Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 23, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
At the bottom of each worksheet in the Excel document window is a small tab that indicates the name of the worksheets in the workbook. Excel names these worksheets using a default name. These names (Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, and so on) are not very descriptive; you might want to rename your worksheets to reflect what they contain. For instance, if your workbook contains your annual budget, each worksheet within the workbook might contain budgets for individual months.
There are three ways you can rename a worksheet, and the only difference between them is the way in which you start the renaming process. You can do any of the following:
Regardless of the method you choose to rename a worksheet, Excel highlights the name on the worksheet tab and allows you to type a new name. To enter a new name, just start typing. When you press Enter or click anywhere else on the screen, the worksheet tab is renamed. You can use names that are up to 31 characters long, composed of any characters desired. The names can even include spaces.
If you decide you don't want to rename a worksheet after all, you can press Esc at any time to undo your changes. This will not work, of course, after you have completed editing the tab and pressed Enter or clicked elsewhere on the screen. In those cases, you need to use the Undo feature.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1949) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
Worksheets are easily accessible in a workbook, but you may not want them to be so open. You can hide worksheets so they ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to protect your worksheets so they can only be changed as you want to have happen. If you unprotect a ...
Discover MoreMoving between to adjacent worksheets is easy; Excel provides a shortcut key to do the trick. If you want to move between ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-10-10 05:26:31
@ ryser
let me know if you want me to give you a simple macro code example
Alan Elston
2019-10-10 05:24:57
@ ryser
Hi,
I don't know if there is an easy manual way to do that.
But it is the sort of thing that can easilly be done with a small bit of VBA coding.
For example, VBA lets you make a string text of dates in any typical date format, which you can then using coding change the worksheet names to. (it is also easy in coding to add or delete worksheeets)
There is not much that you cannot do with VBA coding in Excel. It is worth learning basic VBA coding at an early stage of Excel use, in my opinion.
Alan Elston
2019-10-09 06:53:54
ryser
hi..thank you.i just wondering ,is there a way i can rename several sheets withot re typing each,lets say i want to have 30 sheets reading complete dates from 1st october 2019 to 31st october
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments