Keeping personal.xls available, usable (for macros) and invisible

**dbthj** · 01-14-2011, 06:14 PM

I'll try not to rant about the perversity of personal.xls usage.
Using Excel 2003.
Is there a way to set up things so that:
1. Personal.xls is always available when I create a new spreadsheet.
2. I never get asked whether I want to open it as read only.
3. Personal.xls never pops up when I start Excel.
4. I never get asked whether I want to enable macros when it's a brand new spreadsheet.
5. I can create a macro in a new spreadsheet, save it to personal.xls (without opening and unhiding anything) and have it available to any other new spreadsheet I start.
?????

If that can be done, I'd appreciate some instructions.

**shg** · 01-14-2011, 07:04 PM

1. Personal.xls is always available when I create a new spreadsheet.

That's the default behavior. What happens for you?

2. I never get asked whether I want to open it as read only.

If you open a second instance of Excel, Excel needs to know what you want to do. If you select Read Only and then add a macro to it, you will be unable to save it. If you don't want to see it, either make Personal read only (which will keep you from adding macros to it) or use just one instance of Excel.

3. Personal.xls never pops up when I start Excel.

When does that happen?

4. I never get asked whether I want to enable macros when it's a brand new spreadsheet.

That shouldn't happen unless you have macros in Book.xlt in XLSTART.

5. I can create a macro in a new spreadsheet, save it to personal.xls (without opening and unhiding anything) and have it available to any other new spreadsheet I start.

That's the default behavior when you select Personal.xls after kicking off the macro recorder. What happens for you?