Link file from excel to word

Link an Excel file to a Word doc so the doc updates when the Excel data changes

Updated on March 11, 2022

What to Know

• Link: Copy cells. Right-click Link & Use Destination Styles or Link & Keep Source Formatting in Word.
• Embed: In Word, go to Insert > Object > Object > Create from File > Browse > choose Excel file > OK.
• Embed a spreadsheet table: In Word, go to Insert > Table > Excel Spreadsheet.

This article explains two ways to display Excel data in Word.

Instructions apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, and Excel 2010.

How to Link Excel to Word

To insert any part of an Excel worksheet in a Word document:

1. Open the Word document where the worksheet will display.

2. Open the Excel worksheet that contains the data you want to link to the Word document.

3. In Excel, select and copy the range of cells to include. If you plan to insert more columns or rows into the worksheet, select the entire worksheet.

   To select the entire worksheet, select the cell located in the upper-left corner at the juncture of the row numbers and column letters.

4. In the Word document, position the cursor where you want to insert the linked table.

5. Right-click and select Link & Use Destination Styles or Link & Keep Source Formatting.

   Destination Styles uses the default Word table formatting, which usually results in a better-looking table. Keep Source Formatting uses the formatting from the Excel workbook.

6. The Excel data pastes directly into the Word document where the cursor was positioned. If changes are made to the source Excel file, the Word document updates with those changes automatically.

What Happens When You Link Excel to Word

Linking an Excel file to a Word document ensures that the Word document is updated every time the data in the Excel file changes. It works as a one-way link feed that brings the updated Excel data into the linked Word document. Linking an Excel worksheet also keeps your Word file small because the data doesn’t save to the Word document.

Linking an Excel worksheet to a Word document has a few limitations:

• If the Excel file moves, the link to the Word document needs to be re-established.
• If you plan to transport the Word file or use it on another computer, you must transport the Excel file along with it.
• You must do data editing in the Excel worksheet. It isn’t a problem unless you require different spreadsheet formats in the Word document.

How to Embed an Excel Spreadsheet in Word

The process of embedding an Excel worksheet in a Word document is essentially the same as linking to an Excel worksheet. It does require a few extra clicks, but it brings all data from the worksheet into your document, not only the selected range.

There are two ways to embed an Excel worksheet in Word. The first is to embed the worksheet as an object. The second is to insert a table.

When you embed a worksheet, Word uses the formatting from the Excel worksheet. Make sure that the data in the worksheet looks the way you want it to appear in the Word document.

Embed an Excel Worksheet as an Object

To embed an Excel worksheet as an object:

1. Open the Word document.

2. Go to the Insert tab.

3. Select Object > Object. In Word 2010, select Insert > Object.

4. In the Object dialog box, select the Create from File tab.

5. Select Browse, then choose the Excel worksheet that contains the data you want to embed.

6. Select OK.

7. The Excel worksheet is embedded in the Word document. 

How to Embed an Excel Spreadsheet Table

An alternative is to insert the Excel worksheet as a table. This method inserts the worksheet the same way as if you embedded it as an object. The difference is that it opens a blank Excel worksheet for you to fill out. Choose this method if you haven’t created the Excel file yet.

To insert an Excel worksheet as a table in Word:

1. Open a Word document.

2. Place the cursor where you want to insert the Excel worksheet.

3. Go to the Insert tab, then select Table.

4. Select Excel Spreadsheet.

5. This menu option opens a blank Excel worksheet that you can fill with data. Either enter new data or paste data from another spreadsheet.

When you insert and fill out a new Excel worksheet, you have an Excel file that you can update at any time. The data in the Word table automatically updates to match the data in the Excel file.

FAQ

• How do I embed a Microsoft Word document in Excel?

  In Excel, select the Insert tab > Text > Object > Create from File. Next, select Browse to find the Word file > Insert > OK. 

• How do I create labels in Microsoft Word from an Excel list?

  To create labels in Word from an Excel list, open a blank Word document > select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels > choose the brand and product number for the labels. Then, choose Select Recipients > Use an Existing List > navigate to the Excel address list > OK. Add the merge mail fields to complete the merge.

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Import Linked or Unlinked Excel Worksheet Data into Word Files

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated February 1, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Excel^®  and Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)

You can easily copy or import Excel worksheet data into Word documents. When you import from an Excel file, you can choose to import linked or unlinked data. If it’s linked, you will be able to update, change and remove the links.

The following are three easy ways to import Excel data into Word by copying and pasting:

1. Copy the data in the Excel file, switch to the Word document and then paste the data where you want it to appear as a static copy.
2. Import the Excel data into the Word document as a linked OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) object so that when the Excel file changes, the Word document will update as well.
3. Create links to the Excel data in a Word table so that when the Excel file changes, the table will update.

If you choose the second or third method, you will need to ensure that the Excel file remains in the same location with the same name or manage the link(s) using Edit Links.

Recommended article: How to Create a Table of Contents in Word

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >

Inserting unlinked Excel data

You can easily copy data from Excel and paste it into a Word document. Use this method if you do not need to update the Word file when the Excel data changes.

To insert unlinked Excel data into Word:

1. Open the Excel file.
2. Select the data you want to copy into the Word file.
3. Press Ctrl + C or right-click and select Copy from the drop-down menu.
4. Open the Word file.
5. Position the insertion point where you want the Excel data to appear.
6. Press Ctrl + V or right-click and choose Paste Values from the drop-down menu.
   

With this method, the Excel data will be copied into Word as a table and the Word file will not update when the Excel file changes. Because the data is pasted into a table, you can use Word’s table tools to format it and the file will be smaller because the data is not linked.

Inserting Excel data as a linked OLE object

You can insert an OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) object when you want to insert a linked copy of Excel data. However, one of the problems with this method is that the OLE object is like a picture of the cells and you would need to format the data in Excel to appear the way you want in the Word file.

To insert Excel data into Word as a linked OLE object:

1. Open the Excel source workbook.
2. Select the data you want to place in the Word file.
3. Press Ctrl + C or right-click and choose Copy from the drop-down menu.
4. Open the Word destination document.
5. Position the insertion point where you want the linked Excel data to appear.
6. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and select the arrow below Paste. A drop-down menu appears.
7. Select Paste Special. A dialog box will appear.
8. Click Paste Link.
9. Under As, select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object.
10. Click OK.

Note the Paste link option on the left of the Paste Special dialog box:

You can double-click an OLE object to jump to the source Excel file.

Inserting linked Excel data into a Word table

You can insert Excel data as a table in Word where each cell is linked to the Excel data source. This is a great method because you can maintain links but format the data the way you want in Word.

To insert linked Excel data into a Word table:

1. Open the Excel source workbook.
2. Select the data you want to place in the Word file.
3. Press Ctrl + C or right-click and choose Copy from the drop-down menu.
4. Open the Word destination document.
5. Position the insertion point where you want the linked Excel data to appear.
6. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and select the arrow below Paste. A drop-down menu appears.
7. Select Paste Special. A dialog box will appear.
8. Click Paste Link.
9. Under As, select HTML Format.
10. Click OK.

HTML format is selected by default in the Paste Special dialog box:

Click in the table in the Word document. As long as Field Shading When Selected is set in Word Options, each cell will appear with gray shading indicating that it is a field linked to Excel. You can format the table in Word.

Updating or managing links

One of the benefits of linking data is that information in a destination document updates when you change information in the source document. This typically occurs automatically if both documents are open. However, if you open a Word document with links and the Excel file is not open, Word should prompt you to update the links. You may also need to update links yourself or re-establish a link if the original Excel file has been moved or renamed.

To update or manage links:

1. Right-click a linked object or HTML table. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Choose Linked Worksheet Object and then Edit Links. A dialog box appears.
3. Under Update method for selected link, Automatic update is selected by default. You can choose Manual update if you do not want the data to update automatically. You would then need to click the link and click Update Now to update.
4. Make any other changes (such as breaking a link of changing the source for a link).
5. Click OK.

The Links dialog box below displays one link:

It’s not difficult to import Excel data into Word. Typically, the biggest issue occurs when other users move or rename the source Excel file but this can be managed using Edit Links and changing the source.

This article was first published on March 13, 2016 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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