Duplicate Sheet
Making the copy is the easy half; what the copy still points at is the half that goes wrong. A formula naming its own sheet is carried across as literal text, so ='Budget'!A1 on the new tab keeps reading the old one, and a sheet duplicated into a second file turns every reference to its former neighbours into an external link that asks to be updated on every open from then on. Defined names, conditional-formatting rules and the sheet's own print setup travel with it; anything pointing AT the sheet by name does not follow. Decide where the copy is going before you make it, because that is what decides which of those you have to repair.
A worked example
A workbook has one sheet named "Budget" that you want to reuse as a starting point for next month without touching the original.
Right-click the Budget tab > Move or Copy > tick Create a copy > OK
A new tab appears named "Budget (2)", positioned right after the original, with every value, formula and format duplicated — rename it (double-click the tab) before editing so it's clear which one is the template.
Which one do I need?
| If you want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Duplicating a sheet within the same workbook | Right-click the tab > Move or Copy > tick Create a copy, or hold Ctrl and drag the tab |
| Duplicating a sheet into a different, already-open workbook | Move or Copy > pick the destination file from the "To book" dropdown > tick Create a copy |
| Duplicating several sheets at once | Ctrl+click each tab first, then Move or Copy > Create a copy duplicates all of them together, keeping their order |
| You're in Google Sheets, not Excel | Right-click the tab > Duplicate for a same-file copy, or Copy to > New spreadsheet / Existing spreadsheet to send it elsewhere |
| The copy has formulas that reference their own sheet by name | Check them before relying on the duplicate — Excel doesn't rewrite an explicit sheet name inside a formula when it copies the sheet |
Frequently asked questions
Does duplicating a sheet copy its formulas and formatting too?
Yes — Move or Copy with Create a copy duplicates everything on the sheet: values, formulas (with cell references adjusted for the new copy), number formats, conditional formatting and charts.
Why do formulas in my duplicated sheet still point at the original sheet?
Formulas that reference cells within the same sheet update automatically when the sheet is copied. But a formula that explicitly names its own sheet — like ='Budget'!A1 typed inside Budget — is copied as literal text, so on "Budget (2)" it still points back at the original Budget sheet, not the copy. Rewrite those references by hand, or run Find & Replace on the formula text.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to duplicate a sheet in Excel?
Hold Ctrl, then click and drag the sheet tab to where you want the copy — a small plus icon on the cursor shows you're copying rather than moving. Release the mouse button before you release Ctrl.
Does Google Sheets have an equivalent to Excel's Move or Copy dialog?
Not as a single combined dialog. Right-click the sheet tab and choose Duplicate for a copy in the same file, or Copy to > New spreadsheet / Existing spreadsheet to send it elsewhere — two separate menu items instead of Excel's one dialog with a destination dropdown.
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