Try a Template!

Have you ever been asked to create a new document or spreadsheet, only to be short on time or inspiration? Maybe you’ve never created a document like the one requested, so you don’t know how to start, or maybe you just really aren’t comfortable adding formatting to make what you’ve created visually appealing. Don’t worry! You can use a template instead. Templates are pre-created files that allow you to fill in your information, and the rest is done for you!

Microsoft Word and Excel have extensive template galleries available for a variety of situations and needs. To find the template gallery, open Word or Excel, and then click the More templates link.

Depending on the version, both Word and Excel divide templates into Office (generally created by Microsoft) and Personal (templates you create). Word’s suggested searches are: Business, Cards, Flyers, Letters, Education, Resumes and Cover Letters, and Holiday. Excel’s suggested searches are: Business, Personal (not the same as the personal templates you create), Planners and Trackers, Lists, Budgets, Charts, and Calendars. You can also pin templates you like, so they are easier to find in the future.

Instead of using suggested searches, you can also search for templates using keywords.

Google Docs and Sheets have template galleries as well, but they are not as extensive as those for Word and Excel. To find those template lists, open Docs or Sheets, and then click the Template gallery arrows in the upper right of the screen.

Docs’ templates are divided into Resumes, Letters, Personal, Work, Sales, Legal, Human resources, Freelancer engagement, and Education. Sheets’ templates are categorized as Personal, Work, Project management, and Education.

To find more templates for Docs or Sheets, open a blank document, and then go to Add-ons in the menu bar. You can perform a keyword search or scroll through the list. Add-ons receive ratings, so be sure to find one with a good rating from many people.

If you’d like to learn more about using templates, be sure to watch the Library’s live tech videos on the MCPL360 Facebook page on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting in mid-November. After they air, you can also find them on the Library’s YouTube channel. Find even more template videos in the MCPL Consumer Technology Resources, Microsoft Products, and Google Products playlists.

Terri M.
Consumer Technology Specialist