Portable Style Files (.ksstyle)

A .ksstyle file is a portable copy of a single table style, which you can move between different files - even between different Office applications and files with completely different themes.

Why this works across different themes

A style's theme colors (e.g. "Accent 1") are stored relatively, not as fixed RGB values - the same trick Office's own theme building blocks (Colors/Fonts files) use. So when you import a style into a file with a different theme, it automatically picks up that file's own theme colors, rather than carrying over the original file's colors verbatim.

Exporting a style

Select a style, then either click Export… in the left panel or right-click the style and choose Export…. This saves the style exactly as it currently stands - including any unsaved edits - to a .ksstyle file you choose a location for.

Importing a style

Click Import… in the left panel (or drag a .ksstyle file onto the left panel, or drop it onto an already-open file). Pick the file, and give the imported style a name.

If the name you choose collides with an existing style in the file, you're asked to choose:

  • Update - replaces the existing style's formatting with the imported one, while keeping it pointing at the same internal ID - so any table already using it, or any "Set as default" setting, automatically follows.
  • Save as… - keeps both styles, prompting you for a different name (pre-filled with "Copy of {name}").

A typical cross-application workflow

  1. Design a style fully in Word or PowerPoint.
  2. Export it to a .ksstyle file.
  3. Import that file into your Excel template or workbook (see Table styles in Excel), or into a different Word/PowerPoint file - even one with a different color theme.