Microsoft KB Archive/240150

= How to use the Excel startup folders in Excel 2000 =

Article ID: 240150

Article Last Modified on 9/27/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q240150





For a Microsoft Excel 2002 version of this article, see 291218.



For a Microsoft Excel 98 version of this article, see 259921.



For a Microsoft Excel 2003 version of this article, see 822107.

IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY Folders That Excel Uses at Startup
 * Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP

Accepted File Types During Excel Startup
 * Templates
 * Add-Ins
 * Workbooks

Incorrect Use of the Alternate Startup File Location How to Use the Default File Location REFERENCES



SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to use Microsoft Excel startup folders.

Microsoft Excel uses startup folders in two ways:


 * To load Excel files at startup

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 * As a reference location for templates

The actual startup folder locations can vary depending on which version of Excel you are using.

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Folders That Excel Uses at Startup
If you install Excel to the default location, Excel opens files from the paths shown later in this article.

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Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98

 * C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Xlstart
 * C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart

NOTE: If you have Profiles enabled, the path to the XLStart folder is instead:

C:\Windows\Profiles\ \Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart
 * The folder specified in the Alternate startup file location box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu, click Options).

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Microsoft Windows NT 4.0

 * C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Xlstart
 * C:\Winnt\Profiles\ \Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart

where  is your login user name.
 * The folder specified in the Alternate startup file location box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu, click Options).

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Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP

 * C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Xlstart
 * C:\Documents and Settings\ \Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART

where  is your login user name.
 * The folder specified in the Alternate startup file location box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu, click Options).

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Accepted File Types During Excel Startup
You typically use startup folders to load Excel templates and add-ins, but you can also use them to load workbooks. When you load these three types of files from a startup folder, they have the following important characteristics.

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Templates

 * Templates (*.xlt) that you place in a startup folder are not loaded when you start Excel, but you can use the templates by clicking New on the File menu.
 * If you save a workbook called Book.xlt and place it in a startup folder location, that workbook becomes the default workbook when you start Excel, and when you open any additional new workbooks.

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Add-Ins

 * Add-Ins (*.xla) that you place in a startup folder do not typically appear when you start Excel, but are loaded in memory and run any auto macros.
 * You can then use these add-ins by whatever method the add-in provides (that is, a menu item or toolbar button).

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Workbooks

 * Workbooks (*.xls) that you place in a startup folder are loaded and appear when you start Excel, unless the workbook is saved in a hidden state. For example, the personal macro workbook Personal.xls is a global macro workbook that Excel typically loads from the XLStart folder in a hidden state.

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Incorrect Use of the Alternate Startup File Location
 When using the alternate startup file location, it is important to specify a file path in which there are recognizable file types (such as templates, add-ins, and workbooks). If Excel finds unrecognizable file types in a startup folder, you may receive an error message. The most common error message is:

This file is not a recognizable format.



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How to Use the Default File Location

 * In addition to the alternate startup file location, the Default file location setting is also on the General tab in the Options dialog box. This setting is different from a startup folder; it sets the folder location that you want Excel to point to when you open or save a file by using the File menu.

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