Back to one of the common questions I hear “How do I import data from Excel into my document?” In a previous article I showed you how to do a simple copy and paste to replicate data from Excel into Word. Well there is another method you can use if you want to retain the use of Excel tools to edit the data that is in Word.

If you want to be able to use Excel tools to make changes to the data in Word, you can use the Paste Special command. When you use this command, the Excel data is embedded as a Microsoft Worksheet object.

To use the Paste Special command:

1. Open your Word document.

2. Open your Excel spreadsheet.
3. Within Excel, select the cells you want to copy into Word.
4. From the Edit menu, click Copy.
5. Switch back to your Word document.
6. Place the insertion point where you want the data placed.
7. From the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
8. Select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object.
9. Click OK.

When you double click the table that you inserted into your Word document, you will notice that it now retains its Excel functionality.