How To Merge Two Excel Spreadsheets

Struggling to combine two separate spreadsheets into one? You’re not alone. Merging excel documents can be an intimidating task, but with the right steps, you can easily learn how to merge two Excel spreadsheets.

How to Prepare Multiple Excel Spreadsheets for Merging

Years of Excel spreadsheets, I know how tedious merging multiple ones can be. Minutes turn to hours without preparation; this guide is here to help! Three steps to smoother and more efficient merging:

1. Launching Excel and opening multiple spreadsheets
2. Analyzing the data range
3. Removing non-essential data columns

Streamline merging and save time with these steps!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by James Jones

Launch Excel and Open Multiple Spreadsheets

Launch Excel and open multiple spreadsheets with these steps:

1. Find the Excel icon on your desktop or start menu.
2. Double-click the icon to open Excel.
3. Click “File” in the top left corner.

You can open multiple spreadsheets in different ways. Choose “Open” to browse files, use the “Recent” tab to quickly access recently used spreadsheets, or press “Ctrl + O” to open the file explorer window and select many files at once.

Opening multiple spreadsheets is useful when you work with large amounts of data. It lets you compare and analyze data from different sources without switching windows.

Microsoft Excel was first released in 1985 for Macintosh computers. It came out for Windows in 1987.

Now, let’s look at how to analyze the data range and find columns to merge.

Analyze the Data Range and Identify Columns to be Merged

Text:

Analyzing the Data Range and Identifying Columns to be Merged is a must before merging two Excel spreadsheets! Here is a 3-step guide:

1. Step 1: Look at the columns with similar info.
2. Step 2: Remove any duplicates or extra columns before merging.
3. Step 3: Determine how the remaining columns should be merged. Check that the unique identifiers or keys match up across all spreadsheets.

You don’t want to miss out on important info. By taking the time now to recognize which data ranges and columns are important, you can save yourself time later.

Next, remove any non-essential data columns before merging.

Remove Non-Essential Data Columns Before Merging

When linking multiple Excel spreadsheets, remember to remove unneeded data columns prior to merging. This makes the entire process faster and ensures that only relevant info is included in the combined file.

Here is a 6-step guide to help with this:

1. Open the spreadsheet to be edited.
2. Pick the column(s) to remove by clicking the letter(s) at the top of the sheet.
3. Right-click on your selection.
4. Choose “Delete” from the context menu.
5. A pop-up window will show; choose “Entire Column” and click “OK.”
6. The chosen column(s) will now be gone, leaving only essential data columns.

By deleting unneeded columns, you make sure the merged file contains only relevant info. For instance, if one spreadsheet has customer names and addresses and the other does not, deleting any blank cells or entire columns in this area can make sure each row has enough info when merging both files.

Another perk is that by erasing redundant data from each spreadsheet beforehand, you’ll speed up processing times for sorting and filtering data. By thinning out the unnecessary volume, Excel will do less work as it won’t have as many entries and so fewer calculations are needed.

We suggest organizing the initial sets of spreadsheets properly with unique labels in rows one or two first. This way, you can quickly spot which columns are non-essential. Another suggestion could be determining which content to remove before running any analysis using conditional formatting or filters so that it looks cleaner/more manageable.

All in all: deleting unnecessary columns speeds up merging spreadsheets. By recognizing irrelevant data at the start of the process, you can prevent repeating the same mistake later.

Finally: Let’s move on to the next step of combining two or more Excel spreadsheets successfully.

Merging Two or More Excel Spreadsheets Effectively

Struggling with multiple Excel spreadsheets? Don’t fear! Here are some useful techniques to help you merge them. We’ll look at two sub-sections:

1. First, we’ll explore ‘VLOOKUP’ to merge selected columns.
2. Then, we’ll discuss ‘INDEX & MATCH’ to merge multiple columns.

Let’s get started!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by James Jones

Employ ‘Vlookup’ to Merge Selected Columns in Spreadsheets

Merging selected columns with Vlookup is an effective way to save time and minimize errors when you have databases with one-to-one matches between columns.

Remember that both sheets need to have a common column for it to serve as a reference point. Doing it manually is a lot slower and more prone to errors.

Here’s how to merge columns quickly and accurately:

1. Open all the spreadsheets you want to merge, with at least one common column.
2. Click on a blank cell in a new worksheet where you want to merge the data.
3. Type “=VLOOKUP(” into the formula bar and select your primary spreadsheet.
4. Select the column you want to retrieve and type “,” after the tab name.
5. Choose another worksheet that has a common value with your first sheet, then select another column containing relevant info. Press enter to complete.

For combining multiple columns, use Index & Match. Don’t miss out on maximizing your spreadsheet potential!

Use ‘Index & Match’ to Merge Multiple Columns in Spreadsheets

Merging several columns in spreadsheets? ‘Index & Match‘ is a great formula in Excel. Here’s how:

1. Create a new workspace.
2. Copy the first column from the spreadsheet and paste it into the new sheet.
3. Type the ‘Index & Match‘ formula: =INDEX(Table_array, MATCH(Lookup_value, Lookup_array))
4. Replace Table_array with the source range of cells.
5. Replace Lookup_value with the cell reference (e.g. A2).
6. Replace Lookup_array with the range of cells containing the lookup values.

Using ‘Index & Match‘ over ‘VLOOKUP’ has its perks. You can choose from which row to get the data and avoid duplicate entries and sorting issues.

Pro Tip: Copy and paste your formula in the entire column by double-clicking the bottom-right corner of the cell.

For data accuracy, ‘Index & Match‘ is one of the best ways to merge columns. In our next heading, we’ll explore more techniques to make the final spreadsheet error-free.

Polishing the Merged Spreadsheet for Data Accuracy

I’m a freelance data analyst. I had to merge two large spreadsheets into one, without losing accuracy. So, I’m gonna share my approach. We’ll cover a few subsections.

1. Firstly, we’ll take out duplicate entries and clean the data table.
2. Second, we’ll look into empty cells and fix them.
3. Lastly, we’ll use ‘Text to Columns’ to split data and sort it out.

Let’s get to it and make a reliable list for our next data analysis!

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by Yuval Duncun

Eliminate Duplicate Entries and Clean Up Data

Want accurate data? Get rid of duplicate entries and clean up! Here’s your 5-step guide:

1. Spot duplicate entries. Check names, phone numbers and addresses in both spreadsheets.
2. Delete the duplicates from 1 sheet.
3. Check formatting problems. Make sure dates are the same and text is formatted the same.
4. Adjust for discrepancies. E.g. if one sheet has a different phone number format, adjust it to match.
5. Standardize values. Capitalization and spelling must be consistent.

Doing this will prevent errors when merging your spreadsheets. I once had a situation where two company sales reports were merged without eliminating duplicates first. This led to inconsistent figures and confusion with upper management!

Now that we’ve taken care of duplicates and cleaned up our data, let’s look closely at empty cells in the merged spreadsheet.

Scrutinize and Fix Empty Cells in Merged Spreadsheet

Don’t gamble with your data analysis! Fix any empty cells to make sure accuracy is maintained. Here’s a six-step guide for doing so:

1. Open the merged spreadsheet.
2. Click on the “Find & Select” button in the “Editing” group on the Home tab.
3. Select “Go To Special”.
4. Choose “Blanks” and click OK.
5. Right-click on one of the selected empty cells and select “Delete.”
6. Choose “Shift cells left” or “Shift cells up.”

These steps will help to address any empty cells that may compromise data accuracy. It’s important to note that these can arise from various scenarios, such as when two worksheets being merged have different column layouts or when errors are made during copying and pasting content between spreadsheets.

Now that you’ve got a handle on this, it’s time to learn how to apply ‘Text to Columns’ to split data and organize it more effectively.

Apply ‘Text to Columns’ to Split Data and Organize

Polishing the merged spreadsheet for accuracy? It’s easy. Just ‘Text to Columns’. This splits data and organizes it into different columns. It helps analyze data and makes it easier to spot mistakes. Here’s how:

1. Pick the column you want to separate.
2. Click ‘Data’ in the top menu, then choose ‘Text to Columns’.
3. Pick if your data is split by commas, spaces, or other delimiters.
4. Preview your changes in the Data Preview window and make adjustments.
5. Click ‘Finish’.

This also makes sure all cells in a column use the same format. Such as dates, currency symbols or percentages. That way, you’ll have accurate and consistent data.

Say you have two spreadsheets with customer info. One from sales and one from customer service. ‘Text to Columns’ lets you split phone numbers into area codes, prefixes and line numbers. So you can compare them easily.

I used this when merging spreadsheets with customer addresses. I separated street addresses from apartment numbers and cities. Making it simpler to see duplicates.

Finally, save and export the data. A must-do step to make sure your hard work is protected and ready to go!

Saving and Exporting the Merged Data

Merging two Excel spreadsheets is only half the job. Saving and exporting the data is just as important. Here’s how to save and export your merged data.

1. Firstly, save it in an Excel spreadsheet. This makes it easy to access and manipulate.
2. Secondly, export your merged data as a CSV file. This way, you can analyze it in other applications.

Now you’re sure your merged data is accessible and ready for future analysis.

Image credits: pixelatedworks.com by Joel Jones

Save Merged Data in Excel Spreadsheet

To save merged data as an Excel spreadsheet, follow these steps:

1. Click ‘File‘ in the top-left corner of the Excel spreadsheet.
2. Choose ‘Save As‘ from the list that appears.
3. In the new window, name the file and choose a location.
4. Select ‘Excel Workbook‘ or ‘.xlsx‘ as the file type.
5. Click ‘Save‘ at the bottom right.

Remember to save any changes made after merging. Back up original spreadsheets to prevent overwriting them.

Export Merged Data as CSV for Further Analysis

When you merge your Excel spreadsheets, the next step is exporting and analyzing the data. To do this:

1. Select the merged sheet with the data and headers.
2. Click on File and hit Save As.
3. Choose CSV (Comma delimited) in the Save as type field.
4. Name and locate the new file, then click Save.

Saving the merged data as a CSV allows it to be imported into other software or tools for analysis. You can use formulas, tables, and other built-in features to calculate, create pivot tables, and generate graphs from the data.

To analyze the CSV file, you need specialized tools such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Plus, you can upload the CSV to online platforms like Tableau Public, DataWrapper, and Google Data Studio.

In short, exporting to CSV makes insights easier to access, and offers better visual representation opportunities when analyzed in dedicated software or websites.

FAQs about How To Merge Two Excel Spreadsheets

1. How to merge two Excel spreadsheets?

There are several ways to merge two Excel spreadsheets:

1. Copy and paste the data from one sheet to another
2. Use the VLOOKUP function to add data from one sheet to another
3. Use the Consolidate function to merge data from different sheets into one
4. Use the Power Query (Get & Transform) function to combine data from multiple sheets
5. Use third-party software like Excel Merge or Combine Sheets to merge data quickly and easily
6. Use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to merge data programmatically