Excel 2007: Use Custom View

Contributor Icon Contributed by shamanstears Date Icon March 28, 2007  
Tag Icon Tagged: Microsoft Excel

If you find yourself modifying the display of your worksheet multiple times in the course of working with your spreadsheet, then the Custom Views functionality is definitely for you. Custom Views allows you to save changes to current position and magnification, column widths, row heights, print settings, frozen panes and more. Instead of constantly making these modifications and changing them back, you simply select your custom view and you’re there, switch back to your normal view and you’re back to the default view.


(Do this first) Make a default (normal view) custom view:

1. Make sure that your spreadsheet is in its standard view.

2. Click the View tab and select Custom Views.

3. Click Add.

4. In the Add View dialog box, input a name (like default or normal) and make sure the Print settings and Hidden rows, columns and filter settings checkboxes are checked.

5. Click OK.

6. Save your document.

To create your custom view:

1. Make the changes to the spreadsheet display that you want associated with the custom view.

2. Click the View tab and select Custom Views.

3. Click Add.

4. In the Add View dialog box, input a uniquie Name for your custom view. If you are changing Print settings and/or Hidden rows, columns and filter settings, then make sure these checkboxes are checked.

5. Click OK.

6. Save your document.

To use your custom view:

1. Click the View tab and select Custom Views.

2. Select the desired view and click Show.

To return to the normal view, repeat go back to Custom Views and select the default view that your created.

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  • starkro
    Following these steps, Custom Views are only available in the file used to create them. disappointing :-(
  • markwalters
    Not so fast!

    If you are 'switching' between 'predetermined' views while using your spreadsheet, them custom views are for you - MAYBE. If your spreadsheet layout is not going to change, if you are just using a single sheet and don't intend adding (or changing others).

    The catch is that custom views retain the setup for the whole workbook, not just the sheet you are creating a custom view on/for. This is by design as the view may be used to hide specific sheets etc. However, if you have a second sheet within the workbook you are still developing, the minute you use a custom view, all your formatting changes to that second sheet are undone, and the undo command does not restore it!!! (at least not in Excel 2000). The only way to recover, is to exit without saving. Not pretty. Of course, if you are aware and alert, you can save your changes to the second sheet in a new custom view, to restore it, but if you then have third, fourth etc. sheets undergoing changes the whole thing gets messy. Best to avoid, at least until you are sure you will not want to make any more formatting changes at all to any sheets.

    So for me the rule is they are ok on 'mature' workbooks where the only thing that's going to change is the data, otherwise steer clear, unless you want to delete and re-create all the views every time you change any formatting.

    Thats my view.

    Regards

    Mark
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