In Excel: put every file in one folder and use Data ▸ Get Data ▸ From File ▸ From Folder ▸ Combine & Transform — Power Query appends them all and refreshes when the folder changes.
Move every file into a single folder and close them all.
In a new workbook choose Data ▸ Get Data ▸ From File ▸ From Folder and select that folder.
Click Combine & Transform Data, then pick the worksheet or table that all files share.
In the Power Query editor check the header row was promoted and the data types are right, then Close & Load.
To add more files later, drop them in the folder and press Data ▸ Refresh All.
For sheets inside one workbook that have different layouts, right-click the sheet tab ▸ Move or Copy ▸ pick the target workbook ▸ tick Create a copy.
What this does
There are three real methods and they are not interchangeable. Power Query's From Folder appends many files that share the same column layout into one refreshable table — this is the right default. Data ▸ Consolidate sums or averages matching cells across ranges when you want one summary rather than one stacked table. Right-click a sheet tab ▸ Move or Copy pulls individual sheets into one workbook without merging their contents, which is what "combine" usually means when the sheets have different shapes. Keep the inputs visible and clearly labelled and the whole thing stays auditable — anyone who opens the file later, including you, can see at a glance exactly what feeds the result and change one assumption without hunting through the formula. Treat “join excel files” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected cells shows up while it is still harmless. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That turns a data step that keeps your analysis trustworthy into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
Twelve monthly exports named sales-01.xlsx … sales-12.xlsx sit in C:\reports, each with the same six columns. Data ▸ Get Data ▸ From File ▸ From Folder ▸ C:\reports ▸ Combine & Transform Data ▸ pick the sheet name ▸ OK. Power Query returns one table of all 12 months with a Source.Name column identifying the file each row came from. Drop next month's file into the folder and Data ▸ Refresh All adds it. Monthly exports, per-branch files and per-person trackers all arrive as many files with one shape; combining them once as a refreshable query is the difference between a five-minute monthly report and an afternoon of copy-paste. One habit worth forming early: name the cells that hold your inputs, so the formula reads in plain language instead of a string of cell addresses. A reviewer — or you in three months — can then follow the logic without decoding what B7 and D2 were supposed to mean, which is most of what makes a sheet maintainable.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets handles this almost identically to Excel. The formula syntax above is the same, and the menu lives under a slightly different label rather than a ribbon tab. Use the platform toggle at the top of the page to switch every keyboard shortcut between Windows and Mac, and expect at most cosmetic differences in naming. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. Here is the takeaway for “join excel files”: copy the answer if you are busy, but if you have a spare few minutes, rebuild the example in Excel yourself with the tool above open beside it. That single pass — type it, run it, watch the result move when you change an input — is what turns a formula you found into a technique you trust. Keep your inputs labelled and referenced, never hard-coded, and the same sheet stays correct and auditable as it grows. Done that way, you will not need to look this up again, and you will be the person others ask.
Common mistakes
- Appending files whose columns are in a different order — Power Query matches by header name, so a renamed header silently produces a column of nulls.
- Using Data ▸ Consolidate when you actually wanted the rows stacked; Consolidate aggregates, it does not append.
- Copy-pasting sheets by hand every month, which is where the version drift and the broken references start.
- Leaving the source folder on a local drive when the workbook is shared, so nobody else can refresh it.
- Forgetting that the combined query keeps a live link — moving or renaming the folder breaks the refresh.
Frequently asked questions
How do I merge multiple Excel files into one?
Put them in one folder, then Data ▸ Get Data ▸ From File ▸ From Folder ▸ Combine & Transform Data. Power Query appends every file with a matching layout and can refresh as the folder grows.
How do I combine sheets within the same workbook?
If the sheets share a layout, use Get Data ▸ From Other Sources ▸ Blank Query and append them, or add a VSTACK formula in Microsoft 365: =VSTACK(Jan:Dec!A2:F100). If they do not share a layout, keep them separate.
Does combining files keep the formatting?
No. Power Query brings values and data types, not fills, fonts or conditional formatting. Apply the formatting once to the combined table instead.
What if the files have different column orders?
Power Query matches on header text, so a different order is fine but a different spelling is not. Standardise the headers in the source files, or add a Rename Columns step in the query.