How to Copy a Worksheet in Excel

To copy a worksheet in Excel for Windows, right-click its tab, select Move or Copy, check Create a copy, choose a position under Before sheet, and select OK. On Mac, hold Option while dragging the tab, releasing the mouse button before the key. In Excel for the web, right-click the tab and select Duplicate.

Copy a worksheet in Excel for Windows

Right-click the worksheet tab you want to copy and select Move or Copy. Check Create a copy, then select a sheet under Before sheet to place the duplicate before it. Select OK to finish.

Keep Create a copy checked so your original worksheet stays in place. Leaving it cleared moves the original sheet instead. For a quicker copy within the same workbook, hold Ctrl while dragging the worksheet tab to the intended position.

Copy a worksheet into another workbook

On Windows, open both the source workbook and the workbook that should receive the copy. Right-click the source worksheet tab and select Move or Copy, then choose the destination under To book. Set its position under Before sheet, check Create a copy, and select OK.

If the destination is unavailable, make sure that workbook is open before returning to the dialog. After copying between workbooks, check the copied sheet's formulas and workbook dependencies, especially references to information elsewhere in the original file.

To create a separate workbook, right-click the source tab, select Move or Copy, and choose (new book) under To book. Check Create a copy and select OK. In the new workbook, select File > Save, then check formulas and dependencies there too.

Copy a worksheet in Excel for Mac

Hold Option and drag the worksheet tab to the position where you want the copy. Release the mouse button first, then release Option.

For the menu method, open the destination workbook if you are copying between files, then select the source sheet. Choose Edit > Sheet > Move or Copy Sheet. Select the destination under To book, choose a position under Before sheet or select (move to end), check Create a copy, and select OK.

Keep Create a copy selected to retain the original worksheet. When the destination is another workbook, review the copied formulas and workbook dependencies before relying on the results.

Duplicate a worksheet in Excel for the web

Right-click the source worksheet tab and select Duplicate. This copies the worksheet within the current workbook.

Charts, pictures, or shapes can cause Duplicate errors. If duplication fails, you can copy the worksheet's data manually, but that does not produce a complete worksheet clone. Microsoft warns that this manual browser method loses conditional formatting.

On the source sheet, press Ctrl + Spacebar, then Shift + Spacebar, and copy with Ctrl + C. In the same workbook or another workbook, select the + button to add a sheet, select cell A1, and press Ctrl + V. Review the pasted result with the conditional formatting limitation in mind.

Copy data into existing worksheets

In desktop Excel, select the source cells and choose Home > Copy. Switch to the destination sheet or workbook, select the upper-left cell of the destination area, and choose Paste. Use this when you need a particular range inside an existing sheet rather than another complete worksheet.

To distribute source data across several existing worksheets in Windows, create the destination sheets first if needed. Hold Ctrl while selecting the source and destination tabs. With the source range selected, choose Fill > Across Worksheets, then double-click a worksheet tab afterward to ungroup the sheets.

Repeat worksheet copying with macros

In desktop Excel for Windows or Mac with VBA enabled, select Developer > Record Macro. Enter a Macro name and, optionally, a Shortcut key, then select OK. Perform the worksheet-copy operation you want to repeat, then select Developer > Stop Recording. You can subsequently repeat that operation as a macro; VBA macros do not run in Excel for the web.

If you are writing a VBA macro, use this statement to copy Sheet1 after Sheet3 within a workbook. Replace both example sheet names with your own worksheet names.

Worksheets("Sheet1").Copy After:=Worksheets("Sheet3")

To copy a single worksheet into a new workbook, use the following statement. Omitting the destination creates the new workbook.

Worksheets("Sheet1").Copy

To copy multiple sheets into a new workbook, supply their names as an array. This example copies Sheet1 and Sheet2 together.

Worksheets(Array("Sheet1", "Sheet2")).Copy

For an existing destination workbook, supply one of its worksheets as the Before or After argument. Both workbooks must belong to the same Excel.Application instance for VBA worksheet copying to work between them.

Create a copying script and worksheet button

If your Excel account and version include Office Scripts, choose Automate > New Script > Create in Code Editor. Enter the following script, which copies the active worksheet immediately after itself, then select Run.

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) {
  
const sheet = workbook.getActiveWorksheet();
  
sheet.copy(ExcelScript.WorksheetPositionType.after, sheet);
}

For repeated copying, eligible organizational accounts can add a worksheet button that runs the script. Open the script's details and, under Share this script, enable Associate with workbook. Select Add button to worksheet, then click the resulting button whenever you want to run the script. Your account needs the appropriate sharing permissions.

Copy worksheets with Power Automate for desktop

On Windows with desktop Excel, use Launch Excel actions in Power Automate for desktop to establish the source and destination workbook instances. Add the Copy Excel worksheet action and set Excel instance to the source instance. Set Copy worksheet with to Name or Index, then provide the source worksheet's name or index.

Set Target Excel instance and enter the Worksheet new name. Under Paste worksheet as, choose First worksheet or Last worksheet. Run the flow and save the destination workbook. This action supports copying within an Excel instance or between instances.

Fix missing tabs and blocked copying

If worksheet tabs are missing in Windows, open File > Options > Advanced. Under Display options for this workbook, enable Show sheet tabs. Return to the tabs and copy the worksheet.

If the source worksheet is hidden, right-click a visible sheet tab and select Unhide. Select the sheet you want to reveal and choose OK. You can then copy it from its tab.

Workbook structure protection disables sheet-copy commands in desktop Excel. If you are authorized to remove that protection, select Review > Protect Workbook, enter the password if required, and select OK to unprotect the workbook. Retry the copy afterward.

Rights management can also restrict copying, and an authorized owner must adjust access where policy allows. On Windows, the owner can open File > Info > Protect Workbook > Restrict Permission by People > Restricted Access to adjust permissions. If you do not have authority to change access, request it from the owner.

On Mac, the owner can open Review > Permissions > Restricted Access > More Options. Enable Allow people with Read permission to copy content where policy permits. This changes copying permissions; you still need to perform a worksheet-copy operation afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which desktop Excel versions support the standard copying methods?

You can use the Windows tab-menu and dragging methods in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021. The Mac dragging and Edit-menu methods apply to the corresponding Mac editions.

Can you paste only values or formulas?

Yes, the Windows desktop Paste dropdown offers Values, Formulas, Formatting, and Keep Source Column Widths. Choose the option that matches the cell information or layout you want to transfer.

Can you use Office Scripts with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family?

Microsoft documents Personal and Family access as a preview that requires Microsoft 365 Insider participation. Worksheet script buttons are unavailable in that preview.

Why might Office Scripts be unavailable on a work account?

Your organization can restrict Office Scripts and Power Automate access, even when you use a supported Excel version. Ask your administrator to check the applicable controls in the Microsoft 365 Cloud Policy service.