Renaming a Worksheet

Double click a tab and type a new name. Good names make a workbook readable to everyone else.

Module 1 · Getting Started · Easy · 5 Minutes read

Names Are Documentation

Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3 tells nobody anything. Jan Sales, Feb Sales, Summary tells everyone what the file does.

Double click the tab — The name goes editable
Type the new name — Up to 31 characters
Press Enter — The name is set

How to do it

Double click the sheet tab ▸ type the name ▸ Enter

Sheet names cannot contain \ / ? * [ ] : and cannot be longer than 31 characters.

Item	What it does
Double click	Fastest way to rename
Right-click ▸ Rename	Same result
31 characters	The maximum length
Banned characters	\ / ? * [ ] :

Naming Rules

Double click the tab ▸ type Jan Sales ▸ Enter

Name	Allowed?	Why
Summary	Yes	Short and clear
Jan Sales	Yes	But needs quotes in formulas
Jan_Sales	Yes	No quotes needed
Sales/2026	No	Slash is banned
Q1 Report [Draft]	No	Brackets are banned

Result: Jan_Sales

Underscores instead of spaces keep your formulas shorter and cleaner.

Do this

Rename every sheet to something meaningful
Use underscores instead of spaces
Keep names short so more tabs fit

Avoid

Leaving default Sheet1 names
Using banned characters and getting an error
Very long names that hide the other tabs

📌 A sheet name with a space needs quotes in formulas: ='Jan Sales'!A1. Underscores avoid that.

Practice

Rename Sheet1 to Data.
Try to use a slash and read the error.
Rename a sheet using an underscore.

Quick quiz: Why might you prefer Jan_Sales over Jan Sales as a sheet name?

Spaces are not allowed
A name with a space needs quotes in every formula
Underscores sort better

Show answer

=Jan_Sales!A1 vs ='Jan Sales'!A1 — Both work, but the underscore version keeps formulas shorter and easier to read.

🔒 Want the full interactive course? This is a free preview. The complete 39-module Excel Master Course — with hands-on lessons, quizzes and a certificate — is available inside the app.

Learn Excel the fun way
Bite-size interactive lessons, quizzes, streaks and a certificate.
Start free →