Save time and reduce effort by copying and pasting Excel spreadsheets. When you've already created one spreadsheet and want to reuse it, take advantage of Excel's quick copy and paste techniques to transfer data. Copying and pasting Excel spreadsheets is like copying and pasting something in real life – no links are created to tie the copied material back to its origins. Create link-free copies using Excel.
Step 1
Open Microsoft Excel. Click the "File" tab and select "Open." Browse to the spreadsheet to copy and double-click the file name, opening the spreadsheet in the main work view.
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Step 2
Open another instance of Microsoft Excel by double-clicking the icon again. If you have dual monitors, drag one copy of Excel onto the second monitor. If you are copying the first spreadsheet into another existing spreadsheet, repeat the "File" and "Open" process to open that spreadsheet in this second copy of Excel. Otherwise, a blank spreadsheet awaits the copy.
Step 3
Click back to the spreadsheet to copy. Click the "Select All" button. The unlabeled button is the square with a small arrow that sits to the left of the "A" in the first column and above the "1" in the first row. The entire spreadsheet is highlighted. Press "Ctrl" + "C" on the keyboard to copy the spreadsheet.
Step 4
Click the other spreadsheet, which will receive the copy. If the spreadsheet is new, press "Ctrl" + "V" to paste in the copy of the first spreadsheet. If you opened an existing spreadsheet, scroll to the place where the copy should be pasted, click and press "Ctrl" + "V." The copy pastes in with no links back to the original.
Step 5
Click the "File" tab and select "Save As." Type a name for the newly copied and pasted spreadsheet, and then click the "OK" button.
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