Sometimes when working in Excel and collaborating with your colleagues on a single document, you may wonder to yourself; how can I compare and merge a shared workbook? The answer is simple! You can do this by using the Compare and Merge Workbooks command (this command will have to be added to the quick access toolbar, since it’s not available on the Review tab). This is perfect for when you want to verify the updates made by other users and need to compile the final version of the document. In this tip, we show you how to get this done.
All users of the shared workbook must save a copy of it that contains their changes, and use a unique file name that differs from the original workbook. All copies of a shared workbook should be located in the same folder as the shared workbook.
1. Let’s first add the Compare and Merge Workbooks command:
- Click the File tab, and then select Options.
- Select as below:
- Open the copy of the shared workbook into which you want to merge the changes.
2. On the Quick Access toolbar, select as below;
3. If prompted, save the workbook.
4. In the Select Files to Merge into Current Workbook dialog box, select a copy/copies of the workbook that contains the changes that you want to merge, and then click OK.
You’ll notice that all updates made by other users of the workbook have been added and compiled into the final version of the document. You have successfully compared and merged a shared workbook!
