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Excel - Create & Save Custom Color Templates in Excel | Excel 97-2003 Limitations - Episode 527

777 views · Published 21 August 2009 · 3:18 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Create & Save Custom Color Templates in Excel | Excel 97-2003 Limitations.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In this video, we will be discussing how to create and save custom color templates in Excel. As we mentioned in our previous video, Excel 97 through 2003 was limited to only 256 colors. However, you can change these colors to any shade you desire. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create a custom color palette and save it as a template for future use.

To begin, open Excel and go to Tools, then Options. From there, click on the Color tab and individually select each color you want to change. You can either choose a color from the standard list, select a custom color, or adjust the RGB values. This process can be quite tedious, especially if you have a lot of colors to change. Additionally, these color settings are only attached to the open workbook and will not transfer to new workbooks.

To solve this issue, we recommend saving your custom color palette as a template. Simply delete all the data in your current workbook and go to Tools, then Options. Under the General tab, select the second to last box called "At startup, open all files in." This box is most likely blank, so create a new folder called "XLStartup" (or any name you prefer) and enter it in the box. Next, go to File, then Save As and choose "Template" instead of "Workbook." Excel will automatically navigate to the Templates folder, but you will need to go back to the folder you just specified (e.g. C:\Xlstartup). Save the template as "book xlt," which is a reserved word that will be used for all new workbooks.

Now, whenever you open a new workbook or use the "New" icon, your custom color palette will automatically be applied. This method will ensure that all workbooks you create have the same color settings. However, if you want to have multiple color palettes for different purposes, you can save them as separate templates. Simply go to File, then Save As and choose the Templates folder. Give your template a unique name (e.g. RedYellow template) and save it. To use this template, go to File, then New and select the template from the "Templates on my computer" section.

And there you have it! You now know how to create and save custom color templates in Excel. This will save you time and effort in the long run, as you can easily apply your desired color palette to any workbook. Thank you for watching this netcast from MrExcel. Be sure to check out our other videos for more helpful Excel tips and tricks. See you next time!

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Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction to creating a custom color palette in Excel
(00:21) Limitations of Excel 97-2003 color palette
(00:48) Saving color palette as a template for easy reuse
(01:04) Setting up a specific folder for templates
(01:28) Saving the template as a .xlt file
(02:08) Using multiple color palettes for different purposes
(02:46) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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Join the MrExcel Message Board discussion about this video at https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/1152577/



Join the MrExcel Message Board discussion about this video at https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/1152577/


Rather than modify the 56 colors for every new workbook, Episode 527 shows you how to save your color choices in a template so that they will be inherited by all future workbooks.

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