How to copy toolbar settings from Excel 2003?

Hi All,
I am currently using Excel 2003 on my computer. I have customised the way
toolbars appear on my system in Excel. Now I would be upgrading to a new
machine. I want to know how should I copy the settings for my toolbars.

I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.

Can anybody please help?

Thanks in Advance.

Hi
Interesting! I just did a search for *.xlb and my PC found nothing - but I
have got one! It's in c:\documents and settings\myname\Application
Data\Microsoft\Excel. It's dated and timed this morning when I started
Excel. I'm guessing that this is the file Help mentions.

--
Andy.


"VJ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All,
> I am currently using Excel 2003 on my computer. I have customised the way
> toolbars appear on my system in Excel. Now I would be upgrading to a new
> machine. I want to know how should I copy the settings for my toolbars.
>
> I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
> new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
> have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.
>
> Can anybody please help?
>
> Thanks in Advance.

Make sure you tell search to look through hidden folders and for hidden files.

Or you could use an old DOS command.

windows start button|run
cmd
(and hit enter)
cd \
(to get to the root directory)

dir *.xlb /s

the /s means to search through subdirectories.

Saved from a previous post:

I have a short list of things to copy/update when we change pc's at work.

It's not complete, but may help you.

Word/Excel files:

FileName Use
custom.dic personal dictionary
*.acl personal autocorrect list
mssp2_en.exc personal exclusion dictionary
normal.dot default (for new documents) template
*.dot Any other templates you've made

*.xlb personal toolbar
book.xlt defaults for new workbooks
sheet.xlt defaults for new worksheets
personal.xl* personal macros
*.xlt Any other templates you've made

And don't forget any:
Local files (If you don’t store on LAN)
(Settings) Directories and other defaults (Tools|Options stuff)



VJ wrote:
>
> Hi All,
> I am currently using Excel 2003 on my computer. I have customised the way
> toolbars appear on my system in Excel. Now I would be upgrading to a new
> machine. I want to know how should I copy the settings for my toolbars.
>
> I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
> new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
> have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.
>
> Can anybody please help?
>
> Thanks in Advance.

--

Dave Peterson

Hi V,

> I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
> new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
> have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.
>

The file may be called Excel11.xlb and may be a hidden file, so make sure you
include hidden files in the search.

Regards,

Jan Karel Pieterse
Excel MVP
www.jkp-ads.com

Hi,

The file you are after is Excel11.xlb. It is in C:\Documents and
Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel

Microsoft changes the .xlb file with each new version (Excel.xlb,
Excel8.xlb, Excel10.xlb and now Excel11.xlb)

After you set up your new machine with excel, start it once and the close
it. Then copy the file (Excel11.xlb) into the above location on your new
system.

One thing to watch is: If you have personal macros linked to any of the
toolbar buttons the Path to those macro must be the same on the new system.
So, you must either have exactly the same user name and copy your personal
procedures workbooks across to the same locations or use the work-around I
suggest below. For reference, your personal macros are stored in C:\Documents
and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART and
your personal addins are in C:\Documents and Settings\<your
username>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns.

If you have a different username on the new system, you need to "relocate"
the file containing personal macros. Now to do this you need to:

1. Create a "common location" on both old and new systems (e.g.
C:/ExcelUpdate)
2. Open Excel on the old system and Unhide your personal macro workbook/s.
3. Use "Save As" to save the personal macro workbook/s to C:/ExcelUpdate
4. Close Excel. Now the Excel11.xlb file on your old system is linked to the
file/s in C:/ExcelUpdate.
5. Copy the personal macro workbook to C:/ExcelUpdate on the new system.
6. Copy the Excel11.xlb file to the new system in: C:\Documents and
Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns.
7. Start Excel on the new system and Open the personal macros workbook (in
C:/ExcelUpdate).
8. Use "Save As" to save the personal macro workbook to C:\Documents and
Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART.

Now, Excel11.xlb on the new system is linked to the file/s located where
they should be (and will open automatically when you start excel).

If you have created personal addins files, or your workbooks uses functions
in your personal macros files, you can fix the connection to these easily
(they are the same as any other links between workbooks and can be updated by
opening each workbooks and Editing the Link.)

Now. All of the above will be simple is you use exactly the same name on the
new system. In this case, just copy all of the files (and folders) across
from:

C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel
And
C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns

To the new system

And, as they say, "bobs your uncle"...


"VJ" wrote:

> Hi All,
> I am currently using Excel 2003 on my computer. I have customised the way
> toolbars appear on my system in Excel. Now I would be upgrading to a new
> machine. I want to know how should I copy the settings for my toolbars.
>
> I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
> new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
> have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.
>
> Can anybody please help?
>
> Thanks in Advance.

Hi VJ,

I posted a response to your querie and was wondering if you found it useful
(or confusing or other... LOL). I am relativley new to this forum and would
be pleased with some feedback (good or bad)...

Cheers,
Spinner

"VJ" wrote:

> Hi All,
> I am currently using Excel 2003 on my computer. I have customised the way
> toolbars appear on my system in Excel. Now I would be upgrading to a new
> machine. I want to know how should I copy the settings for my toolbars.
>
> I tried the Help option- It says to copy the file named "excel.xlb" to the
> new machine but it doesn't mentions anything about Excel 2003. Moreover I
> have not found any file with extension .xlb on my machine.
>
> Can anybody please help?
>
> Thanks in Advance.