Do you know how to rename worksheet tabs in Excel? Microsoft Excel has been in use for years now and is one of the most important components of the Microsoft Office suite. It is used by everyone, be it in schools, colleges or in offices. If you have noticed, when you open Excel, the tabs are named Sheet 1, Sheet 2, and so on. It’s actually very easy. You can also change the color of the tabs if you like!

Renaming Worksheet Tabs in Excel

When you have many worksheets in Excel, it becomes a little difficult and confusing to identify what each worksheet tab contains with names like Sheet 1 and Sheet 2, etc. So, the best option is to rename the worksheet tabs in Excel so you actually know what each sheet represents.

To rename the worksheet tab in Excel, go to the specific tab you want to rename. Now, keeping your mouse pointer within that tab, right click. You can see many options coming up when you right click. From there, choose the option “Rename.”

Type a name that you want to give to the worksheet tab and press enter. You can enter up to 30 characters. Now, repeat the steps on all the worksheet tabs in Excel to rename them.

Shortcut Method to Rename Worksheet Tabs in Excel

Another way to rename a worksheet tab in Excel is by double clicking on the sheet tabs. For example, you can double click on Sheet 1, Sheet 2 or any other sheet that you want to rename. When you double click on the worksheet tab, the tab name (e.g. Sheet 1) is highlighted. After that, you just have to type the new name. As mentioned earlier, the name can have a maximum of 30 characters only.

Changing the Color of Tabs

Another way to customize worksheet tabs in Excel is to change the color. By default, the color of tabs will be in gray. Active and selected worksheet tabs are shown in white. Like the difficulty with default names, here also can be difficult for the user to distinguish each tab when they all look the same.

You can change the color of one tab at a time or multiple tabs at a time depending upon your choice. To change the color of one of the worksheet tabs in Excel, you have to click on the tab and then right click on it.

Now, select the option “Tab Color.” From there, you can select any color of your choice from the palette of colors displayed. Once you are done with selecting the color, press OK or simply hit ‘enter’ to apply the color. You can apply the same color to multiple tabs in Excel by selecting them while also holding down the CTRL key, then clicking on the last tab for the drop down menu and make your selection for the worksheet tabs in Excel.

Conclusion

The above steps provide options that are the easiest ways to customize your worksheet tabs in Excel and make them unique so that you don’t find it difficult to manage your work. Grouping worksheets by color can give you a quick reference point when working on multiple worksheets and offer more ways to organize your work when there are a large number of worksheets.