How do I merge two Excel files into one workbook?

Open both, right-click the sheet tab in the second file, choose Move or Copy, select the first workbook under To book, tick Create a copy and click OK.

How do I combine two Excel files with the same columns?

Copy the data rows (without headers) from the second file and paste them below the last row of the first. Add a Source column so you know which file each row came from.

How do I merge two Excel files based on a common column?

Use XLOOKUP for one match per row, or Power Query Merge Queries to return every matching row.

How to combine two Excel files into one

By the Analistable team · Updated 2026-10-07 · 3 min read

If both files have the same columns, paste the second file's data rows (without its header) under the first file's last row. If you want both sheets in one workbook, right-click the sheet tab → Move or Copy → choose the other workbook → tick Create a copy. If the files have different columns about the same records, join them side by side with XLOOKUP on a shared ID.

Part of our guide: How to merge Excel files: every method compared

Which kind of combine do you need?

Three ways two files can be combined
Your files	You want	Method
Same columns (e.g. January and February sales)	One longer list	Stack rows
Any content	One workbook with two tabs	Move or Copy
Different columns, shared ID (customers + orders)	One wider table	Join with XLOOKUP or Power Query

Case 1: stack rows from two files

Open both files. In file 1, press Ctrl+End to find the last used row.
In file 2, select the data rows without the header (click the first data row number, then Ctrl+Shift+End).
Copy, switch to file 1 and paste into the first empty row below the data.
Add a column called Source and fill it with the file name for each block, so you can tell the rows apart later.
Check the column order matches before pasting — copy-paste matches by position, not by header name.

If the columns are in a different order, reorder them first, or let a tool match them by header: the Analistable combiner does this automatically.

Case 2: put both sheets in one workbook

Open both workbooks.
In the second workbook, right-click the sheet tab and choose Move or Copy….
Under To book, select the first workbook. Choose where the sheet should go.
Tick Create a copy to leave the original file unchanged, then click OK.

Formulas that referred to other sheets in the original file may now point back to that file. Check Data → Edit Links after copying.

Case 3: join side by side on a shared ID

When file 1 lists customers and file 2 lists their orders, combining means bringing columns across, matched on Customer ID. In file 1, next to the first customer:

=XLOOKUP(A2, [Orders.xlsx]Sheet1!$B:$B, [Orders.xlsx]Sheet1!$C:$C, "No orders")

XLOOKUP returns the first match only. If a customer can have several orders and you need all of them, use Power Query's Merge Queries, which returns one row per match. See joining two tables in Excel.

Joined result: Customers with their order totals
Customer ID	Name	Order total
C-101	Bakery Lune	200
C-102	Hart & Co	No orders
C-103	Nordic Supply	75

Checks after combining

Row count: stacked rows should equal the sum of both files' rows.
Duplicates: if the files overlap, use Data → Remove Duplicates on the key column. See merging two spreadsheets and removing duplicates.
Data types: dates and IDs should be one type after combining, or sorting and lookups will misbehave.

Frequently asked questions

How do I merge two Excel files into one workbook?: Open both, right-click the sheet tab in the second file, choose Move or Copy, select the first workbook under To book, tick Create a copy and click OK.
How do I combine two Excel files with the same columns?: Copy the data rows (without headers) from the second file and paste them below the last row of the first. Add a Source column so you know which file each row came from.
How do I merge two Excel files based on a common column?: Use XLOOKUP for one match per row, or Power Query Merge Queries to return every matching row.