When you launch Microsoft Excel from your taskbar or Start menu, it does not immediately open a blank, ready-to-use spreadsheet. Instead, it dumps you onto the “Start Screen.” This dashboard displays a list of your most recently opened files on the left, and a massive gallery of Microsoft’s pre-made templates (like calendars, budgets, and invoices) on the right. You must then manually click “Blank workbook” to actually begin working.
If you are a power user who never uses templates and simply wants to get straight to work the second you launch the application, this Start Screen represents an unnecessary, frustrating extra click every single day. Fortunately, you can configure Excel to completely bypass this dashboard and jump straight into a blank spreadsheet instantly.
Disabling the Start Screen in Options
You can turn off this feature globally by adjusting a single checkbox deep within Excel’s core settings.
- Launch the Microsoft Excel desktop application on your computer.
- When the Start Screen appears, click on Blank workbook to get into the main interface.
- Look at the main menu ribbon at the top of the screen and click on File (in the top-left corner).
- Scroll all the way down the blue sidebar on the left and click on Options (this is usually the very last item).
- A new “Excel Options” window will appear. It should open to the General tab by default. If it does not, click on General in the left-hand menu.
- Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the main panel until you reach the section labelled Start up options.
- Locate the checkbox labelled Show the Start screen when this application starts.
- Click the checkbox to uncheck it.
- Click the OK button at the bottom of the window to save your changes.
The next time you close Excel and launch it again, you will bypass the template gallery completely. The software will instantly open a fresh, empty grid, allowing you to begin typing data immediately.