The Sheet Tab Bar
The strip at the bottom holding your sheet tabs, the new sheet button and the navigation arrows.
Pages of the Same File
Each tab is one page inside the workbook. The bar at the bottom is how you move between them, add more and reorder them.
- The tabs — One per worksheet
- The plus button — Adds a new sheet
- The arrows — Scroll through many tabs
How to do it
Bottom left of the window: ◂ ▸ arrows · Sheet1 Sheet2 Sheet3 · + button
Right-click the navigation arrows to get a list of every sheet, handy when you have dozens.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sheet tab | One worksheet |
| The + button | Adds a sheet at the end |
| Arrows | Scroll the tab strip |
| Right-click arrows | Full sheet list |
Parts of the Tab Bar
Right-click the ◂ ▸ arrows ▸ a list of every sheet appears
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tabs | Click to switch sheet |
| + button | Adds a new worksheet |
| Arrows | Scroll when tabs overflow |
| Right-click arrows | Lists all sheets |
| Divider | Drag to widen the strip |
Result: Right-click
With twenty sheets, right-clicking the arrows is far faster than scrolling the tabs.
Do this
- Right-click the arrows when you have many sheets
- Widen the tab strip by dragging the divider
- Keep sheet names short so more fit
Avoid
- Scrolling tabs one at a time
- Using very long sheet names
- Not knowing the full sheet list exists
📌 Drag the divider to the right of the tabs to make the tab strip wider and see more names.
Practice
- Add three sheets with the + button.
- Right-click the arrows and view the list.
- Widen the tab strip by dragging the divider.
Quick quiz: Your workbook has 30 sheets and you need one called Summary. What is fastest?
- Click the scroll arrows until you find it
- Right-click the navigation arrows and pick it from the list
- Close and reopen the file
Show answer
Right-click the ◂ ▸ arrows ▸ pick the sheet from the list — The hidden sheet list is the fastest way to navigate a big workbook.
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