How do I turn a sheet into a template?

Let's be honest: Spreadsheets aren't the most exciting documents in the world. And if you have a job that involves creating the same type of spreadsheet over and over again, you know how tedious it can be to type the same headers and sheet titles every time.

That's where templates come in. Templates let you create a new spreadsheet with all the standard formatting already filled in, letting you skip the busywork and focus on the data.

Here's how to create your own Google Sheets templates, or find and use one of the premade templates that Google gives you.

How to make a new Google Sheets template

1. Open Google Sheets on your computer — this feature isn't available in the mobile app — and create a new spreadsheet. You can also open an existing spreadsheet if it's already set up how you want it.

2. Edit the spreadsheet so it has everything that you want to save into a template.

3. Once you're done, give the spreadsheet a title that denotes it as a template — something like "Fiscal Report Template."

You now have a working template. To use this template to start a spreadsheet in the future, open it up and click File in the top-left, then select Make a copy. You'll be asked to give the new spreadsheet a name, and once you do, it'll create a new spreadsheet based on your template.

3. Click Create to download the template.

Excel creates the workbook Home inventory1.xlsx based on this template.

Create a Template

If you create your own template, you can safely store it in the Templates folder. As a result, you can create new workbooks based on this template without worrying that you overwrite the original file.

To create a template, execute the following steps.

1. Create a workbook.

2. On the File tab, click Save As.

3. Click Browse.

4. Enter a file name.

5. Select Excel Template (*.xltx) from the drop-down list.

Excel automatically activates the Templates folder. Notice the location of the Templates folder on your computer. It's usually located here:

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Custom Office Templates

6. Click Save.

To create a workbook based on this template, execute the following steps.

7. On the File tab, click New.

8. Click Personal.

9. Click WeddingBudget.

Excel creates the workbook WeddingBudget1.xlsx based on this template.

Note: to edit a template, on the File tab, click Open and then click Browse, to open the template. Edit the file and save the file to its original location.

How do I save a sheet as a template?

Can you share a Google sheet as a template?

Can you make a Google Doc into a template?

How can I create a template?