When you open Excel 2010, the first thing you’ll see is a blank workbook with three
empty spreadsheets.
But what if you had another workbook in front of you that wasn’t blank, maybe something
you’ve already been working on?
How would you go about creating a new file?
Start by clicking the File tab to go to the Backstage view, then click New.
You can either open a new blank workbook (which is highlighted automatically), or a sample
template that’s installed on your computer, or a template downloaded from Office.com.
A template is just a file that’s already been put together, both to help you save time
and create a workbook that looks professional.
Some Excel templates even include complex formulas or formatting, so you don't have
to know how to write formulas yourself.
We’re going to go over them in detail in a later lesson, so this time, let’s select
the blank workbook here, click Create, and it will open in a new window.
To open an existing workbook that’s already saved to your computer, click File to return
to the Backstage view.
If the workbook you’re looking for is something you’ve worked on recently, you might be
able to find it under Recent, where your most recent files are listed here on the right.
Otherwise, the easiest way to open any file is to click Open, which takes you to the files
and the folders on your computer.
Now select the workbook you’re looking for, click Open, and it appears in a new window.