The Unnecessary Extra Click
When you launch Microsoft Excel from your taskbar or Start menu, it does not immediately drop you into a fresh, blank spreadsheet. Instead, it opens a “Start Screen.” This screen displays a list of recent files, Microsoft’s promotional templates (like budget trackers and calendars), and a prominent button to create a “Blank workbook.” For users who just want to quickly open Excel, crunch some numbers, and close it, this Start Screen represents an annoying, unnecessary extra click every single time they launch the application.
How to Disable the Start Screen
You can configure Excel to bypass this menu entirely, forcing it to immediately generate a blank spreadsheet the moment you open the program, mimicking the behavior of older versions of Office.
1. Open Microsoft Excel and click past the Start Screen to open a Blank workbook.
2. Click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the ribbon.
3. Click Options at the absolute bottom of the left-hand sidebar.
4. In the Excel Options window, ensure that General is selected in the left menu.
5. Scroll down to the very bottom of the main pane to the section labelled Start up options.
6. Look for the checkbox labelled Show the Start screen when this application starts.
7. Untick the checkbox.
8. Click OK.
The Global Office Impact
It is important to note that this specific setting is unique to Excel. If you also find the Start Screen annoying in Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint, you will need to open those applications individually, navigate to their respective File > Options > General menus, and untick the exact same box. Microsoft does not offer a global toggle to disable the Start Screen across the entire Office suite simultaneously.