The XLStart folder is a special folder created when you install Excel. That’s where Excel stores the workbook template, Book.xltx. In addition, if you store a workbook in this folder, Excel will open it automatically every time you launch Excel. The problem is, XLStart can be difficult to find if you don’t know where to look and the location isn’t always the same from system to system (it depends on your operating system and other installation priorities).

When you need to update the template template or save a workbook to this folder, you probably won’t remember the entire path. The quickest way to find its location is to use the Immediate window in the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), as follows:

  1. Press [Alt]+[F11] to launch the VBE.
  2. If the Immediate window isn’t visible, press [Ctrl]+g.
  3. In the Immediate window, type ? application.StartupPath and press Enter. VBA will display the path to XLStart.

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