HOW TO COPY A SHEET IN EXCEL: Quick & Easy Steps

How to Copy a Sheet with Formulas from one Excel Workbook to Another
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A tab may need to be copied from one Excel file to another, or you may need to start from scratch and base your new spreadsheet on an existing one, depending on the situation. One of the most common issues we run into when using Excel is copying a formula-filled Excel sheet from one workbook to another.

How to Copy a Sheet in Excel

There are different ways to copy a worksheet in Microsoft Excel. You can accomplish this in several ways, depending on your preferences, including using the ribbon and your mouse button, copy and paste method, dragging method, etc.

#1. Copy the Excel Sheet by Dragging It

Typically, dragging and dropping are used to move objects from one location to another. But this approach is also effective for copying tabs, and it is the quickest way to duplicate an Excel sheet. Typically, dragging and dropping would only be used to move one cell at a time.

The steps below to drag-and-drop the Excel sheet to copy it:

  • Select the sheet tab.
  • Hold down the CTRL key and drag your tab to the desired location.

#2. Use the Right-Click Menu to Copy a Sheet

Here is another, equally simple method for duplicating an Excel sheet. Instead of dragging and dropping items from one workbook to another worksheet tab, think about using this approach:

  • Do a right-click on the tab. 
  • From the context menu, choose Move or Copy. With this, the Move or Copy dialog box will appear.
  • Pick a location for the copy on the “Before” sheet.
  • Mark the Create a copy box by clicking it.
  • Select OK.

Following the previous steps, the copied sheet tab will show up below. 

#3. Using the Ribbon to Copy a Tab in Microsoft Excel

All of Excel’s features are accessible through the ribbon. You can also make a copy of your worksheet by using the Excel ribbon. Follow the steps below:

  • Click the Home tab> Cells group
  • Choose Format.
  • Choose to move or copy the sheet.
  • Determine where you want to put the copy under “Before sheet.”
  • Select “Create a copy” and then click OK. 

Read also: How to Remove Table in Excel: Easy Method

How to Copy a Sheet in Excel with Formulas 

Normally, a sheet with formulas can be copied just like any other sheet. The automatic adjustment method used by the formula references works perfectly in most circumstances.

Unless you include external cell references that refer to a different sheet or workbook, copied formulas within the same workbook will use the copied sheet as their source.

This technique will show you different ways to copy a single Excel sheet to a workbook with formulas. 

#1. Paste and Copy Function

If you prefer not to use the previous technique, you can quickly and easily copy an Excel Sheet with formulas from one workbook to another by using the Copy & Paste feature. 

Steps:

  • Start by clicking the tiny triangle in the top left corner of the worksheet or pressing Ctrl + A on your keyboard.

As a result, the entire worksheet will be selected for you.

  • Next, select “Copy” from the Excel Toolbar or “Right-Click” your mouse, then press “Ctrl + C” on your keyboard.

The sheet’s border is highlighted where you can see it. This indicates that you were successful in copying the Worksheet.

  • Open the second workbook, the one where you want to copy the Sheet, and then choose the upper-left cell of one of its Sheets.
  • At this point, you can paste the copied sheet by pressing Ctrl + V on your keyboard (or by right-clicking and choosing Paste, or by choosing the Paste option from the Excel Toolbar’s Home tab’s upper-left corner). 

Next, the first sheet of the source workbook is copied to the target workbook, along with the formula and all supplementary data.

#2. Dialog Box to Apply Move or Copy

A worksheet with formulas can also be copied to another workbook using Excel’s Move or Copy dialog box. 

  • Put the “Move or Copy” sheet tab first in the source workbook.
  • Click the right mouse button now.
  • Afterward, choose the Move or Copy option.
  • As a result, a small box labeled “Move or Copy” will appear.
  • Next, choose (new book) in the To Book dropdown menu.
  • You must choose the Create a copy option to preserve the sheet from the source workbook. So take caution.
  • If you complete the aforementioned steps, you will discover that a copy of the sheet from the source workbook has been created in the target workbook. 

The aforementioned methods can be used to copy an Excel worksheet with formulas, but they will not link the original and copied worksheets together. This indicates that the modified worksheet will not affect the original workbook in any way. It will remain unchanged 

How to Move Excel sheets

Even simpler than copying, moving sheets in Excel is possible using already well-known methods.

#1. Move a Sheet by Dragging It

Selecting one or more tabs and dragging them to a new location in Excel will move the sheet(s) in question.

To move a sheet to a different workbook, 

  • By choosing View > View Side by Side, you can arrange the workbooks side by side. 
  • then move the sheet between files by dragging it. 

#2. Move a sheet via the Move or Copy dialog

Either choose Move or Copy from the context menu by right-clicking the sheet tab, or go to the Home tab > Format > Move or Copy Sheet to open the Move or Copy dialog box. Next, take one of the following actions:

  • Select the sheet you want to move and click OK to position it in front of that sheet.
  • The “Before sheet” can be moved from one Excel file to another by selecting the workbook name from the To Book list, selecting it, and clicking OK.
Continue Reading: HOW TO SPLIT CELLS IN EXCEL: Detailed Guide

How to Copy a Sheet in Excel to Another Workbook 

Users frequently copy or move data within Excel workbooks. Data copying between worksheets contained in the same workbook file is also fairly common and straightforward. Many users, though, become anxious when they have to copy an entire worksheet from one Excel workbook to another workbook. Even though the process appears to be more challenging, Excel has a feature that greatly simplifies it. Additionally, there are multiple ways to complete tasks in Excel as usual. 

Using the Move or Copy dialog box is the most typical method of copying worksheets to a new workbook.

  • Right-click the tab you want to copy, then select Move or Copy from the menu.
  • Select the desired file from the “To Book” drop-down menu. 
  • Select New Book to add a copy to a brand-new Excel workbook.
  • Select “Create a copy” and then click OK.

If you correctly complete the steps, your window menu will display duplicate sheet content in a new workbook. Multiple sheets can be copied very effectively using this option.

How to Drag and Drop a Sheet Into a Different Workbook

Why not try using this technique to copy a sheet to another workbook if Excel supports copying a sheet by dragging it to another workbook within the same workbook? To view both files simultaneously, all we need to do is that. Here’s how:

  • You should open the source and target workbooks.
  • Select “View Side by Side” from the Windows group under the View tab. The two workbooks will be set up horizontally in this manner.
  • Click the sheet tab you want to copy in the source workbook, then drag it to the target workbook while holding down the Ctrl key.

Copy Multiple Sheets in Excel

For copying multiple sheets, you can use a variety of techniques. Make sure you have chosen several sheets. To duplicate multiple sheets, just use any method that works for a single sheet. The important thing is to choose a variety of worksheets. Here’s how to go about it:

  • Click the first sheet tab, hold down Shift, and click the final tab to select adjacent sheets.
  • By clicking the first sheet tab while holding down the Ctrl key and clicking each subsequent tab individually, you can choose non-adjacent sheets.

To select every sheet, comply with these steps.

  • Right-click the first tab to select it.
  • Select all sheets from the drop-down menu.
  • Right-click any chosen cell and choose Move or Copy Sheet from the menu.
  • Select a worksheet destination, confirm the create a copy checkbox, and click OK.

How to Remove Formatting From an Excel Worksheet When Copying It

The formatting of a worksheet is kept when you copy it in Excel, which is useful. The formatting must be removed after the copy task if you decide not to keep it in some situations.

After copying something, follow these steps to remove formatting:

  • Choose a sheet by clicking it. That is the tiny gray square where the cells for the row and column headers converge. Doing so will select the entire worksheet.
  • Go to the Home tab.
  • Select “Clear” from the dropdown menu under the Editing group.
  • Select Clear Formats from the ensuing dropdown menu.

Can You Copy an Entire Sheet in Excel?

Move or copy can be chosen by right-clicking the worksheet tab. Select the Create a copy checkbox. Choose the location for the copy under the Before sheet. Select OK.

How Do I Copy a Sheet in Excel and Keep Formatting?

Microsoft Excel’s Format Painter is an additional method for copying cell formatting. Simply select the cells that the source formatting is present in. Also, activate the Format Painter by clicking the Paintbrush icon on the ribbon. When using the format painter, select the cells you want to paste the formatting into.

And tada! The new cells have the same formatting as the original cells.  

Alternatively, you can choose the cells that have the formatting that you want to copy and then click the Copy button. When the formatting for the cells has been copied, select the cell (or cells) into which it should be pasted.

Open the Paste Special dialog box by using the context menu, then select Formatting. Alternatively, you can press CTRL + Alt + V, then T to just paste the formatting. 

How Do I Move and Copy an Excel Worksheet Using the Right-Click Method?

  • To begin, right-click the sheet tab. After that, select Move or Copy from the drop-down list.
  • The dialog box for Move or Copy appears.
  • Selecting the (move to end) option will copy or move the worksheet (Worksheet 1) at the end of the “Before” Sheet section.
  • Select Create a copy after that, then click OK.

Can I Copy a Hidden Worksheet to Another Workbook in Excel?

Yes, by following the steps below:

  • Choose every sheet tab.
  • Then right-click.
  • Choose Unhide.
  • Choose Move or Copy, then pick the target workbook.
  • Activate the “Create a copy” checkbox.

Can I Rename the Copied Worksheet?

Changing a worksheet’s name after copying it is possible. Right-click the copied sheet tab and choose “Rename,” then type the name of the copied worksheet and press Enter.

Conclusion 

Copying an Excel file to another is easy. Making copies of your current workbook will take less time and effort once you are familiar with the process. Go through the steps listed above to copy or move multiple files from one Excel workbook to another.

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References 

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