Office Settings & Configuration

How to Stop Excel From Opening New Workbooks in Split Screen Mode

Nimra Malik Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to prevent Excel from automatically applying a split-screen view when creating brand new blank workbooks.

Stop Excel From Opening New Workbooks in Split Screen Mode

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Creating a new blank workbook in Microsoft Excel.
Observed behavior: Every new workbook opens with panes or split-screen mode enabled by default due to a modified XLSTART template.

Before you start

Make sure to close all active Excel windows and save your ongoing work before modifying the template folder.

Solution 1Recommended

Reset the Default Workbook Template (Book.xltx)

Overwrite the corrupted default template with a clean, un-split workbook in your XLSTART directory.

Excel uses a default template file named Book.xltx to determine the layout and view of new files. If this file was accidentally saved with a split screen active, every new file will inherit that view.

Remove the Split View

Open a new Excel workbook. Go to the 'View' tab on the ribbon and click on 'Split' to remove the split panes.

Save as Template

Navigate to File > Save As. Choose 'Excel Template (*.xltx)' from the file format dropdown.

Navigate to XLSTART

Save the file as 'Book.xltx' in the following directory: C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART

Restart Excel

Close Excel completely and open it again. Create a new workbook to verify that the split screen no longer appears.

Reset the Default Workbook Template (Book.xltx)

Macro-Enabled Workbooks: If your default template requires macros, save it as 'Book.xltm' instead of .xltx.

Solution 2

Disable Problematic Excel Add-ins

Turn off third-party add-ins that might be forcing the split-screen layout upon startup.

Solution 3

Repair Microsoft Office

Use the built-in repair tool if template replacement does not fix the default view bug.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office to Avoid Frustrating Formatting Bugs

If Microsoft Excel continues to open with glitchy templates or split screens despite troubleshooting, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible spreadsheet tool that functions seamlessly out of the box without complex XLSTART configurations.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package.
2. Install and Launch: Follow the simple installation wizard, then open WPS Spreadsheet.
3. Open Your Files: Drag and drop your existing .xlsx files directly into WPS to continue working without split-screen issues.

Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft OfficeHighly compatible with Microsoft .xlsx, .xltx, and .xls formatsClean and intuitive tabbed interfaceSeamless migration with no learning curve

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the XLSTART folder located in Windows?

The XLSTART folder is typically located at C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART. If you cannot see the AppData folder, you may need to enable 'Hidden items' in your File Explorer View tab.

Why does my Excel keep splitting the screen automatically?

This usually happens because the default 'Book.xltx' template file was accidentally saved while the split view was active. Excel uses this template for every new blank workbook, carrying over the split-screen setting.

Can my IT department control these Excel view settings?

Yes. If you are using a work or school computer, your IT administrator might have deployed a customized Book.xltx template via group policy, which defaults to the split-screen view. You may need to contact them if you cannot modify the XLSTART folder.

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