Workbooks in Microsoft Excel

Last Updated : 02 May, 2025

Spreadsheet programs have become essential for many organizations for analyzing and storing data and if we talk about the most recognized spreadsheet program, then it will be MS Excel. Now, if you have worked with Microsoft Excel, then you have heard about the terms workbooks and worksheets. In the series of Excel tutorial in the article, we will discuss workbooks and how to create and manage workbooks in MS Excel.

What is Workbook?

A collection of worksheets is referred to as a workbook (spreadsheets). Workbooks are your Excel files. You’ll need to create a new workbook every time you start a new project in Excel. There are various ways to begin working with an Excel workbook. You can either start from scratch or use a pre-designed template to create a new workbook or access an existing one.

How to Create Workbook in Excel

To create a workbook, you simply need to launch Microsoft Excel because every time you open MS Excel, the program automatically starts with the default workbook named Book1. But if you have to create a new workbook, then just follow the below steps.

Creating a new Workbook

Follow these steps to create a new Blank workbook, giving a name to it & saving it:

Step 1: Click on the Microsoft Office button on the top-left corner.

Step 2: Then click on New.

Step 3: A dialog box for New Workbook will pop up. Click on blank Document & then on Create tab.

A new blank workbook is created & it appears on your screen.

Note: MS Excel automatically opens a new Workbook for you when you open Excel in your system.

Inserting Text in Excel

In Excel, you can see multiple rows & columns, each rectangular box in a row or any column is called a Cell. A cell address on a worksheet can be determined by combining a column letter and a row number. Using these addresses, we can refer to any cell (in Excel formulas) in the worksheet.

As you click on any of the cells, you can see its address in the name box(Left most side below the home tab).

Step 1: Select a cell in which you want to insert text.

Step 2: Insert your data by typing something from the keyboard (In that selected cell)

Whatever text you enter, the same text appears in the formula bar too (for that cell)

Step 1. Go to the right of the selected cell, press the Tab key.

Step 2. To move to the left of the selected cell, hold down Shift and then Tab.

Step 3. To traverse the worksheet, use the Page Up and Page Down keys(with Shift in Laptops).

Step 4. Use the arrow keys to navigate.

Saving The Workbook

Step 1. Click the Microsoft Office button on the left.

Step 2. Save or Save As are the options, choose one.

Save As – lets you give the spreadsheet a name and save it in a specific location. If you want to save the file for the first time, or if you want to save it under a new name, select Save As.
If the file has already been named, just choose Save/press Ctrl + S to save your work.

Renaming Sheet in Workbook

When you create a new workbook, then Excel automatically names them as Sheet 2, Sheet 3, and so on. Now, if you want to rename your workbook sheet, then follow the below steps:

Step 1: Launch Microsoft Excel and open the workbook containing the sheet you want to rename.

Step 2: At the bottom of the Excel window, find the sheet tabs. Each tab represents a worksheet in the workbook (e.g., “Sheet1,” “Sheet2”).

Step 3: Double-click the tab of the sheet you want to rename. The current name will become highlighted, indicating it’s editable.

Step 4: Type the desired name for the sheet. Keep it concise and descriptive (e.g., “Budget2025” or “SalesData”).

Note: Sheet names can be up to 31 characters and cannot include characters like /, ?, *, [, or ].

Step 5: Press Enter on your keyboard or click anywhere outside the tab to save the new name.

Delete Workbook in Excel

You can delete you workbook if you don’t need the workbook now, to detele the workbook follow the below listed steps:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel and ensure the workbook you want to delete is not currently open. If it is, save any changes (if needed) and close it by clicking File > Close or the red close button.

Step 2: Open Windows File Explorer by pressing (Windows key + E) and locate the folder where the workbook is stored

Step 3: Look for the Excel file, which typically has a .xlsx or .xls extension

Step 4: Right-click the workbook file and select Delete

Conclusion

Excel workbooks make working with data super easy and organized! They let you keep multiple spreadsheets in one file, so you can manage things like budgets, lists, or reports all in one place. Whether you’re adding numbers, making charts, or sorting data, workbooks help you get it done quickly. So explore this guide on Workbooks in Microsoft Excel and manage you analysis work easily.

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