http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms472236.aspx Create a site content type based on the Document parent content type On the Site Actions menu click Site Settings and Modify All Site Settings . On the Site Settings page under Galleries , click Site content types . On the Site Content Type Gallery page, click Create . On the New Site Content Type page, type a Name for the content type (for example Samples), select Document Content Types from the Select parent content type from drop-down list box. Select Document from the Parent Content Type drop-down list box, select Custom Content Types from the Existing group drop-down list box, and click OK . On the Site Content Type page under Settings , click Advanced settings . On the Site Content type, Advanced Settings page, select Upload a new document template , and then click Browse to browse to and select the excel document