Creating Excel Workbook Templates: Sheet Structure Best Practices

Plan Your Sheet Categories

Before creating sheets, identify the categories of content:

• Instructions — How to use the template
• Inputs — Where users enter data
• Calculations — Where formulas process data
• Outputs — Reports, dashboards, summaries
• Reference — Lookup tables, configuration values

Each category may have multiple sheets. The key is that every sheet belongs to exactly one category.

Naming Convention Strategy

Use prefixes that group sheets by category:

• 00_Instructions — Always first
• IN_CustomerData, IN_Products — Input sheets
• CALC_Pricing, CALC_Totals — Calculation sheets
• OUT_Report, OUT_Dashboard — Output sheets
• REF_Countries, REF_Rates — Reference sheets

The numbered prefix for Instructions ensures it's always at the beginning when sorted alphabetically.

Color Coding for Categories

Assign consistent colors to each category:

• Gray — Instructions
• Blue — Inputs (blue = “fill this in”)
• Yellow — Calculations
• Green — Outputs (green = “results”)
• Purple — Reference/hidden tables

Document your color scheme on the Instructions sheet so everyone interprets it consistently.

Hidden Sheets in Templates

Reference sheets with lookup tables should usually be hidden. This keeps the tab bar clean and prevents users from accidentally modifying configuration data.

Create the sheets, populate them, then hide them before saving as a template. Use “Very Hidden” for sheets that only developers/admins should access.

Saving as a Template

File → Save As → Choose “Excel Template (.xltx)” or “Excel Macro-Enabled Template (.xltm)” if using VBA.

Templates saved to the default templates folder appear in File → New → Personal. This makes them easy to access for your team.

When someone creates a new file from the template, Excel opens a copy — the original template stays unchanged.

Protecting the Template Structure

After perfecting your sheet organization:

1. Protect individual sheets where appropriate (data entry allowed, formulas locked)
2. Protect the workbook structure (Review → Protect Workbook) to prevent sheet deletion/renaming
3. Document the password somewhere secure

Official Resources

• Create a template in Excel — template creation guide
• Save workbook as template — template file format