How to Reset Excel to Default Settings [Quickest Ways]

Microsoft Excel is one of Office 365’s most powerful tools, with many features and functionalities. While using the App, you’d likely make a lot of customizations and changes.

If you’d like to reverse such changes, you’ll have to reset Excel to default settings; this article provides the best ways to reset Excel to default settings.

Why reset Excel to default?

Microsoft Excel has many useful features that users can utilize to carry out various operations. Over time, you’ll make several changes to the App to suit your mode of operation and preferences.

However, such changes might prove detrimental or ineffective; this often prompts users to attempt reversing such changes. However, reverting the changes is more complex than clicking an Undo button; you’d need to apply specific steps to help you reset Excel to its default settings.

How can I reset Excel to default settings?

There are several ways to reset Excel to default settings; here are four of the best ways you can attempt:

1. Reset the app using the Registry

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the dialog box, type regedit in the search bar, and hit Enter to open the Registry Console.
2. Navigate to the following registry path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel
3. It’s important to note that the version number (16.0) varies according to the Excel version installed on your PC. Sometimes, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0.
4. On the left pane, click on the Excel registry key and locate the Options registry key.
5. Right-click on the options registry key and select Delete.

This registry key stores all the Excel customizations made by the user; deleting the key would remove all customizations made by the user and restore the application to its default settings.

2. Using PowerShell

1. Press the Windows key, type PowerShell in the search bar, right-click on the result, and select Run as Administrator to open PowerShell in elevated mode.
2. Copy and paste the following command in the PowerShell window and hit Enter: Remove-Item -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Version>\Excel -Recurse
3. However, you’ll have to replace the Version with the actual version of your Office 365 software, i.e., 16.0, 15.0, etc.
4. Close the PowerShell window and check if Excel is back to default configurations.

3. Repair and Reset Microsoft Office 

1. Press the Windows key + R, type appwiz.cpl in the dialog box, and hit Enter.
2. Under the Programs and Features section, locate MS Office, click on it, and select Change.
3. In the popup window, click Quick Repair to restore Excel to default settings. 
4. If Quick Repair doesn’t fix the issue, select the Online Repair option and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the repair.

Another way to reset Microsoft Excel to default settings is to reset the Microsoft Office application. A reset will delete all the stored data and configuration and relaunch the app in its default state.

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4. Reinstall Microsoft Office

1. Press the Windows key, type the name of your browser, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SARA) page and download the SetupProd OffScrub tool.
3. Once the file is downloaded, double-click the SetupProd_OffScrub.exe file and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
4. After the installation, click Yes in the user account control window. The tool will automatically start troubleshooting Microsoft Office in a new window.
5. In the new window, click the checkbox next to Microsoft Office, and click Next to initiate the installation.
6. Once the installation is complete, restart your PC.
7. When your PC restarts, you’ll need to download the Office application from the Microsoft website.
8. Once the file is downloaded, double-click the .exe file to run the installer and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
9. Once the installation is complete, all Office applications will revert to default settings.

Reinstalling Microsoft Excel is usually the go-to option to reset an application to its default state. Once you uninstall the app, all the saved data and configurations are removed, at the next installation, the app will be installed in its default state.

If you’ve made customizations to the Excel app and want to remove them, you’d have to revert the Excel application to its default state. This article has provided the steps to reset Excel to default settings.