5 Easy Ways to Merge Excel Sheets Together

Merging Excel sheets is a common task that many professionals and enthusiasts alike will encounter. Whether you're consolidating financial reports, combining datasets for analysis, or simply organizing your personal budget, Excel provides several straightforward methods to achieve this. Here are five easy ways to merge Excel sheets together, optimized for both functionality and SEO:

1. Using Consolidate Feature

The Consolidate feature in Excel is an underappreciated tool for merging data from multiple sheets. This method is particularly useful when you have sheets with similar structures:

• Go to the Data tab.
• Select Consolidate from the Data Tools group.
• In the dialog box, choose the function (e.g., Sum, Average, Count) you want to use for consolidation.
• Select the ranges from different sheets that you want to consolidate. Use the Add button to include more ranges.
• Ensure the “Create links to source data” checkbox is ticked if you want the result to update automatically.
• Click OK to merge the data.

🌟 Note: Consolidation can be used not only for numeric data but also for text, by choosing COUNT or MAX.

2. Utilizing Power Query

Power Query, introduced in Excel 2010, is an advanced tool for data manipulation and merging:

• Go to the Data tab, click on Get Data, then From Other Sources, and finally, choose From Excel Workbook.
• Navigate to and select the Excel file containing the sheets you want to merge.
• In the Navigator pane, you can choose multiple sheets or tables. Use Ctrl to select multiple items.
• Click Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor where you can merge and manipulate data.
• After setting up your merge, click Close & Load to add the merged data to your workbook.

🛠️ Note: Power Query’s ability to refresh data makes it ideal for regularly updating reports.

3. Manual Copying with VLOOKUP

This is one of the simplest methods, though it might become tedious for large datasets:

• Create a new sheet where you’ll merge the data.
• Copy the header from one of the sheets into this new sheet.
• Use VLOOKUP or INDEX MATCH formulas to pull data from each source sheet into your new one. For example, to copy data from Sheet1 to SheetMerged, you might use: =VLOOKUP(A2,Sheet1!A2:Z1000,2,FALSE)

4. Combining Sheets with VBA

For those comfortable with coding, VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) offers a powerful way to automate merging:

Sub MergeSheets()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim wsMerge As Worksheet
    Dim lr As Long, lc As Long
    Set wsMerge = Sheets.Add
    wsMerge.Name = “Combined_Data”

For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Sheets
    If ws.Name <> "Combined_Data" Then
        lr = wsMerge.Cells(wsMerge.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row + 1
        lc = wsMerge.Cells(1, wsMerge.Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column
        ws.Range("A1").CurrentRegion.Copy Destination:=wsMerge.Cells(lr, 1)
    End If
Next ws


End Sub

🖥️ Note: VBA scripts can be saved as macros, making repetitive tasks much easier to perform.

5. Using Excel’s Built-in Merge Tables Tool

Excel’s Table feature allows for merging:

• Convert each sheet’s data range into a Table by selecting the data and using Ctrl + T.
• Use Table Design to name your tables for easy reference.
• On the new sheet, select where you want to add the combined table, go to Insert, then Table.
• In the dialog, select From Existing Worksheet and use =UNION() formula to combine your tables.

In wrapping up these five methods for merging Excel sheets, remember that the choice depends on your specific needs like data size, structure, and your comfort level with Excel. Each method has its pros and cons:

• Consolidate Feature and Power Query are excellent for large datasets with automation features.
• VLOOKUP and manual copying are straightforward for one-time tasks.
• VBA is perfect for advanced users who need complex merging tasks automated.
• The Merge Tables Tool leverages Excel’s built-in functionality for simpler merges.

Each technique offers different levels of complexity, automation, and update capabilities, ensuring there’s a solution for everyone’s merging needs.

How do I merge sheets without losing headers?

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Use the VLOOKUP or INDEX MATCH formula, ensuring headers from each sheet are manually added to the merged sheet, or use Power Query to combine tables, excluding headers where necessary.

Can I merge sheets from different Excel files?

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Yes, with Power Query or VBA, you can merge sheets from multiple Excel files into one workbook, by either manually choosing the files or setting up an automated script.

Is there a way to automate merging Excel sheets?

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Definitely! Using Power Query or VBA, you can automate the merging process so that data updates automatically from multiple sources or sheets.