Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Quickly Copying Worksheets.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 5, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
If you need to make a copy of a worksheet, you probably use the Format tool on the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Cells group. That tool includes the option to move or copy a worksheet. There is a quicker way to make a copy, however. All you need to do is follow these steps:
That's it! Excel makes an exact copy of the worksheet, depositing it at the point where you released the mouse button.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11145) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Quickly Copying Worksheets.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Need a quick way to have a worksheet for each day in a month? Here's a macro that makes the worksheet creation a snap.
Discover MoreLook at the bottom of a worksheet and chances are you will see tabs for all the worksheets in the current workbook. Want ...
Discover MoreWant a quick way to combine your worksheets? This tip features a simple macro to do the task for you.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-04-26 10:24:38
B Becker
I have been struggling with getting the page layout (landscape printing) to stay with the new worksheets I create in several workbooks. No matter how I created the new worksheet, it would always default to portrait. This makes an exact copy, including the page layout. Thrilled! Thank you!
2021-02-02 14:33:50
Kit
As usual with Excel, there are many ways to do things. Another is to copy from the tab.
Right click on the tab,
Choose "Move or Copy",
Choose if the copy should remain in this document or go into another book,
Choose in what order the copy should be placed.
Click the "Create a Copy" box, then OK.
Alan way of using the Ctrl and drag is faster if only creating a duplicate and leaving it in the same book. :)
2021-01-09 19:52:52
John Mann
Great. I could have used this tip just the other day, and many times before
2020-10-04 13:11:19
Sameer Usmani
Great tip! Much time saving.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments