Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Embedding an Excel Worksheet.

Embedding an Excel Worksheet

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 31, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Word allows you to embed a worksheet directly from Excel. The link established between your document and the Excel worksheet can be updated whenever you desire. To embed a worksheet in your document, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Excel worksheet.
  2. Select the portion of the worksheet you wish to embed in your Word document.
  3. Press Ctrl+C to copy the selection to the Clipboard.
  4. Switch to the Word document.
  5. Position the insertion pointer where you want the worksheet placed.
  6. Choose Paste Special from the Edit menu. The Paste Special dialog box will appear. (See Figure 1.)
  7. Figure 1. The Paste Special dialog box.

  8. Select the Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object as the preferred method of pasting.
  9. Make sure the Paste Link radio button is selected.
  10. Click on OK. Word inserts the linked spreadsheet in your document.

When you later want to modify the Excel worksheet, simply double-click your mouse on it within your document. You can edit it using tools you are familiar with in Excel, and you can then click your mouse outside of the worksheet (elsewhere in your Word document) to return to regular Word editing. Any changes you make to the embedded spreadsheet are automatically saved in the original Excel spreadsheet.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (56) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Embedding an Excel Worksheet.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Searching for Floating Graphics

Graphics can be added to a document so that they are either inline with the text or floating over the text. You can use ...

Discover More

Setting Print Titles

Excel allows you to specify certain rows or columns that will be repeated on the pages of a printout. Here's how to set ...

Discover More

Removing Breaks

Word allows you to add several types of "breaks" into your document. If you later want to remove any of them, you can use ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Counting Characters in Text Boxes

When you do a word count, the value that is returned does not include any text contained in text boxes. This may not be a ...

Discover More

Updating Document Links

If you establish dynamic links between documents, then you can force Word to update those links whenever you want. How ...

Discover More

Changing Label Printing Order

If you want to change the order in which labels are printed when doing a mail merge, Word doesn't provide many options. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 4 - 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.