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Inserting a document
You can insert the content of previously-created Word documents into a new or different Word document.
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Click or tap where you want to insert the content of the existing document.
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Go to Insert and select the arrow next to Object .
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Select Text from File.
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Locate the file that you want and then double-click it.
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To add in the contents of additional Word documents, repeat the above steps as needed.
Important: If you want to insert the header and footer also, be sure to insert the text from the file in a new section so that the header and footer are applied to only those pages. For more info on sections, see Insert a section break.
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This wikiHow teaches you how to insert the contents of and/or a link to another document into a Microsoft Word document on Windows or Mac.[1]
Steps
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Open a Microsoft Word document. To do so, double-click the blue app that contains or is shaped like a W. Then click File at the top of the screen and Open….
- To create a new document, click New in the file menu.
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Click the place in the document where you want to insert the file.
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Click the Insert tab. It’s at the top of the window.
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Click the
next to Object. It’s in the Text group on the right side of the tool bar at the top of the window.
- On Mac, click Text to expand the group.
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Choose the type of file to insert.
- Click Object… to insert a PDF, image, or another type of non-text file into your Word document. Then click From File… on the left side of the dialog box that opens.
- If you prefer to insert a link to and/or icon of the file, rather than the entire document, click Options on the left side of the dialog box and check Link to File and/or Display as Icon.
- Click Text from File… to insert the text of another Word or text document into the current Word document.
- Click Object… to insert a PDF, image, or another type of non-text file into your Word document. Then click From File… on the left side of the dialog box that opens.
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Select the file to insert.
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Click OK. The file contents, a linked icon, or the text of the file will be inserted into your Word document.
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Question
I like that I can copy the file and paste to a blank page within another Word file. Is there a way to paste a document that’s more than one page?
Open Microsoft Word. On the top left menu choose Insert. Choose File. Browse through your file system to the file you want. Click on the file name. Choose Insert. For an existing document, place the cursor at the point you want to insert the document, then follow the above instructions. You can also choose a range of pages substituting the final Insert with Range.
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Question
How do I insert a file into a Word document?
Read and follow the instructions listed in the article above.
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Question
I need to email a document that is not already in a file. What do I do?
Okay, where is the document? All documents are files. If you don’t like the current format, save it to another format, or copy the material into another file in a standard format. If desperate, take a screenshot by pressing the PrintScreen key and pasting it into a Word document. Save it and you’ll have a file. If you mean the document is a physical piece of paper and not on your computer, you can either scan it or just take a picture of it with your phone.
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About This Article
Article SummaryX
1. Open a Word document.
2. Click a place in the document.
3. Click Insert.
4. Click the Object drop-down.
5. Choose the type of file to insert.
6. Select a file to insert.
7. Click OK.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 455,641 times.
Is this article up to date?
How to embed files, including other Word files, into a Word document
Updated on September 6, 2022
What to Know
- Open Word doc > place curser where you want to insert file > select Insert tab.
- Next, select Object drop-down arrow > choose Text from File > select document > Insert.
This article explains how to insert one Word document into another — even when the copied document includes headers and footers. Instructions apply to Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word for Microsoft 365.
How to Insert a Word Document Into Another Word Document
If you have an existing Microsoft Word document that would augment a document you’re working on, you have a few options. If you want to add an entire document to a second Word doc, your best bet is knowing how to insert a document into Word.
Word inserts the document into the current document without changing the formatting applied to either document. Images, tables, shapes, and other objects in the existing document carry over into the new Word file as well.
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Start Word and open the document into which you want to insert another Word document.
Alternatively, select New > Blank Document to open a new, blank Word document to insert an existing document into.
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Place the cursor on the spot in the document where you want to insert an existing Word file.
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Select the Insert tab.
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Select the drop-down arrow next to Object in the Text group.
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Choose Text from File in the drop-down list that appears. The Insert from File dialog box will open.
If you select Object from the Object drop-down menu, you can embed an existing Word document as a clickable file from the Create from File tab of the Object dialog box that appears. Alternatively, you can create a new, blank document that becomes a clickable object when saved using the Create New tab in that dialog box. This is a useful way to reference a document without importing the text into your existing document.
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Navigate to the Word file you want to insert into the current Word document and select it.
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Select Insert. Word will insert the document into the current document.
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Save the changes to the combined file, if desired.
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You can repeat the steps to insert additional Word docs into the Word file you are currently working on.
Any changes made to the contents of the inserted document does not affect the original Word document.
How to Insert a Word Document With Headers or Footers Into Word
If the file you want to insert has headers and footers you want to carry over into the new file, add a section break before selecting the insertion point in the new document.
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Place the cursor on the spot in the document where you want to insert an existing Word file.
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Select the Layout tab.
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Select the Breaks drop-down arrow in the Page Setup group.
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Either select Next Page to add a section break and insert the Word document starting on the next page, or select Continuous to add a section break and insert the Word document starting on the same page.
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Insert the Word document using the same steps listed above. The header and footer will only be applied to the pages of the newly inserted document.
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Question
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I would like to set up a word document such that the document has embedded in it another document shrunk down a bit to make room for additional comments and information which I will add on the side. I’ve been looking to see if word 2007 has this feature
but have had difficulty finding it. Is it possible to take an entire document and insert it as a resizeable object into another?Some of my research suggests that I might be able to accomplish something of this nature with publisher, and while several people in my office do not have publisher and we’d prefer if it were doable in word, instructions for publisher would be appreciated
as well if Word 2007 cannot do this.-
Moved by
Thursday, July 8, 2010 1:50 AM
(From:Office 2007 Planning and Deployment)
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Moved by
Answers
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You can copy text from one document and use Paste Special to insert it into another as an embedded Word Document. Each embedded document is, however, confined to one page on the containing document.
You could alternatively use the {INCLUDETEXT} field to merge the text of the first document into the second. If you put the field in a table (2 columns by 1 row) you could use the other column for your comments and resize the columns and text as appropriate.
If you want the embedded document to look like printed pages you should consider using PDF, TIF or PNG images of each page which could be inserted into your containing document and shrunk to the appropriate size to fit your comments around.
Simon Jones http://pcpro.co.uk
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Marked as answer by
Sally Tang
Saturday, July 10, 2010 9:01 AM
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Marked as answer by