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Excel 2010

Using Templates

Page 1

Introduction

Lesson 16

In Excel 2010, you have many templates that can save you a lot of time. A template is a pre-designed spreadsheet you can use to create new spreadsheets with the same formatting and pre-defined formulas. With templates, you don't need to know how to do the math, or even how to write formulas—these are already integrated into the spreadsheet.

In this lesson, you will learn how to create a new workbook with a template, as well as basic information about how templates work in Excel 2010.

Page 2

Using templates

Video: Using Templates in Excel 2010

Launch video!Watch the video (1:56).

Excel allows you to create a new workbook using a template, which is a pre-designed spreadsheet. Several templates are pre-loaded in Excel, and others are located on Office.com.

To create a new workbook using a template:

  1. Click the File tab to go to Backstage view.
  2. Select New. The Available Templates pane appears.
  3. Click Sample templates to choose a built-in template, or select an Office.com template category to download a template. In this example, we will download a template from Office.com.
    Available Templates paneAvailable Templates pane
  4. Thumbnail images of the templates you have to choose from appear in the center. A larger preview appears on the right.
  5. Select the desired template, then click Download to open it. (If using a Sample template, Download will be replaced by Create.)
    Opening a templateOpening a template
  6. A new workbook will appear using the template you chose.
    New workbook utilizing a templateNew workbook utilizing a template

Use caution when downloading Office.com templates. Some of them are uploaded by people not affiliated with Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee that those templates are free from viruses or defects. For those templates, you'll see a warning message before downloading them.

Warning message for a non-Microsoft templateWarning message for a non-Microsoft template
Page 3

Challenge!

  1. Browse the sample templates on your computer.
  2. Browse several different template categories from Office.com.
  3. Create a new workbook using a template.
  4. Enter your data into the template.
  5. Save and close the workbook.