What keyboard key do you press and hold when you want to drag and drop a copy of one worksheet into another?

  • Select the worksheet you want to duplicate, press and hold the Ctrl key, then drag-and-drop the selected tab where you want to copy it.
  • Alternatively, select the worksheet and go to Format > Move or Copy Sheet, then choose a destination for the copy.
  • To copy a worksheet from one Excel file to another, open both files and go to View > View Side by Side, then drag-and-drop.

This article explains how to copy a sheet in Excel using various methods. Instructions apply to Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Excel for Microsoft 365.

The most simple and straightforward way to copy a sheet to another location within the workbook is to drag it.

  1. Select the worksheet you want to duplicate.

  2. Press and hold the Ctrl key.

  3. Drag the selected tab and drop it where you want to create a copy.

Another easy way to duplicate a sheet in Excel is to use the worksheet tab menu. This right-click menu includes options to move or copy the current sheet.

  1. Right-click the tab of the worksheet you want to duplicate.

  2. Select Move or Copy. The Move or Copy dialog box opens.

  3. Select the location for the copy under Before Sheet. Alternatively, select Move to End.

  4. Select the Create a Copy checkbox.

  5. Select OK.

The Format section of ribbon in Excel provides an additional way to duplicate a worksheet.

  1. Open the worksheet you want to copy.

  2. Select Format in the Cells group of the Home tab.

  3. Select Move or Copy Sheet. The Move or Copy dialog box opens.

  4. Select the location for the copy under Before Sheet. Alternatively, select Move to End.

  5. Select the Create a Copy checkbox.

  6. Select OK.

The methods used to copy a worksheet to another spot in the same workbook also apply when duplicating a sheet to another Excel file, although there are a few additional steps for each method.

Both workbooks must be open and visible in order to copy a sheet from one Excel file to another. The easiest way to do this is to use Microsoft's split screen options to make the workbooks appear side-by-side on the page.

  1. Open the Excel file containing the worksheet you want to duplicate and the Excel file to which you want to copy the first sheet.

  2. Select the View tab.

  3. Select View Side by Side in the Windows group. The two workbooks are arranged horizontally on the screen.

  4. Select the worksheet you want to duplicate.

  5. Press and hold the Ctrl key.

  6. Drag the selected tab and drop it into the second Excel workbook.

Send a duplicate sheet to another workbook by making changes in the Move or Copy dialog box.

  1. Right-click the tab of the worksheet you want to duplicate.

  2. Select Move or Copy. The Move or Copy dialog box opens.

  3. Select the target file under To Book.

    To place a copy into a new workbook, select New Book.

  4. Select where you want to create a copy under Before sheet. Alternatively, select Move to End.

  5. Select the Create a copy checkbox and choose OK.

Create a duplicate sheet in another workbook by making changes in the Move or Copy dialog box from the Ribbon.

  1. Open the worksheet you want to copy.

  2. Select Format in the Cells group of the Home tab.

  3. Select Move or Copy Sheet. The Move or Copy dialog box opens.

  4. Select the target file under To Book.

    To place a copy into a new workbook, select New Book.

  5. Select where you want to create a copy under Before sheet. Alternatively, select Move to End

  6. Select the Create a copy checkbox and choose OK.

Duplicating multiple sheets can be accomplished using any of the methods listed, including copying multiple sheets to a different workbook in Excel. The key is to select all of the worksheets you want to make copies of before you begin duplicating them elsewhere.

  1. Open both workbooks and select View Side by Side in the Windows group of the View tab if you want to drag copies of multiple worksheets to another Excel file.

  2. Select all of the sheets you want to copy.

    • To select adjacent sheets, select the first sheet tab, press and hold the Shift key, and select on the last tab.
    • To select non-adjacent sheets, select first sheet tab, press and hold the Ctrl key, and select each additional tab you want to duplicate.
  3. To drag the duplicates to another location, select any of the highlighted tabs, press the Ctrl key and drag the tabs to the desired position.

  4. To create copies from the tabs, right-click any of the highlighted tabs, select Copy or Move and then choose where you want to create duplicates of all of the worksheets.

  5. To create copies from the ribbon, select Format on the Home tab, select Move or Copy Sheet and then choose where you want to create duplicates of all of the worksheets.

If you do not want to duplicate a worksheet in another location or another Excel file but would rather relocate an Excel worksheet, moving it is very similar to making a copy and you have several options.

  • Select the tab of the worksheet and simply drag it to the location to which you want to move it.
  • Right-click the tab, choose Move or Copy, and then select the location to which you want to move it, leaving the Create a Copy checkbox unchecked.
  • Select Format on the Home tab, select Move or Copy Sheet and then choose where you want to create duplicates of the worksheet.

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