How to Create Automatic Excel Guides

Why Traditional Excel Documentation Slows You Down

If you’ve ever created a “how to” guide for an Excel file, you already know the pain points:

What you need is a way to document once and reuse forever.

A Better Approach: Record Once, Document Automatically

Instead of manually creating instructions, you can record your workflow while using Excel.

As you click, type, and navigate, each step is captured and turned into a structured guide with screenshots and instructions.

That means:

This is where Scribe comes in. It captures your process in real time and builds the guide for you.

Step 1: Start Recording Your Excel Workflow

Open the Scribe desktop app and start a new capture.

Select your Excel workbook and begin using it exactly as you normally would.

There is no need to slow down or adjust your behaviour. The tool captures everything in the background.

Step 2: Let the Guide Build Itself

As you work, Scribe generates a live preview of your guide.

Each action becomes a step with:

This is the key advantage. You are not writing anything. The documentation is created automatically as you work.

If part of the process is repetitive, you can pause recording and resume when needed.

Step 3: Finish and Review Your Guide

Once your workflow is complete, stop recording.

You will be taken to the Scribe editor where you can quickly refine the guide.

Typical edits include:

You can also zoom, pan, and annotate screenshots to improve clarity.

This editing stage usually takes minutes, not hours.

Step 4: Enhance Your Guide with Visual Edits

The editor gives you full control over how each step looks.

You can:

These adjustments help ensure your guide is easy to follow, even for beginners.

Step 5: Collaborate with Your Team

Documentation rarely stays static.

With Scribe, your team can:

This removes the need to recreate documentation every time something changes.

Step 6: Use AI to Improve Your Workflow

Scribe includes AI suggestions to help refine your process.

It can highlight:

You should treat these suggestions as guidance, not instructions.

For example, it may suggest using macros even if you already have them implemented. Always apply your own judgement.

Step 7: Share Your Guide Anywhere

Once your guide is ready, you can share it in multiple ways:

The embedded version stays up to date automatically. If you update the guide, everyone sees the latest version without needing a new link.

Step 8: Export for Offline Use

If needed, you can export your guide as:

This is useful for compliance, training packs, or offline access.

Step 9: Organise Guides with Scribe Pages

For more complex workflows, you can group multiple guides together.

Scribe Pages allow you to combine:

This creates a single source of truth for your processes.

Step 10: Track Usage with Analytics

Scribe provides insights into how your guides are being used.

You can see:

This helps identify gaps in your documentation and improve training outcomes.

Why This Matters for Excel Users

If you regularly share Excel templates, models, or dashboards, this approach solves a common problem.

Instead of explaining the same steps repeatedly, you:

It reduces errors, saves time, and improves adoption of your tools.

Users report saving significant time each month and making fewer mistakes when following structured guides.

Try It Yourself

You can try Scribe for free here: https://scribe.how/MOTH

If you create Excel templates or teach workflows, this is one of the simplest ways to save time while improving how others use your work.

Have a great day,

Mynda Treacy

Co-founder My Online Training Hub