Importing Excel Data into Microsoft Word 2007

Written by:  • Edited by: Brian Nelson
Updated Jan 23, 2010
• Related Guides: Microsoft Word | Excel | Excel Spreadsheet

Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to create your initial tables and charts in Microsoft Excel, and then insert the results into your Microsoft Word document. We’ll walk through how to perform such a data import in this step-by-step guide.

Even though Microsoft Word 2007 has a number of outstanding features for table creation, it will never be a match for Excel when it comes to handling data. As such, it’s often a good idea to input your data and create your table or chart in Excel, and then import that information into your Word document.

How to Insert Excel Data into Word

Step 1: Open the Excel spreadsheet that contains your data, or create a new spreadsheet and enter your information. In this example, we’ll use the same monthly budget information that we worked with in Part 4 of this series. (Click the image below for a larger view.)

Excel Data
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Step 2: Select all of the cells in your Excel spreadsheet that you want to insert into your Word document, and press Ctrl + C to copy the entire selection.

Step 3: Switch over to your Microsoft Word document and place the cursor at the point in the document where you want to insert the data. Open the Home tab on the Word ribbon, and click on the arrow underneath Paste. Select the Paste Special option.

Paste Special Option in Word
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Step 4: In the Paste Special dialog box, choose the paste as Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet Object option.

Paste as Excel Spreadsheet
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The data will now be visible in your Word document as shown in the screenshot below.

Excel Import into Word
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If you later decide that you want to make any changes to this information, you don’t have to go through these steps again. You can edit the Excel spreadsheet directly within Microsoft Word simply by double-clicking on the object. You’re not restricted to just formatting edits either – you can make any changes to the table, including adding formulas and calculations, that you normally would make in Excel.

Modifying Table in Excel
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Tip: If you haven’t entered your data into Excel yet, you can bypass opening Excel altogether by choosing Excel Spreadsheet from the Table dropdown list on the Insert tab of the Word ribbon. This will open a blank Excel spreadsheet directly inside your Word document in which you’ll have access to all of the functionality you normally would have within a regular Excel file.


Comments

Showing all 18 comments
 
John Aubry Feb 3, 2012 4:06 AM
RE: Importing Excel Data into Microsoft Word 2007
Once the  spreadsheet has been inserted in the word document, or created in the word document, can the spreadsheet easily be moved around within the document for proper placement?
Michele McDonough Jul 9, 2011 3:37 AM
RE: multiple pages & re-sizing
I believe there are certain add-ons that you can use to paste multiple tabs of an Excel workbook into Word, but I've never tried them so I can't really recommend a good one.

When pasting individual tabs, have you tried using the Paste option to "Match destination formatting" or "Use destination styles"?
Rick Jul 8, 2011 9:33 AM
multiple pages & re-sizing
I often have to put Excel 2007 workbooks into a Word doc (not as icon) is there a way to automatically import all tabs of a workbook.
Or if I copy & paste each tab in turn .. how can I get them to autosize so they fit the page ?
michele sharp Mar 29, 2011 8:21 PM
word information into excel sheet
i want multiple people to supply me with a completed form, the information of which I want to put into a list on an excel spreadsheet or WORD table. each individual may have a list of up to 4 codes which I need to record along with that person's details.
Michele McDonough Mar 10, 2011 10:28 AM
RE: Madhav
Hi Madhav - There are a whole slew of different things that can be causing this error. Are you using any Excel add-ons or macros?
Madhav Mar 10, 2011 9:25 AM
Require urgent help
Hi michele,

I'm getting an error while saving a char/graph on the spreadsheet of office 2007. It gives me following error.

"Object reference not set to an instance of an object"

Please help its urgent
krystal Dec 23, 2010 12:10 PM
linking spreadsheets
hello there, i am trying to link information from a master spreadsheet to 2 other sheets but only to change certain information and not all of the information is in the same numbered columns they are quite spread out can you help?
Danilka Dec 9, 2010 8:07 AM
re: Inserting a single number in line with Text
copy in excel
paste special/unformatted text
Joe Mass Oct 20, 2010 9:42 AM
Inserting a single number in line with Text
Is there a way to correctly insert a number from excel into a paragraph in Word 2007 without it killing the layout of the paragraph?
Brian Sep 3, 2010 12:57 PM
pasted tables show color but print B&W
When I paste tables from Excel into Word, they look fine & show in color appropriately, but print in black and white. Objects & text created in Word print in color.

I can paste special as a picture, but then I lose formatting
Will Worrall Aug 12, 2010 11:55 AM
How to track links back?
Hi! I have inherited a document that has linked tables and charts that need to be updated. But I can't find the original Excel spreadsheets, and I don't want to redo all of the chart formatting. How can I follow the link back to the original table?

FYI, the last version was done in Word/Excel 2003, and I'm updating it in Word/Excel 2007
Michele McDonough Jan 22, 2010 9:11 PM
RE: Excel to Labels
Russ Jan 22, 2010 2:06 PM
Excel to Labels
Trying to import an excel spreadsheet into labels in word, but it doesnt work this way... Any suggestions?
Michele McDonough Oct 27, 2009 5:19 AM
RE: excel page is in landscape
Hi Eric,

To do this, put the one page you want to have landscape orientation in its own "section" of the Word document. For more information on creating sections, see

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/29499.aspx

Thanks!
Eric Oct 26, 2009 9:43 PM
excel page is in landscape
my original excel sheet is in landscape so when i paste it into work its half off the sheet and not visible. how can i correct this (make just one page Landscape while having the rest of the word document portrait)?
Michele McDonough Sep 28, 2009 9:42 AM
Re: Tables not visible
Hi Pim,

Could it be a font/color issue? Have you tried selecting the whole table in Word after pasting and changing the font color to see if it shows up?
Pim Sep 28, 2009 9:20 AM
Tables not visible
Hi,

I have inserted many tables and graphs from excel 2007 to word 2007. My graphs are visible, but my tables stay white, you can only see them when you use the option print preview. I have tried all options under paste special, but also pasting as excel worksheet object still leaves the tables white. I can, by the way, edit them by double clicking, but the contents is just not shown when editing the word document.

Any idea how to fix this?
prakash singh Sep 13, 2009 9:04 AM
excel
informative and useful
 
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