The steps in this tip apply to the latest version of Office as of the date of publication, which is Office 2016. Great! But what if you actually want to see this screen again once you’ve made this change? To do so, just select File > New From Template from the application’s menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-Command-P. OK, so you’ve prevented the Document Gallery from showing up when you launch Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. This time, each app should open directly to a new blank document instead of the Document Gallery or equivalent. Once you’ve unchecked the corresponding box in your Office for Mac applications, you can test it out by quitting and then relaunching them. When the Preferences window opens, click General.įor Microsoft Word, find the option labeled Show Word Document Gallery when opening Word and uncheck it:įor Excel and PowerPoint, follow the same steps, except remember that this window has a different name in each application as referenced above. So to get rid of it and start with a new document by default, open Word (or Excel or PowerPoint), and then choose > Preferences from the menu bar at the top of the screen. The Document Gallery may be helpful for some, but as I said, not so much for me. Although it functions the same way (and this tip applies to all Office for Mac apps), this same window is called the “Workbook Gallery” in Excel and the “Start Screen” for PowerPoint.Ĭonfigure Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to Open with a New Document When I referenced “Document Gallery” above, that technically only refers to what it’s called in Word. So let’s walk through how to start with a blank document in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Mac! Differences Between Office for Mac Applicationsįirst, let’s talk about a few minor differences between the three main Office for Mac applications. Thankfully, it’s possible to configure Office for Mac to launch directly with a new blank document instead of the Document Gallery. When I launch Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, I most often want a blank document. This start screen is great and all, but the number of times I want to use a template when I’m opening Word is effectively zero, and I don’t ever use the other functions available there, either. If you use Microsoft Office on your Mac, you’re likely familiar with the so-called Document Gallery, which will show by default when you open Word. How to Configure Microsoft Word for Mac to Launch with a New Document

How to create a new document on a mac