Templates eliminate the need to build spreadsheets from scratch. Excel includes hundreds of professionally designed templates for common tasks, and you can create your own for repeated work.
Finding Built-In Templates
From the Start Screen
1. Open Excel (or click File → New)
2. Browse the template gallery
3. Use the search bar: type "budget", "invoice", "calendar", etc.
4. Click a template to preview it
5. Click Create to open a copy
Popular Template Categories
Budgets: Personal, household, event, project
Invoices: Service, product, freelance
Calendars: Monthly, yearly, academic
Schedules: Employee, class, project timeline
Trackers: Expense, inventory, task, habit
Lists: To-do, grocery, contact, packing
Using a Budget Template
One of the most popular Excel uses. Here is how to work with a budget template:
Step 1: Choose the Right Template
Search "budget" in the template gallery. Options include:
Personal monthly budget — track income vs. expenses
Household budget — multiple expense categories
Event budget — plan spending for specific events
Step 2: Customize Categories
Most budget templates have pre-set categories (Housing, Food, Transportation). Modify these to match your actual spending:
1. Click a category name
2. Type your own category
3. Add or delete rows as needed
Step 3: Enter Your Data
Replace the sample numbers with your real income and expenses. Formulas update totals automatically.
Step 4: Review the Summary
Budget templates typically include:
Total income vs. tot