Anne sends in todays question: How can I change the default header and footer that is used for all future workbooks? In Episode 612, Ill show you how to change the default settings for all future workbooks.
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Hey welcome back to the MrExcel net cast. I'm Bill Jelen.
Today, we have a question that's sent in by Ann. If you have a question for the podcast please feel free to either leave me a voicemail or drop me an email and we'll get to you on a future podcast.
Now Ann's question. She says every time I create a brand-new workbook I always go through and do the same three or four things like for example, my headers and footers.
I always want to use the footer. "File" "Page setup" "Custom footer". I like to have maybe the tab name on the left hand side, the page number in the middle and then on the right-hand side the date.
She says you know I'm constantly going through and making all these changes.
But every single document that I ever create.
I use the exact same header and footer.
Is there some way to make that header and footer be the default?
Well there is but it's a little bit convoluted. What we want to do is first go into "Tools" "Option" and on the "General" tab, the "General" tab, look at the second to the last box.
It's called "At startup open all files in" Now this is probably blank on your computer.
What we want to do is create a brand new folder that is completely blank and put that folder name in here.
You could call it Fred or Joe or Bob or Ann.
I called mine XL startup, whatever you want to call it.
We'll click "OK" and then you create a blank workbook One worksheet and go through and make all of your favorite changes.
For example, one thing I always do "File" "Page Setup" is I say I want to fit to 1 page wide by I don't care how many pages tall.
So I'll always delete that so that way it fits to one page wide.
I hate that one last little column that prints on a new set of pages.
Click OK we already have the footer changes in there for Ann and we're going to go to "File" "Save as" Now instead of saving this as a workbook, We're gonna change the "Save as type" to a template.
As soon as we choose template, the folder changes, it navigates down into the application data, Microsoft Office shared and so on.
So we need to navigate back to XL start up or whatever you called your folder.
Now once we're in that folder, we want to save this workbook with two names the first name is book.
book.xlt and then we also want to save it with sheet.xlt.
"File" "Save as" "Sheet xlt" and then what happens is forevermore on this computer whenever you go and click the "New" icon, you will inherit all of the settings from book.xlt.
So if we go into "File" "Page setup" You'll see that the header and footer is the custom header and footer that Ann wants.
Now the reason we have to save sheet.xlt is sometimes, you have an existing workbook and you use "Insert" "Worksheet" Well that will inherit all of the settings from sheet.xlt.
So you want to make two identical copies, book.xlt sheet.xlt and of course where we say that "Tools" "Options" look in the "General" tab come and create a brand new folder here "At startup, open all files in" Now I have to warn you in earlier versions of excel I think 2000 and 1997, these used to be called "alternates startup location".
Exact same thing, they just had different words over there, so again create a folder name and you're good to go.
Hey thanks for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
Today, we have a question that's sent in by Ann. If you have a question for the podcast please feel free to either leave me a voicemail or drop me an email and we'll get to you on a future podcast.
Now Ann's question. She says every time I create a brand-new workbook I always go through and do the same three or four things like for example, my headers and footers.
I always want to use the footer. "File" "Page setup" "Custom footer". I like to have maybe the tab name on the left hand side, the page number in the middle and then on the right-hand side the date.
She says you know I'm constantly going through and making all these changes.
But every single document that I ever create.
I use the exact same header and footer.
Is there some way to make that header and footer be the default?
Well there is but it's a little bit convoluted. What we want to do is first go into "Tools" "Option" and on the "General" tab, the "General" tab, look at the second to the last box.
It's called "At startup open all files in" Now this is probably blank on your computer.
What we want to do is create a brand new folder that is completely blank and put that folder name in here.
You could call it Fred or Joe or Bob or Ann.
I called mine XL startup, whatever you want to call it.
We'll click "OK" and then you create a blank workbook One worksheet and go through and make all of your favorite changes.
For example, one thing I always do "File" "Page Setup" is I say I want to fit to 1 page wide by I don't care how many pages tall.
So I'll always delete that so that way it fits to one page wide.
I hate that one last little column that prints on a new set of pages.
Click OK we already have the footer changes in there for Ann and we're going to go to "File" "Save as" Now instead of saving this as a workbook, We're gonna change the "Save as type" to a template.
As soon as we choose template, the folder changes, it navigates down into the application data, Microsoft Office shared and so on.
So we need to navigate back to XL start up or whatever you called your folder.
Now once we're in that folder, we want to save this workbook with two names the first name is book.
book.xlt and then we also want to save it with sheet.xlt.
"File" "Save as" "Sheet xlt" and then what happens is forevermore on this computer whenever you go and click the "New" icon, you will inherit all of the settings from book.xlt.
So if we go into "File" "Page setup" You'll see that the header and footer is the custom header and footer that Ann wants.
Now the reason we have to save sheet.xlt is sometimes, you have an existing workbook and you use "Insert" "Worksheet" Well that will inherit all of the settings from sheet.xlt.
So you want to make two identical copies, book.xlt sheet.xlt and of course where we say that "Tools" "Options" look in the "General" tab come and create a brand new folder here "At startup, open all files in" Now I have to warn you in earlier versions of excel I think 2000 and 1997, these used to be called "alternates startup location".
Exact same thing, they just had different words over there, so again create a folder name and you're good to go.
Hey thanks for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
