In Excel: right-click the sheet tab, choose Move or Copy, tick Create a copy, choose the destination, and click OK.
On this page7
Right-click the worksheet tab you want to duplicate.
Choose Move or Copy.
Tick Create a copy and choose where the copied sheet should go.
Click OK, then rename the new tab so formulas and references are easier to audit.
What this does
Duplicating a sheet copies the entire worksheet: values, formulas, formatting, column widths, charts, objects and page setup. The built-in command is Move or Copy, reached from the sheet tab context menu. It is safer than selecting all cells and copying, because it preserves sheet-level settings and keeps the result as a separate tab. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “copy an excel sheet to another sheet” 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 sheet 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 workflow that saves repeating the same clicks every week into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
You have a January report tab and need February with the same layout. Right-click January, choose Move or Copy, tick Create a copy, choose move to end, and click OK. Rename the copied tab February; formulas, conditional formatting, print settings and charts all come across with the sheet. Duplicating sheets is how recurring reports, monthly tabs, templates and scenario versions stay consistent without rebuilding layout, formulas and formatting from scratch. A practical tip: try it on a copy of the sheet or a handful of sample rows first and check the result before you apply it to the real data. That one habit catches almost every surprise while it is still cheap to reverse.
In Google Sheets
This is a command rather than a formula, so there is no syntax to carry over. Google Sheets arranges its commands in menus across the top instead of a ribbon, names some of them differently and does not have every Excel command — look for the equivalent in the Sheets menus or its help before assuming the steps match. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. The short version of “copy an excel sheet to another sheet”: the answer is at the top of this page, and the sections above explain why each step matters, so a variation of the problem does not stump you. Try it once on a copy of a real file and the steps stick far better than re-reading them.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to tick Create a copy, which moves the sheet instead of duplicating it.
- Copying cells instead of the sheet tab and losing page setup or objects.
- Leaving the copied tab with a generic name like Sheet1 (2), making references hard to read.
- Not checking formulas that point at the original sheet when the copy should stand alone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to copy a sheet?
Hold Ctrl and drag the sheet tab to a new position, or use Move or Copy with Create a copy checked.
Can I copy a sheet to another workbook?
Yes. In Move or Copy, choose another open workbook from the To book dropdown.
Does duplicating a sheet copy formulas?
Yes. It copies formulas and formatting, but formulas that reference other sheets may still point to those original sheets.