Need to move some data around? When you have a spreadsheet that you want to move to a different workbook or copy to a new one, Google Sheets has you covered. Here’s how to do it.
If you’ve moved or copied sheets in Microsoft Excel, then you’ll be glad to know you use the same types of actions in Google Sheets. However, Google Sheets is a bit more limited when it comes to the options.
Copy a Spreadsheet in Google Sheets
To copy a sheet in Google Sheets, you can either copy it to a new or existing spreadsheet. If you want to copy the sheet within your current spreadsheet, you’ll use the Duplicate action. We’ll take a look at each of these actions.
Copy to a New Spreadsheet
Click the arrow in the tab for the sheet you want to copy. Move your cursor to Copy and click “New Spreadsheet” in the pop-out menu.
After a moment, you’ll see a message that your sheet copied successfully. You can click “Open Spreadsheet” to head directly to it or “OK” to open it later.
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The new spreadsheet will have the default Untitled Spreadsheet name.
Copy to an Existing Spreadsheet
Click the arrow in the tab for the sheet. Move your cursor to Copy and click “Existing Spreadsheet” in the pop-out menu.
When the window appears, locate and select the spreadsheet in Google Drive.
Use the tabs at the top for My Drive, Shared With Me, or Recent to navigate to the sheet. You can also use the Search box to find it or paste the URL at the bottom. Hit “Select” and a copy of the sheet will pop into that existing workbook.
You’ll see the same message as above that your sheet copied successfully with an option to open it immediately.
Also, when you copy to an existing spreadsheet, the name of that sheet will have “Copy of” in front of the original sheet name.
Copy to the Current Spreadsheet
If you want to copy a sheet and keep it within the same workbook, you can do this with a couple of clicks as well.
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Click the arrow in the tab for the sheet and click “Duplicate.”
This places a copy of the sheet on the right with “Copy of” in front of the original sheet name.
Move a Spreadsheet in Google Sheets
Your options for moving a spreadsheet in Google Sheets are simply moving it right or left within the tab row.
To move a sheet, click the arrow in the tab for the sheet and choose “Move Right” or “Move Left.”
If the sheet is the first one on the left or last one on the right, you’ll only see options for the move available.
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You can also move a sheet by clicking and holding the tab, dragging it to its new spot, and releasing it.
Copy Versus Move in Google Sheets
While Excel lets you “move” a sheet to a different workbook, Google Sheets only gives you the option to “copy” one to another workbook as described above. This obviously retains the original sheet and moves only a copy.
So if your intent is to completely remove a sheet from a workbook and move it to a different one, you can use one of the copy actions above and then delete the sheet from the current workbook.
To delete a sheet in Google Sheets, click the arrow in the tab for the sheet and choose “Delete.”
Then, confirm by clicking “OK.”
If you’re still new to Google Sheets and would welcome additional tips, take a look at our beginner’s guide to Google Sheets.