Saw this thread while looking for something else and I know it is super old, but I wanted to add my 2 cents.
NEVER USE VLOOKUP. It’s one of the worst performing formulas in excel. Use index match instead. It even works without sorting data, unless you have a -1 or 1 in the end of the match formula (explained more below)
Here is a link with the appropriate formulas.
The Sheet 2 formula would be this: =IF(A2=»»,»»,INDEX(Sheet1!B:B,MATCH($A2,Sheet1!$A:$A,0)))
- IF(A2=»»,»», means if A2 is blank, return a blank value
- INDEX(Sheet1!B:B, is saying INDEX B:B where B:B is the data you want to return. IE the name column.
- Match(A2, is saying to Match A2 which is the ID you want to return the Name for.
- Sheet1!A:A, is saying you want to match A2 to the ID column in the previous sheet
- ,0)) is specifying you want an exact value. 0 means return an exact match to A2, -1 means return smallest value greater than or equal to A2, 1 means return the largest value that is less than or equal to A2. Keep in mind -1 and 1 have to be sorted.
More information on the Index/Match formula
Other fun facts: $ means absolute in a formula. So if you specify $B$1 when filling a formula down or over keeps that same value. If you over $B1, the B remains the same across the formula, but if you fill down, the 1 increases with the row count. Likewise, if you used B$1, filling to the right will increment the B, but keep the reference of row 1.
I also included the use of indirect in the second section. What indirect does is allow you to use the text of another cell in a formula. Since I created a named range sheet1!A:A = ID, sheet1!B:B = Name, and sheet1!C:C=Price, I can use the column name to have the exact same formula, but it uses the column heading to change the search criteria.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
Move or copy worksheets or worksheet data
You can move or copy a worksheet in the same workbook to organize your workbook exactly how you want.
You can use the Move or Copy Sheet command to move or copy entire worksheets (also known as sheets), to other locations in the same or a different workbook. You can use the Cut and Copy commands to move or copy a portion of the data to other worksheets or workbooks.
Move a worksheet within a workbook
-
Select the worksheet tab, and drag it to where you want it.
Caution: When you move a sheet to another workbook, check any formulas or charts that refer to data on the sheet because moving the sheet might cause errors or produce unintended results in your data. Similarly, if you move a sheet that is referred to by 3-D references, the calculation might include or leave out data on the sheet.
Copy a worksheet in the same workbook
-
Press CTRL and drag the worksheet tab to the tab location you want.
OR
-
Right click on the worksheet tab and select Move or Copy.
-
Select the Create a copy checkbox.
-
Under Before sheet, select where you want to place the copy.
-
Select OK.
When you need to reorganize your data, you can easily change the order of sheets in a workbook, or move or copy a sheet to another workbook. But be aware that calculations or charts that are based on sheet data may become inaccurate if you move the sheet.
Move a sheet
-
Drag the sheet tab to the location that you want along the row of sheet tabs.
Copy a sheet
-
Hold down OPTION.
-
Drag the sheet tab to the location that you want the copied sheet to appear along the row of sheet tabs.
Important: Release the mouse button before you release the OPTION key.
Move a sheet to another workbook
Caution: When you move a sheet to another workbook, check any formulas or charts that refer to data on the sheet because moving the sheet might cause errors or produce unintended results in your data. Similarly, if you move a sheet that is referred to by 3-D references, the calculation might include or leave out data on the sheet.
-
Open the workbook that you want to move the sheet to.
-
On the Window menu, click the workbook that contains the sheet that you want to move.
Click the sheet that you want to copy to the other workbook.
-
On the Edit menu, click Sheet > Move or Copy Sheet.
-
On the To book menu, click the workbook that you want to move the sheet to.
Tip: To create a new workbook that contains the moved sheet, click new book.
-
In the Before sheet box, click the sheet that you want to insert the moved sheet before, or click move to end.
-
Click OK.
Copy a sheet to another workbook
-
Open the workbook that you want to copy the sheet to.
-
On the Window menu, click the workbook that contains the sheet that you want to copy.
Click the sheet that you want to copy.
-
On the Edit menu, click Sheet > Move or Copy Sheet.
-
On the To book menu, click the workbook that you want to copy the sheet to.
Tip: To create a new workbook that contains the moved sheet, click new book.
-
In the Before sheet box, click the sheet that you want to insert the copied sheet before, or click move to end.
-
Select the Create a copy check box.
-
Click OK.
Change the color of a sheet tab
Coloring the sheet tabs can help you keep track of your information in a large workbook.
-
Hold down CONTROL and click the sheet tab.
-
Click Tab Color, and then click the color that you want to use.
In Excel for the web, you can duplicate (or copy) worksheets within the current workbook. Simply right-click the tab name at the bottom of the sheet and click Duplicate.
Note: You may receive an error when you are trying to duplicate a worksheet that contains a chart, picture, or shape. If you get an error, you can duplicate the sheet manually.
If you have elements in your worksheet that interfere with duplicating it, you can still create a copy of the worksheet manually by copying all the data and pasting it into a new sheet. Here’s how:
-
Select all the data in the worksheet.
Keyboard shortcut: Press CTRL+Spacebar, on the keyboard, and then press Shift+Spacebar.
-
Copy all the data on the sheet by pressing CTRL+C.
-
Click the plus sign to add a new blank worksheet.
-
Click the first cell in the new sheet and press CTRL+V to paste the data.
Note: You will lose any conditional formatting applied to the cells when you paste them into the new worksheet.
In Excel for the web, the option to move or copy a sheet isn’t available when you right-click a sheet tab, as it is in the Excel desktop application. In Excel for the web, you can achieve the same result by copying all of the data in the worksheet and pasting it into a blank worksheet in the other workbook.
Follow these steps to move or copy a worksheet to another workbook in Excel for the web:
-
Select all the data in the worksheet.
Keyboard shortcut: Press CTRL+Spacebar and then press Shift+Spacebar.
-
Copy all the data on the sheet by pressing CTRL+C.
-
Open the workbook in which you want to paste the data, then click the + in the status bar to add a new blank worksheet.
-
Click the first cell in the new worksheet, then press CTRL+V to paste the data into that worksheet.
Note: You will lose any conditional formatting applied to the cells when you paste them into the other workbook.
Need more help?
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Do you regularly work out of multiple Excel sheets? If so, you should know how to transfer data from one sheet to another automatically. This enormous time-saver doesn’t involve complicated formulas or add-ons, and it’s especially practical if you want to transfer specific data from one worksheet to another for reports. Below, you’ll learn two simple methods to copy data from one Excel sheet to another. These methods also link the sheets so that any changes you make to one sheet’s dataset automatically apply to the other. Finally, you’ll learn how to move data from one Excel sheet to another based on criteria by using the filter feature.
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Two methods for automatically transferring data from one Excel worksheet to another
While there are various methods for transferring data from one Excel worksheet to another, the two simplest are the Copy and Paste Link and the Worksheet Reference methods.
How to Link Sheets in Excel?
Use Copy and Paste Link to automatically transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another
While you’re probably familiar with the standard Copy and Paste function, Excel offers multiple paste options. One of these is Link, which allows you to paste a value from another worksheet and link the pasted value to the copied value. In other words, if you change the original value you copied, the pasted value will automatically change as well.
These steps will show you how to use the Copy and Paste Link function:
- 1. Open two spreadsheets containing the same simple dataset.
- 2. In sheet 1, select a cell and type Ctrl + C / Cmd + C to copy it.
- 3. In sheet 2, right-click on the equivalent cell and go to the Paste > Link.
- 4. To prove they’re linked, return to sheet 1 and change the value in the cell you copied.
- 5. Finally, return to sheet 2 to see that the value has also changed.
How to VLOOKUP in Excel with Two Spreadsheets?
Sometimes our data may be spread out among different Excel sheets or workbooks. Here’s how to do VLOOKUP in Excel with two spreadsheets
READ MORE
Use worksheet reference to automatically transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another
This method is more manual than the Copy and Paste method but is equally simple and useful to know, just in case. The following steps will teach you how to use the worksheet reference method to transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another automatically:
- 1. Open two spreadsheets containing the same, simple dataset.
- 2. In sheet 2, double-click on a cell to the right of the dataset and type ‘=’.
- 3. Go to sheet 1, click any cell from the dataset, and press Enter.
You should automatically be returned to Sheet 2, where the cell previously containing ‘=’ now contains the value you chose to transfer from Sheet 1.
- 4. To prove they’re linked, return to Sheet 1 and change the value you chose to transfer.
Sheet 2 will automatically have changed the value to your chosen new value.
Move data from one Excel sheet to another based on criteria using the filter feature
In this example, you will learn how to filter data based on column criteria so that you keep only what you need. Then, you can copy and paste the data into a new sheet, as demonstrated in the above example.
- 1. Open a dataset on an Excel worksheet with filterable criteria.
- 2. Select the criteria column from which you want to filter and go to Data > Filter.
- 3. Click the small arrow beside the column header to open a drop-down menu.
- 4. At the bottom of this menu, tick the box of the row(s) that you want to keep and click “Apply”.
You should now see only the data you wanted to keep.
To move this data to another sheet, follow the steps that show you how to copy and paste to automatically transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another.
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Conclusion
So, if you didn’t know before how useful it is to link and transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another automatically, you do now. With the Copy and Paste Link and worksheet reference method, you can transfer data effectively in a matter of minutes. What’s more, you’ll never have to worry about these spreadsheets again — any update in one will be automatically transferred to the other immediately. You can also move data from one Excel sheet to another based on criteria by filtering your data to transfer only what you want. This is great for transferring data for important reports, saving you lots of time from unnecessary copy and pasting, and report editing.
If you work with multiple worksheets in Excel and found this article helpful, you should also check out these related posts: How to do VLOOKUP in excel with two spreadsheets, and How to use IMPORTRANGE in Google Sheets.
Hady is Content Lead at Layer.
Hady has a passion for tech, marketing, and spreadsheets. Besides his Computer Science degree, he has vast experience in developing, launching, and scaling content marketing processes at SaaS startups.
Originally published Feb 3 2022, Updated Mar 22 2023
In Excel, copying data from one worksheet to another is an easy task, but there is not any link between the two. But we can create a link between two worksheets or workbooks to automatically update data in another sheet if it changes in the first worksheet. This article explains how this is done.
Automatically data in another sheet in Excel
We can link worksheets and update data automatically. A link is a dynamic formula that pulls data from a cell of one worksheet and automatically updates that data to another worksheet. These linking worksheets can be in the same workbook or in another workbook.
One worksheet is called the source worksheet, from where this link pulls the data automatically, and the other worksheet is called the destination worksheet that contains that link formula and where data is updated automatically.
Remember one thing that formatting of cells of source worksheet and destination worksheet should be the same otherwise the result could be viewed differently and can lead to confusion.
Two methods of linking data in different worksheets
We can link these two worksheets using two different methods.
- Copy and Paste Link
- From source worksheet, select the cell that contains data or that you want to link to another worksheet, and copy it by pressing the Copy button from the Home tab or press CTRL+C.
- Go to the destination worksheet and click the cell where you want to link the cell from the source worksheet. On the Home tab, click on the drop-down arrow button of Paste, and select Paste Link from “Other Paste Options.” Or right-click in the cell on the destination worksheet and choose Paste Link from Paste Options.
- Save the work or return to the source workbook and press ESC button on the keyboard to remove the border around the copied cell and save the work.
- Enter formula manually
- In the destination worksheet, click on the cell that will contain link formula and enter an equal sign (=)
- Go to the source sheet and click on the cell that contains data and press Enter on the keyboard. Save your work.
Using these two methods, we can link a worksheet and update data automatically depending upon your requirements. In this article, we will discuss some examples using the following cases.
Update cell on one worksheet based on a cell on another sheet
Suppose we have a value of 200 in cell A1 on Sheet1 and want to update cell A1 on Sheet2 using the linking formula. We can do that by using the same two methods we’ve covered.
Using Copy and Paste Link method
Copy the cell value of 200 from cell A1 on Sheet1.
Go to Sheet2, click in cell A1 and click on the drop-down arrow of Paste button on the Home tab and select Paste Link button. It will generate a link by automatically entering the formula =Sheet1!A1.
Or right-click in the cell on the destination worksheet, Sheet2, and choose Paste Link from Paste Options: It will generate linking formula automatically.
Entering formula manually
We can enter the linking formula manually in cell A1 on the destination worksheet Sheet2 to update data by pulling it from cell A1 of Sheet1.
In cell A1 on Sheet2, manually enter an equal sign (=) and go to Sheet1 and click on cell A1 and press ENTER key on your keyboard. The following linking formula will be updated in destination sheet that will link cell A1 of both sheets.
=Sheet1!A1
Update cell on one sheet only if the first sheet meets a condition
By entering the linking formula manually, we can update data in cell A1 of Sheet2 based on a condition if the cell value of A1 on Sheet1 is greater than 200. We can do that by entering this logical condition in an IF function. If cell A1 on Sheet1 meets this condition then IF function returns the value in cell A1 on Sheet2 otherwise it will return blank cell.
Here is the formula to link the cells of both sheets based on this condition. We will enter this formula manually in cell A1 of Sheet2
=IF(Sheet1!A1>200,Sheet1!A1,"")
Update cell on one sheet from another sheet with a drop-down list
Suppose we have a drop-down list in cell A1 of Sheet1 and we can update cell A1 on Sheet2 by entering link formula in cell A1 on Sheet2.
In cell A1 on Sheet2, we will manually enter this linking formula to update data automatically based on the cell value selected from the drop-down list.
=Sheet1!A1
Linking data in a real data set is more complex and depends on your situation. You might need to use techniques other than those listed above. If you are in a rush and want your problem answered by an Excel expert, try our service. The experts are available to help you 24/7. The first question is free.
Have you ever thought about what will you do if you need to transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another automatically?
or how will you update one Excel worksheet from another sheet, copy data from one sheet to another in Excel?
Keeping knowledge of these things is very important mainly when you are working with a large-size Excel worksheet having lots of data in it.
If you don’t have any clue about this, then this blog will help you out. As in this post, we will discuss how to copy data from one cell to another in Excel automatically?
Also, learn how to automatically update one Excel worksheet from another sheet, transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another automatically, and many more things in detail.
So, just go through this blog carefully.
Practical Scenario
Okay, first I should mention that I’m a complete amateur when it comes to excel. No VBA or macro experience, so if you’re not sure whether I know something yet, I probably don’t.
I have a workbook with 6 worksheets inside; one of the sheets is a master; it’s simply the other 6 sheets compiled into 1 big one. I need to set it up so that any new data entered into the new separate sheets is automatically entered into the master sheet, in the first blank row.
The columns are not the same across all the sheets. Hopefully, this will be easier for the pros here than it’s been for me, I’ve been banging my head against the wall on this one. I’ll be checking this thread religiously, so if you need any more information just let me know…
Thanks in advance for any help.
Source: https://ccm.net/forum/affich-1019001-automatically-update-master-worksheet-from-other-worksheets
Methods To Transfer Data From One Excel Workbook To Another
There are many different ways to transfer data from one Excel workbook to another and they are as follows:
Method #1: Automatically Update One Excel Worksheet From Another Sheet
In MS Excel workbook, we can easily update the data by linking one worksheet to another. This link is known as a dynamic formula that transfers data from one Excel workbook to another automatically.
One Excel workbook is called the source worksheet, where this link carries the worksheet data automatically, and the other workbook is called the destination worksheet in which it automatically updates the worksheet data and contains the link formula.
The following are the two different points to link the Excel workbook data for the automatic updates.
1) With the use of Copy and Paste option
- In the source worksheet, select and copy the data that you want to link in another worksheet
- Now in the destination worksheet, Paste the data where you have linked the cell source worksheet
- After that choose the Paste Link menu from the Other Paste Options in the Excel workbook
- Save all your work from the source worksheet before closing it
2) Manually enter the formula
- Open your destination worksheet, tap to the cell that is having a link formula and put an equal sign (=) across it
- Now go to the source sheet and tap to the cell which is having data. press Enter from your keyboard and save your tasks.
Note- Always remember one thing that the format of the source worksheet and the destination worksheet both are the same.
Method #2: Update Excel Spreadsheet With Data From Another Spreadsheet
To update Excel spreadsheets with data from another spreadsheet, just follow the points given below which will be applicable for the Excel version 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007.
- At first, go to the Data menu
- Select Refresh All option
- Here you have to see that when or how the connection is refreshed
- Now click on any cell that contains the connected data
- Again in the Data menu, click on the arrow which is next to Refresh All option and select Connection Properties
- After that in the Usage menu, set the options that you want to change
- On the Usage tab, set any options you want to change.
Note – If the size of the Excel data workbook is large, then I will recommend checking the Enable background refresh menu on a regular basis.
Method #3: How To Copy Data From One Cell To Another In Excel Automatically
To copy data from one cell to another in Excel, just go through the following points given below:
- First, open the source worksheet and the destination worksheet.
- In the source worksheet, navigate to the sheet that you want to move or copy
- Now, click on the Home menu and choose the Format option
- Then, select the Move Or Copy Sheet from the Organize Sheets part
- After that, again in the Home menu choose the Format option in the cells group
- Here in the Move Or Copy dialog option, select the target sheet and Excel will only display the open worksheets in the list
- Else, if you want to copy the worksheet instead of moving, then kindly make a copy of the Excel workbook before
- Lastly, select the OK button to copy or move the targeted Excel spreadsheet.
Method #4: How To Copy Data From One Sheet To Another In Excel Using Formula
You can copy data from one sheet to another in Excel using formula. Here are the steps to be followed:
- For copy and paste the Excel cell in the present Excel worksheet, as for example; copy cell A1 to D5, you can just select the destination cell D5, then enter =A1 and press the Enter key to get the A1 value.
- For copying and pasting cells from one worksheet to another worksheet such as copy cell A1 of Sheet1 to D5 of Sheet2, please select the cell D5 in Sheet2, then enter =Sheet1!A1 and press the Enter key to obtain the value.
Method #5: Copy Data From One Excel Sheet To Another Using Macros
With the help of macros, you can copy data from one worksheet to another but before this here are some important tips that you must take care of:
- You should keep the file extension correctly in your Excel workbook.
- It’s not necessary that your spreadsheet should be macro enable for doing the task.
- The code that you choose can also be stored in a different worksheet.
- As the codes already specify the details, so there is no need to activate the Excel workbook or cells first.
- Thus, given below is the code for performing this task.
Sub OpenWorkbook()
‘Open a workbook
‘Open method requires full file path to be referenced.
Workbooks.Open “C:UsersusernameDocumentsNew Data.xlsx”‘Open method has additional parameters
‘Workbooks.Open(FileName, UpdateLinks, ReadOnly, Format, Password, WriteResPassword, IgnoreReadOnlyRecommended, Origin, Delimiter, Editable, Notify, Converter, AddToMru, Local, CorruptLoad)End Sub
Sub CloseWorkbook()
‘Close a workbook
Workbooks(“New Data.xlsx”).Close SaveChanges:=True
‘Close method has additional parameters
‘Workbooks.Close(SaveChanges, Filename, RouteWorkbook)End Sub
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Conclusion:
Well, I tried my level best to provide the best possible ways to transfer data from one Excel worksheet to another automatically. So from now on, you don’t have to worry about how to copy data from one cell to another in Excel automatically.
I hope you are satisfied with the above methods provided to you about Excel worksheet update.
Thus, make proper use of them and in the future also if you want to know about this, you can take the help of the specified solutions.
Priyanka is an entrepreneur & content marketing expert. She writes tech blogs and has expertise in MS Office, Excel, and other tech subjects. Her distinctive art of presenting tech information in the easy-to-understand language is very impressive. When not writing, she loves unplanned travels.