excel template

Question

Excel Office 16 (M365) on local PC — Book.xltx template not being applied to new workbooks

I'm trying to set default cell formatting (borders, fonts etc.) so every new workbook opens with those settings already applied.

Here's what I've tried:

• Created a blank workbook, formatted it how I want, saved it as Book.xltx
• Tried saving to XLSTART — blocked by folder permissions
• Saved to C:\Users[myname]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\ with the exact filename Book.xltx
• Set the "Default personal templates location" in File → Options → Save to that same path
• Also copied Book.xltx to C:\Users[myname]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART\ — that folder exists and accepted the file
• Fully closed Excel (confirmed no Excel process running in Task Manager) and reopened
• Opening new workbook via File → New → Blank Workbook

None of this works — new workbooks still open with default formatting, ignoring the template.

Running Office 16 / M365 on Windows, local PC, corporate environment with some folder permissions restricted by IT.

Has anyone actually got this working in a similar setup? Is there something specific to Office 16 or a GPO restriction that could be blocking it?

Answer 1

Dear @Bud Venne,

Thank you for the detailed explanation; that helps a lot.

Before I suggest any fixes, I’d like to narrow down a few key points because in corporate (M365) environments this behavior is often affected by policy or how Excel is launched.

Could you please confirm the following:

1. How are you creating the new workbook?
2. Do you see any workbook opening automatically when Excel starts (even briefly), which might indicate something else in XLSTART is loading?
3. Is there more than one XLSTART location active? (Excel uses two possible paths) %AppData%\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\XLSTART (or similar) Can you check whether there is another Book.xltx or any .xlsx in the Program Files XLSTART?
4. Does Excel open in Safe Mode produce the same result? (Run: excel.exe /safe, then try Ctrl+N)
5. Are there any Group Policies applied for Office templates? If you check in Excel: File > Options > Advanced > General > “At startup, open all files in”  Is anything configured there?
6. What exactly is inside your XLSTART folder now? Only Book.xltx, or are there other files like PERSONAL.XLSB, add-ins, or other templates?
7. Are you using OneDrive Known Folder Move or redirected AppData? (Sometimes templates in AppData\Roaming are redirected and Excel doesn’t resolve them correctly.)

Once I have these details, I can identify whether this is: expected behavior limitation in M365, a path/priority issue between template locations or a GPO restriction overriding Book.xltx.

Looking forward to your update so I can guide you precisely.

Answer 2

Excel uses specific locations and filenames for default templates, and only templates in XLStart (or an alternate startup folder) are used automatically for new workbooks. The behavior described matches a configuration where Excel is not actually picking up Book.xltx from the correct startup folder, or where a corporate policy restricts saving/using templates in that folder.

Key points from the documented behavior:

1. Excel only auto-uses Book.xltx when it is in XLStart or the alternate startup folder
   • To make a custom theme/formatting the default, the template must be saved as Book.xltx in an XLStart folder.
   • Documentation shows two relevant XLStart locations:
     • An XLStart folder under the Office installation path, for example:
       • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\<Office folder>\XLStart
     • An XLStart folder under the user profile, for example:
       • C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart
   • Excel recognizes both, but the user-profile XLStart is the one stored as a property for workbook links and is the standard location for user templates.
2. Correct procedure to create the default workbook template
   • Create a new blank workbook (File → New → Blank Workbook).
   • Apply all desired formatting (cell styles, borders, fonts, themes, etc.).
   • Use File → Save As and:
     • Set Save as type to Excel Template (*.xltx).
     • In File name, enter Book (Excel will save as Book.xltx).
     • Browse to the XLStart folder (either the user-profile XLStart or the alternate startup folder configured in Excel).
   • Save the file.
   • Close Excel completely and restart Excel.
   • After this, every new workbook created (Ctrl+N or File → New → Blank Workbook) uses Book.xltx as the default.
3. Alternate startup folder and templates folder
   • Excel also supports an alternate startup folder. If that is used instead of the default XLStart, Book.xltx must be saved there.
   • For custom templates that are not the default, Excel uses the Templates folder, typically:
     • C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
   • Templates in the Templates folder appear under Personal on the New screen, but they do not automatically become the default unless Book.xltx is in XLStart or the alternate startup folder.
4. Why saving in Templates + setting “Default personal templates location” is not enough
   • Setting Default personal templates location and placing Book.xltx there makes it available as a personal template, but the default workbook behavior is controlled by Book.xltx in XLStart (or alternate startup folder), not by the personal templates location.
   • Therefore, new workbooks created via Blank Workbook will still use Excel’s built-in default unless Book.xltx is in the correct startup folder.
5. Corporate / GPO considerations
   • Documentation notes that saving to XLStart under the Office installation path (for example C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\XLSTART) may require administrator rights. If permission is denied, an administrator account is needed to save there.
   • Any template placed in the default XLStart folder opens automatically when Excel starts. If a corporate GPO restricts writing to that folder, IT may need to:
     • Grant write access to the user-profile XLStart folder, or
     • Configure an alternate startup folder and allow write access there.
6. Verifying the correct XLStart path
   • The documented default XLStart paths include:
     • Office installation XLStart, such as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\<Office folder>\XLStart.
     • User-profile XLStart, such as C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart.
   • Book.xltx must be in one of these startup locations (or the configured alternate startup folder) to be used automatically.

In a corporate environment with restricted permissions, the practical path is:

1. Confirm the actual XLStart folder Excel is using (typically the user-profile XLStart under AppData\Local\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart).
2. Save the formatted workbook as Book.xltx directly into that XLStart folder using Save As → Excel Template.
3. If saving is blocked, request IT to either:
   • Grant write access to the user-profile XLStart folder, or
   • Configure and grant access to an alternate startup folder, then place Book.xltx there.

Once Book.xltx is in a recognized XLStart or alternate startup folder, Excel will automatically use it for new workbooks.

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References:

• Change the appearance of your worksheet
• Save cell styles to use in all new workbooks
• Change the default theme
• Customize how Excel starts
• Change a theme and make it the default in Word or Excel
• Description of workbook link management and storage in Excel
• Change the default file format for saving workbooks