Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Copying a Worksheet.

Copying a Worksheet

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 22, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

There are many times I have needed to duplicate a worksheet. Often it is because I have spent quite a bit of time developing a worksheet, and I want to use it as a starting point for another worksheet. Excel lets you copy worksheets in the following manner:

  1. Make sure the worksheet you want to copy is displayed.
  2. Choose Move or Copy Sheet from the Edit menu. Word displays the Move or Copy dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Move or Copy dialog box.

  3. If you want to copy the worksheet to another workbook, select that workbook's name in the To Book pull-down list. (The target workbook must be open within Excel.)
  4. In the Before Sheet list, select the worksheet that should come after the worksheet you selected in step 1.
  5. Make sure the Create a Copy check box is selected.
  6. Click on OK. The worksheets are reordered.

There is a faster way to copy worksheets in the same workbook. All you need to do is hold down the Ctrl key as you drag a worksheet tab to a new position in the workbook. Excel automatically copies the worksheet to the new position, leaving the old sheet intact.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2684) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Copying a Worksheet.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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