ONLYOFFICE · Workbook management · Beginner
Copy and Organize Worksheets in ONLYOFFICE
Copy and rename worksheets, inspect cross-sheet dependencies, and keep scenario calculations separate from the source.
Quick answer
Use the sheet tab’s Move or copy command and enable Create a copy. Rename the copy and test a changed input while checking that the source and summary still refer to the intended sheets. A copied sheet may retain cross-sheet dependencies.
A copied worksheet can be a useful scenario, but it is not automatically independent of every other sheet. This exercise creates a source, copies it inside the same workbook, checks cross-sheet references, and changes the copied scenario without changing the source.
Before you begin
Use a new local spreadsheet in ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, with only one sheet tab selected. The instructions use the English interface and ordinary cell ranges, not formatted tables. Formula examples use English function names and commas; if your configured formula language or separator differs, use the editor’s function dialog rather than changing the data to text.
Scope and evidence: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors 10.0.0; local workbooks (XLSX masters and ODS exchange copies) on Windows/Linux. Documentation-qualified workflow, checked against current English help on 2026-10-19; no native execution or exact OS/build verification. macOS, hosted collaboration and receiving-program fidelity are not tested. The desktop changelog identifies 10.0.0, released October 13, 2026. The desktop overview establishes the local-file product and supported operating systems. The feature help linked below is rolling documentation, not a frozen 10.0.0 manual. Expected results here are independently calculated practice checks, not observations of a running application. No screenshots are presented as current native evidence.
Create a source and a summary
Create a new workbook and rename its first sheet Base. On Base enter A1:C4:
| Row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item |
Units |
Amount |
| 2 | Pens |
3 |
=B2*2.5 |
| 3 | Pads |
2 |
=B3*4 |
| 4 | Total |
(leave blank) | =SUM(C2:C3) |
C2, C3 and C4 should be 7.5, 8 and 15.5. Add a new sheet using the plus button. Double-click its tab to rename it Summary. Enter Base total in A1 and =Base!C4 in B1. B1 should be 15.5. Save this starting workbook as oo-sheets-start.xlsx.
Only one sheet tab should be selected throughout these steps. If several are highlighted, right-click and use Ungroup Sheets before editing data; grouped-sheet operations can affect more than the visible sheet.
Rename while checking the dependency
Activate the Base sheet, double-click its tab and rename it Base Plan. Return to Summary and inspect B1 in the formula bar. Its reference should now target the renamed sheet, commonly shown as ='Base Plan'!C4, and its value should remain 15.5. The single quotes distinguish a sheet name containing a space.
Treat this as a required check, not permission to assume every formula everywhere updated. If B1 shows a broken reference or the old target, replace B1 explicitly with ='Base Plan'!C4 and verify the result. Record that a manual repair was needed in your installation. For a real workbook, inspect other formulas and named references before continuing.
Copy rather than move
- Right-click the
Base Plantab and choose Move or copy. - In Spreadsheet, keep the current workbook selected. Choose Move to end as the destination.
- Enable Create a copy before confirming. Without that checkbox the operation relocates the original sheet instead of making a second one.
- Check that Base Plan and Summary still exist and that a third sheet contains the source cells. Do not assume a particular auto-generated copy name. Rename the new copy explicitly to
Scenario. - Activate Scenario and inspect B2:B3, C2:C4. They should contain the same quantities and local formulas as Base Plan:
=B2*2.5,=B3*4and=SUM(C2:C3). C4 should be 15.5.
This operation is within one workbook. The help explicitly says cross-workbook drag and drop is unavailable in Desktop Editors on Linux, and moving a sheet between workbooks can remove it from the original. Neither operation is needed here.
Prove the scenario is separate
On Scenario, change B2 from 3 to 4. C2 becomes 10 and C4 becomes 18. Return to Base Plan: B2 must still be 3 and C4 must remain 15.5. Return to Summary: its existing B1 still targets Base Plan and should remain 15.5. Copying a sheet must not silently redefine what that summary means.
On Summary enter Scenario total in A2 and =Scenario!C4 in B2. Enter Change in A3 and =B2-B1 in B3. The summary should show 15.5, 18 and 2.5. Check both reference targets, not just those results; equal starting values could conceal a wrong target.
For real sheets, copying formulas that point to a separate assumptions sheet can preserve those external-to-the-sheet dependencies. A copied worksheet is not a self-contained backup. Inventory cross-sheet and external-workbook links before using it as an independent plan.
Reorder and hide without losing the source
Use Move or copy on Summary, keep the current workbook selected, choose Base Plan as the sheet to insert before, and leave Create a copy unchecked. The order should now be Summary, Base Plan, Scenario. There should still be exactly three sheets. Verify Summary!B1:B3 again.
To practice reversible visibility, right-click Base Plan and choose Hide. Summary should still show 15.5, 18 and 2.5 because hiding does not delete the source. Right-click a visible tab, open Hidden and select Base Plan to show it again. Hiding is not confidentiality or protection, and the workbook must retain a visible sheet. Do not use Delete as a cleanup step in this exercise.
Save, reopen and verify
Save as oo-sheets-final.xlsx, close it and reopen that exact local file. Confirm three visible sheets in the order Summary, Base Plan, Scenario; activate each and inspect the key cells. Base Plan remains 15.5, Scenario remains 18, and Summary shows the 2.5 difference. Check formula targets after reopening.
Preserve the final file. To repeat the workflow, open oo-sheets-start.xlsx and save a separately named oo-sheets-repeat.xlsx before editing. Do not try to recover the original structure with Undo after reopening. If a copy was actually moved, the sheet count and missing source tab reveal it; recover from the preserved start file rather than creating an empty sheet with the missing name.