Do you want to improve your Excel skills? One of the vital skills to have is the ability to insert, move, and take data from other Excel files. Here are some techniques to add new sheets, take data from other files, move sheets to other documents, and insert Excel tables into Word documents.
Adding New Sheets in Excel
Excel is a versatile tool for organizing data. It can also be a powerful tool to streamline your work. One of the ways to do this is to add new sheets to your workbook. You can insert new sheets manually or with keyboard shortcuts. Here are three ways to do this:
The easiest way to insert a new sheet in Excel is from the Ribbon. Here’s how:
- Open your Excel workbook
- Click the + button on the right side of the last sheet tab. This will open a new blank sheet.
You can also add a new sheet by right-clicking on the sheet tab of an existing sheet and select “Insert.” From there, choose the type of sheet you want to insert.
Method 2: Using Keyboard Shortcuts
If you’re a fan of keyboard shortcuts, then you can use them to insert a new sheet. Here’s how:
- Open your Excel workbook
- Press Shift + F11. This will open a new blank sheet before the active sheet.
You can also use the shortcut keys: Alt + H, H to open the Insert Sheet dialog box. You can then choose the type of sheet you want to add.
Method 3: Copy an Existing Sheet
If you already have a sheet with formatting and data that you want to replicate on a new sheet, you can copy the existing sheet. Here’s how:
- Open your Excel workbook
- Right-click on the sheet you want to copy
- Select “Move or Copy” from the context menu
- In the “Move or Copy” dialog box, select the worksheet where you want to copy the sheet to
- Tick the “Create a Copy” box
- Click “OK” to copy the sheet to the selected location.
Taking Data from Other Excel Files
Excel provides the option to combine data from multiple files. You can merge data, import data, or simply copy and paste the data from one file to another. Here are some methods:
Method 1: Using Excel’s Import Feature
If you have data in another workbook that you want to import into your current workbook, you can do this using Excel’s Import feature. Here’s how:
- Open your Excel workbook where you want to import the data
- Click “Data” on the Ribbon, then click “From Other Sources”
- Choose the file you want to import data from and click “Open”
- Follow the prompts in the Import Wizard to select the data you want to import and the location where you want to place the data in your workbook
- Click “Finish”
Method 2: Copy and Paste Data
If you don’t have too much data that you want to copy from one workbook to another, you can simply select the data in the original workbook, copy it, then paste it into the destination workbook. Here’s how:
- Open your original Excel workbook and the workbook where you want to paste the data
- Select the cells you want to copy in the original workbook
- Press Ctrl + C to copy the data
- Open or navigate to the destination workbook and select the cells where you want to paste the data
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the data
Moving Sheets to Other Documents in Excel
If you have multiple workbooks with similar sheets, you may want to move sheets between documents. There are two ways to move sheets between workbooks in Excel:
Method 1: Drag and Drop Sheets
If you just need to move one or two sheets to another workbook, you can use the drag and drop method.
- Open the documents containing the sheets you want to move. Make sure they are both in separate windows.
- Select the sheet(s) you want to move.
- Click the sheet tab and drag it to the other workbook
- Drop it at the desired location in the new workbook.
Method 2: Using Cut and Paste
You can also move sheets from one workbook to another by cutting and pasting the entire sheet. Here’s how:
- Open the documents containing the sheets you want to move. Make sure they are both in separate windows.
- Right-click on the sheet you want to move
- Select “Move or Copy” from the context menu
- In the “Move or Copy” dialog box, select the workbook and sheet where you want to move the sheet to
- Select “Move to End” from the drop-down list if you want to move the sheet to the end of the workbook. Otherwise, select the sheet where you want to move the selected sheet to
- Click “OK” to move the sheet to the selected location.
How to Insert Excel Tables into Word Documents
Maybe you need to include some data in a report or presentation outside Excel. Using the copy and paste method to move tables from Excel to Word can be ineffective, and can result in misplaced data especially when formatting changes. Here is how to do it properly:
Method 1: Using Copy and Paste Link
If you want to keep the table in Excel up-to-date with the table in Word, you can use the Copy Paste Link option. Here’s how:
- Open your Excel file and select the table you want to insert into a Word document.
- Press “Ctrl + C” to copy the table.
- Open the Word document you want to insert the table into, and select the location where you want to insert the table.
- Click on the “Home” tab in Word and then click the small arrow button next to “Clipboard” in the “Clipboard” group on the ribbon. This will open the clipboard pane.
- Click the “Paste” dropdown and select “Paste Special”
- Select “Paste Link” option, and then choose “Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object” in the list, then click “OK.”
This will create a linked table object in the Word document. If you need to update the table in Word, just double-click the object and select “Update Link.”
Method 2: Using the Insert Object Method
If you want to insert a single table or range from Excel into Word, you can use the Insert Object method:
- Open your Excel file and select the table you want to insert into Word document.
- Press “Ctrl + C” to copy the table.
- Open the Word document, then click “Insert” on the ribbon.
- Click the “Object” button in the Text group.
- In the Object dialog box, select “Create from File” tab, then click “Browse” to select the Excel file you want to insert the table.
- Select the Excel file and click “OK.”
- Select the worksheet and then the table range you want to include in the Word document.
- Check the “Link to File” checkbox, if you want to link to the Excel file, otherwise, leave unchecked if you want to embed the table(s) into the Word document.
- Click “OK” to insert the table in the Word document.
FAQs
Q: What’s the easiest way to insert new sheets in Excel?
A: The easiest way is to click the + button on the right side of the last sheet tab on the Ribbon in Excel.
Q: Can I move a sheet to another document in Excel?
A: Yes, you can move a sheet to another document in Excel. You can either drag and drop sheets to another window or use the Cut and Paste method. Right-click on the sheet you want to move, select “Move or Copy,” choose the workbook and sheet where you want to move the sheet to and click “OK.”
