The fastest way to copy a sheet in Excel using a shortcut is by holding down the Ctrl key and dragging the sheet tab to the desired location.
Here's a detailed breakdown:
Steps to Copy a Sheet Using Ctrl + Drag:
- Select the sheet tab you want to copy.
- Press and hold the Ctrl key. You'll see a small plus sign (+) appear next to the sheet icon. This indicates that Excel will create a copy.
- Click and drag the sheet tab to the desired location within the same workbook or to another open workbook.
- Release the mouse button, then release the Ctrl key. The copied sheet will be inserted at the new location.
Alternative Method: Using the "Move or Copy" Dialog Box
While not strictly a keyboard shortcut, this method is helpful and involves fewer mouse actions than copy/pasting the entire sheet.
- Right-click the sheet tab you want to copy.
- Select "Move or Copy..." from the context menu.
- In the "Move or Copy" dialog box:
- Choose the workbook where you want to place the copy from the "To book:" dropdown.
- Select the sheet before which you want to insert the copy in the "Before sheet:" list.
- Check the "Create a copy" box. This is crucial!* If you don't check it, you'll move* the sheet instead of copying it.
- Click OK.
Copying All Data within a Sheet (Less Efficient for Duplicating a Sheet):
While the following copies the contents of a sheet, it doesn't directly duplicate the entire sheet structure (e.g., formatting, print settings).
- Select all data in the worksheet: Press Ctrl + A (may need to press twice if there's data directly adjacent to the selection).
- Copy the selected data: Press Ctrl + C.
- Open the target sheet or create a new one.
- Paste the data: Press Ctrl + V.
This method is useful for copying the data itself, but the Ctrl+Drag or Move/Copy method is preferred for duplicating an entire worksheet including its formatting.
