Learn how to copy a worksheet in Excel effortlessly. Duplicating a worksheet is a handy way to replicate your work while retaining all your data and formulas.

For instance, picture this: you receive an Excel file from a key supplier with price adjustments for the next two months. Each month’s adjustments are on separate worksheets within the file. You can maintain a clear history of price changes throughout the year by duplicating these updated prices into another workbook. The process is straightforward – you can duplicate a sheet to another workbook in just a few clicks!

In this blog, I will explain several ways to copy an Excel sheet to another workbook. Each option offers different benefits, which I’ll cover in the steps below.

How to Duplicate a Sheet in Excel Workbooks

Creating a duplicate copy of a sheet in Excel is a handy skill that can save you time and effort. One quick way to achieve this is by using a simple keyboard shortcut along with your mouse.

  1. Open Both Workbooks: First, make sure both Excel workbooks are open in separate windows, either on different screens or side-by-side on the same screen.
  2. Navigate to the Sheet: Locate the sheet you want to duplicate within the workbook. Click on the sheet’s tab at the bottom of the Excel window to select it.
  3. Hold Down the Ctrl Key: Press the Ctrl key on your keyboard. This key will allow you to make a copy of the selected sheet.
  4. Click and Drag the Sheet: While holding down the Ctrl key, click on the selected sheet and drag it slightly to initiate the copy action. You’ll notice a small plus sign (+) next to the mouse cursor, indicating that you are copying the sheet.
  5. Move the Duplicate Sheet to the Other Workbook: Hold down the Ctrl key and drag the sheet. Move your mouse cursor to the other workbook window. Release the mouse button to drop the sheet into the desired location within the other workbook.
  6. Release the Ctrl Key: Once the sheet has been duplicated into the other workbook, you can release the Ctrl key.

That’s it! You’ve successfully made a duplicate copy of a sheet in Excel by pressing the Ctrl key and clicking and dragging the sheet into another window with the other file open. This method is especially useful when quickly and efficiently copying sheets between different workbooks.

How to Copy Excel Sheet – Cell Content Only

Copying Excel sheets can be a breeze, even when you can’t have the workbooks open side-by-side. Let’s dive into copying worksheets using the example of updating a price list.

Note: Remember that the steps below will only copy the cell content, i.e. the data, formulas and formatting, and won’t include the sheet name or any VBA code saved in the sheet. Refer to the steps below, ‘Copy the Entire Excel Sheet‘, to include everything when copying.

Two workbooks open, Price list history and Price adjustments

Step 1: Open Both Workbooks: Open both the workbook you want to copy from (Price Adjustments) and the one you want to copy to (Price List History).

Step 2: Insert a New Worksheet: In the workbook you’re copying to (Price List History), insert a new worksheet where you’ll paste the copied data.

Price List History workbook in the April worksheet tab with the mouse over the New Sheet plus button  to the right of the worksheets tab

Step 3: Select the Worksheet to Copy: Go back to the workbook you’re copying from (Price Adjustments) and click on the worksheet tab you want to copy, e.g. the May worksheet.

Price Adjustments workbook in the May worksheet tab

Step 4: Select the Entire Worksheet: Click the arrow in the top-left corner of the grid area (or press Ctrl + A) to select the entire worksheet.

Orange arrow pointing to an arrow in the top left corner of the grid area.

The entire worksheet will now be selected.

The entire May worksheet is selected

Step 5: Copy the Worksheet: Right-click on the selected area and choose “Copy” from the menu (or press Ctrl + C).

The entire May worksheet is selected in the Price adjustments file with a short menu on the right and Copy being selected from that list.

Step 6: Copy the Worksheet: Right-click on the selected area and choose “Copy” from the menu (or press Ctrl + C).

Price List History worksheet in a blank worksheet named Sheet1

Step 7: Paste the Data: Select cell A1 and either press Enter to paste the data once or right-click and choose “Paste” from the menu to paste multiple times.

Shortcut menu with the mouse pointing to the first paste option on the left under Paste Options:

Step 8: Rename the Sheet: Optionally, rename the sheet as desired.

Price List History workbook in the Sheet1 worksheet tab with the table pasted into it and the entire worksheet selected

Note: You must click on cell A1 to paste the information. If you don’t, Excel will not allow you to paste the data, and a warning sign will be displayed saying, “To copy all cells from another worksheet into this worksheet, make sure you paste them into the first cell (A1 or R1C1).”.

Microsoft Excel Warning "To copy all cells from another worksheet to this worksheet, make sure you paste them into the first cell (A1 or R1C1) with an OK button

And there you have it! You’ve successfully copied a single worksheet from one Excel workbook to another. This method is straightforward and can save you time when updating your data.

Copying just one sheet into another workbook is a simple process. However, you wouldn’t want to follow these steps if you wanted to copy many worksheets into another workbook. Follow the steps below to copy multiple worksheets to another workbook.

Copy the Entire Excel Sheet

Whether it’s one sheet or a group of sheets, Excel offers a simple solution to copy the entire sheet, not just the cell content. With these steps, you can effortlessly copy one or multiple sheets from one workbook to another, copying the data, the sheet name, and any VBA objects that belong to the sheet. 

Step 1: Open both the source workbook (containing the sheet or sheets to be copied) and the destination workbook (where they will be copied). In our example, these are the workbooks “Price List History” and “Price Adjustments.”

Two workbooks open, Price List History and Price Adjustments

Step 2: In the source workbook, if you are copying only one worksheet (e.g., “May”), click to select just this sheet. If you are copying multiple sheets (e.g., “May” and “June”), hold down the Ctrl key and click on the sheet tabs of the sheets you want to copy.

Price Adjustments workbook in the May worksheet with the mouse selecting the June worksheet

Tip: To copy all the sheets, right-click any worksheet tab and then click “Select All Sheets.”

May worksheet selected with shortcut menu and the mouse selecting the Select All Sheets option

Step 3: Right-click on any selected sheet tab, then choose “Move or Copy” from the menu that appears. In our example, we will right-click the May worksheet in the “Price Adjustments” file.

Price Adjustments workbook wit the May and June worksheets selected and a shortcut menu

Step 4: The “Move or Copy” dialog box will be displayed.

Move or Copy dialogue box with Price Adjustments.xlsx in To book: and May selected in Before sheet:

Step 5: From the “To book” drop-down menu, select the destination workbook where you want to copy the selected sheets (e.g., “Price List History”). 

Note: This file must be opened in order for it to be seen on the list.

Move or Copy dialogue box with a list under To Book: and Price List History.xlsx being selected

Step 6: Existing sheets in the destination workbook will be listed in the “Before sheet” box.

Move or Copy dialogue box with Price List History.xlsx in To book: and a list of Jan, Feb, Mar, April and (move to end) in the Before sheet: box

Step 7: Choose where to place the copied sheets in the destination workbook by selecting an option from the “Before sheet” list. For example, you can move them to the end of all existing sheets.

Move or Copy dialogue box with Price List History.xlsx in To book: and (move to end) selected in the Before sheet box

Step 8:Caution: If you want to keep the original sheets in the source workbook and create copies in the destination workbook, check the “Create a Copy” checkbox. Otherwise, the selected sheets will be moved from the source workbook.

Move or Copy dialogue box with Price List History.xlsx in To book: and (move to end) selected in the Before sheet box. Create a copy is also selected.

Step 9: Click “OK”.

Move or Copy dialogue box with Price List History.xlsx in To book: and (move to end) selected in the Before sheet box. Create a copy is also selected. The mouse is selecting OK.

Excel will now display the destination workbook with the copied sheets placed as desired.

Price List History workbook with worksheet tabs Jan, Feb, April, May and June. The worksheet tabs May and June are shown in a orange box. The workbook name is also shown in a orange box.

Watch the Copy Worksheet to Another File Tutorial

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To Sum up

Using these quick and easy options to copy Excel worksheets between workbooks will save you a lot of time and ensure that all data and calculations within the original worksheet are an exact copy.

Add these new skills to your Excel toolbox, and you will save yourself a lot of time and energy and avoid having to recreate worksheets from scratch.

Was this post helpful? Let me know in the comments below.


Sharyn Baines
Sharyn Baines
Certified Microsoft Office Specialist

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2 Comments

  1. The difference between method 1 (copy single ) and 2 (copy multiple) is that in 1 you are actually copying cells instead of the sheet! In 2 you are copying the entire sheet, including it’s name and associated VBA code, like event handlers.

  2. Thanks Richard! This is an excellent point and one I’ve overlooked. I’ll add this to the blog. Cheers, Sharyn

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