Microsoft's templates often contain sample data and instructions. Read them, then replace the sample values with yours.

Build your own template

Any workbook you set up once and reuse is a candidate: a monthly budget, a weekly timesheet, an invoice, a grade tracker. Here's a monthly budget with the planned amounts filled in, empty Actual cells for the month's spending (amber), and formulas that work out what's left.

fx

	A	B	C	D
1	Category	Budget	Actual	Left
2	Rent	900		900
3	Groceries	350		350
4	Transport	120		120
5	Fun	150		150
6	Total	1,520	0	1,520

Before you save it as a template, prepare it:

1. Remove last month's data

   Clear the cells people will fill in, but keep the headings, formulas and formatting. A template with old numbers in it gets copied with those numbers every time.

2. Unlock the input cells

   Select the cells people should type in, here C2:C5. Press Ctrl+1, open the Protection tab, clear Locked and click OK.

   Format Cells✕

   LockedHidden

   Protection tab. Locking only takes effect once the sheet is protected.

   OKCancel

3. Protect the sheet (optional)

   Go to Review› then Protect› then Protect Sheet and click OK. Now the formulas and headings can't be overwritten by accident, but the input cells still accept typing.

   FileHomeInsertPage LayoutFormulasDataReviewViewAutomateHelp

   Protect Sheet

   Protect Workbook

   Protect

4. Save as an Excel Template

   Press F12 to open the Save As dialog. Type a name such as Monthly budget, open the Save as type list and choose Excel Template (*.xltx). Excel switches to your Custom Office Templates folder (in Documents). Leave it there and click Save.

   Save As✕

   File nameMonthly budget▾

   Save as typeExcel Template (*.xltx)▾

   Excel moves to the Custom Office Templates folder when you pick this type.

   SaveCancel

Close the template once it's saved. From now on you don't open the template itself to do your monthly work; you create a copy from it.

Use your template

Click File › New, then the Personal tab, and click Monthly budget. A new workbook named Monthly budget1 opens, with the formulas and protection in place and the Actual cells empty. Fill in the month and save it under its own name, such as Budget May 2026.xlsx.

fx

	A	B	C	D
1	Category	Budget	Actual	Left
2	Rent	900	900	0
3	Groceries	350	382	-32
4	Transport	120	95	25
5	Fun	150	170	-20
6	Total	1,520	1,547	-27

Groceries went 32 over and fun 20 over, while transport came in 25 under: in total, 1,547 spent against a budget of 1,520, so D6 shows -27. Next month, create another copy from the template and start fresh.

Change a template later

Double-clicking a template file in File Explorer, or picking it under Personal, always creates a copy. To change the template itself, open it with File › Open: browse to the Custom Office Templates folder, select the .xltx file and click Open. The title bar shows the template's own name. Make your changes and press Ctrl+S to save the template. Workbooks you already made from it don't change.

Template file types

Real-world scenarios

Work

Expense claim

An employee files a claim after every business trip. The template has the headings, a SUM total in C6 and a blank row to spare, so each trip takes a minute to fill in.

C6fx=SUM(C2:C5)

	A	B	C
1	Date	Description	Amount
2	2026-10-05	Train ticket	64
3	2026-10-05	Hotel	145
4	2026-10-06	Lunch with client	38
5
6		Total	247

The total is 247 (64 + 145 + 38). Because the SUM range includes the empty row 5, a fourth item is added to the total automatically.

School

Grade tracker for every class

A student keeps one tracker per class. The template has Assignment, Score and Out of columns, and a percentage formula in column D formatted as %.

D3fx=B3/C3

	A	B	C	D
1	Assignment	Score	Out of	Percent
2	Quiz 1	18	20	90%
3	Essay	42	50	84%
4	Lab report	27	30	90%
5	Quiz 2	15	20	75%

The essay's 42 out of 50 shows as 84%, Quiz 1 and the lab report as 90%, and Quiz 2 as 75%. With a template, the next class's tracker starts with the same formulas and format, not with a copy of this class's scores.

Personal

Splitting the cost of a trip

Friends plan a weekend away twice a year. A trip template lists each cost, how many people share it, and the amount per person.

D5fx=B5/C5

	A	B	C	D
1	Item	Cost	People	Each
2	Cabin	480	4	120
3	Fuel	96	4	24
4	Groceries	140	4	35
5	Boat hire	90	3	30

The cabin costs 120 each (480 ÷ 4), and the boat 30 each, because only three people go out on it (90 ÷ 3). Next trip, create a new copy and the costs start empty again.

Common mistakes

• Working in the template itself. If you open the .xltx with File › Open and fill it in, you're changing the template. Use File › New › Personal to get a copy.
• Saving the template as a normal workbook. A budget saved as .xlsx and reused each month eventually gets overwritten with the wrong month. Choose Excel Template (*.xltx) in Save as type.
• Saving it in another folder. The Personal tab only lists templates in your templates folder. Save it there, or set Default personal templates location to the folder you use.
• Leaving sample or old data in. Every copy starts with whatever is in the template. Clear the input cells before you save it.
• Protecting the sheet without unlocking the inputs. Then nobody can type anything. Clear Locked for the input cells first.

Practice

Practice

Make and use a budget template

1. Type the budget from this page in a new workbook: Category, Budget, Actual and Left in A1:D1, four categories, and a Total row. In D2 type =B2-C2 and fill it down to D5; in row 6 add SUM formulas.
2. Leave the Actual cells empty. Unlock them with Ctrl+1 › Protection, then protect the sheet.
3. Press F12, choose Excel Template (*.xltx), name it Monthly budget and save it in the folder Excel suggests. Close it.
4. Go to File › New › Personal and create a copy. Fill in this month's spending and save the copy as a normal workbook.
5. Create a second copy and check that it starts empty.