Excel: Copy or Move Worksheets from one Workbook to Another

October 19th, 2007

excel_icon If you use Microsoft Excel, then you’ve run into the situation where the information in a worksheet is needed in another workbook.  You could go through and copy and paste the cells from one worksheet to another, but if you are working with a large spreadsheet, this is way too painful.  Excel makes it easy to copy (and even easier to move) worksheets from one workbook to another.

Copying a worksheet to another workbook:

  1. Open both the workbook that has the desired worksheet and the one that you want the worksheet copied to.  (in my example, we will use Book3 and Book4).
  2. Go to the workbook with the desired worksheet.  Right-click on the tab of the target worksheet (in this case, test sheet).

    excel_copysheettobook1

  3. Select Move or Copy from the context menu.

    excel_copysheettobook2

  4. When the Move or Copy window appears, use the To book dropdown to select the workbook that you want to copy the worksheet to.  Then select the existing sheet that you want the copy to be placed in front of.  Finally, check the Create a copy checkbox.

    excel_copysheettobook3

  5. Click OK.  You will now have the same worksheet in both workbooks.

Moving a worksheet to another workbook:

You can use the above steps and simply exclude checking the Create a copy checkbox, but there is a simpler and quicker way to do this:

  1. Have both workbooks open.  Do not maximize either one, you want to be able to see both of them.

    excel_copysheettobook4

  2. Left click and drag the tab of the target worksheet to the desired workbook.

    excel_copysheettobook5

  3. When you release the mouse button, the worksheet will be in the targeted workbook and no longer in the original spreadsheet.
Posted by shamanstears Filed in Excel, Microsoft Office, Tips For Beginners

9 Responses to “Excel: Copy or Move Worksheets from one Workbook to Another”

  1. IceBrave Says:
    October 25th, 2007 at 6:00 am

    The Copy worksheet can be completed much easier than detailed.
    Do the same as described for Move Worksheet, but also hold the Ctrl key down as you drag and drop - this will create a Copy instead of Moving.

  2. IceBrave Says:
    October 25th, 2007 at 6:13 am

    There is something wrong with your website, email addresses are being left on these pages (fully displayed)
    I’ve submitted this with using xxxxxxx@yahoo.com to remove my email address

  3. davak Says:
    October 25th, 2007 at 10:02 am

    Testing for IceBrave’s problem…

  4. davak Says:
    October 25th, 2007 at 10:02 am

    testing

  5. Albar Says:
    October 27th, 2007 at 1:07 am

    The problem if you want to updaate a workesheet.

    In moving the sheet form one workbook to another. analysis based on old work sheet will be removed even if you rename the new sheet with the old worksheet name

  6. Matt Says:
    April 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 am

    I’m getting an error (no entry sign) when I drag the worksheet into the other workbook! Any ideas???

    Thanks

  7. Ted Says:
    December 17th, 2008 at 11:40 am

    This works IF the worksheet being moved does NOT reference any data in another worksheet. I want to COPY worksheet 3 workbook A, into worksheet 3 workbook B. In worksheet 3, I want to reference data that is in worksheet 1 OF THE WORKBOOK that I AM IN. Instead, when I do the copy, worksheet 3 still tries to go to worksheet 1 of the original workbook. Excel is way to smart to be fooled this easily, therefore I presume there is a straightforward way to do this…. what is it???

  8. Lokeii Says:
    May 7th, 2009 at 11:34 pm

    Thanks Dude…

  9. Tedy Says:
    May 19th, 2009 at 3:10 am

    I have a problem , I already open both two workbook ie. book1 and book2 but when use Move or Copy , I can’t select target workbook .
    when I use To book dropdown , only appears the current book1 and newbook.

    why book2 doesn’t appear ? Is there any idea ?

    Thanks
    Tedy

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