Add custom templates

If you create a spreadsheet that you want to use again as a model for other spreadsheets, you can save it as a template. Creating your own template can be as simple as adding your company logo to an existing template, or you can design a completely new template.

You can add your custom template to the template chooser, or save it as a file to share with others or to install and use on your iOS device. To install a custom template on your iOS device, first save your template to iCloud, iTunes, or a WebDAV server, or send it as an email attachment.

Save a spreadsheet as a template

Choose File > Save as Template (from the File menu at the top of your computer screen).
Click an option:
- Add to template chooser: Type a name for the template, then press Return. Your template appears in the My Templates category in the template chooser.
- Save: Type a name for the template, then choose where you want to save it.
  If you save it to iCloud, the next time you open Numbers on your iOS device, the template appears as a downloadable file in the spreadsheet manager.

If you save a template to a web server or upload it to webmail, you need to compress the file. It must have the file extension “.nmbtemplate.zip” to install it and use it in Numbers on your iOS device.

Install a template on your Mac

Skip this task if you chose Add to Template Chooser when you saved your template. The template is already installed and can be found in My Templates.

You can install a custom template saved to your computer, or a template someone sent you—by adding it to the template chooser.

Double-click the template file (it has the file extension “.nmbtemplate”), then click Add to Template Chooser.

You can set Numbers to always open a new spreadsheet from the same template instead of from the template chooser. Choose Numbers > Preferences (from the Numbers menu at the top of your computer screen). In the General pane, select “Use template,” then click Change Template to select a template.

Install a template on your device

To install a template from a WebDAV server or email attachment, you must compress the template file (so it has the filename extension .nmbtemplate.zip). If you send the template using Mail, it’s automatically compressed for you. If you use another email service or WebDAV server, Control-click the file in the Finder, then choose Compress.

On your iOS device, do the following to install a template:

From iCloud: If iCloud is turned on, your template appears automatically in the spreadsheet manager and is identified by a template badge. Tap the file, then tap Install.
From a WebDAV server: Download the template from the server, tap Share (you may need to tap the screen to see the Share icon), then tap Open in Numbers. Tap Add.
From email: In Mail, tap the attachment, tap Share (you may need to tap the screen to see the Share icon), then tap Open in Numbers. Tap Add.

The template appears in the My Templates category in the template chooser.

Rename or delete a custom template

After you install a template, it appears in the My Templates category in the template chooser.

In the template chooser, Control-click the template name, then choose Rename or Delete.
If you’re renaming, type a new name, then press Return.

You can’t rearrange templates; they always appear in the order in which they were added.

Edit a template

You can’t edit a template after you save it. However, you can create a new template based on the old template.

You need to install the custom template first so that the template appears in the template chooser (see instructions above).

Choose File > New, then double-click the template you want to edit. Custom templates are in the My Templates category in the template chooser.
Make your changes, then save the spreadsheet as a new template.

You can delete the old template after you create the new one.