How to Save an Excel Worksheet as Values Without External Links in WPS Office
Question details
User needs to create a copy of an Excel worksheet that contains only the displayed values, with formulas and references to other sheets or workbooks removed before sharing.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheets
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing a worksheet for sharing or distribution without exposing formulas or retaining external workbook links.
- Observed behavior
- The goal is for the new workbook to keep current worksheet values while formulas and most external links are replaced with static data.
Make sure the workbook is open in WPS Spreadsheets and the source worksheet is selected. After pasting values, review data validation and defined names because some non-formula features may still refer to external sheets.
Copy a Worksheet to a New Workbook and Paste Values in WPS Spreadsheets
Use this when you need a clean copy of the whole worksheet that keeps displayed results but removes formula references to other sheets or workbooks.
This method first places the worksheet in a separate workbook, then replaces formulas with their current values. Most external links are removed because the formulas no longer reference the original workbook, but non-formula features such as data validation lists may still point to external sheets.
In WPS Spreadsheets, open the Excel workbook and click the tab of the worksheet you want to save as values.
Right-click the sheet tab, choose Move or Copy, check Create a copy, set To book to (new book), and click OK.
In the new workbook, click the Select All button at the top-left corner between row 1 and column A, or press Ctrl+A to select the used range.
On the Home tab, click Copy, open the Paste drop-down menu, and choose Values. You can also right-click the selection and choose Paste Values.
Click Menu > Save As, choose a location, name the workbook, and save it in the desired Excel-compatible format.
Paste Values Over a Selected Range in the Current Workbook
Use this when you only need to flatten formulas in a specific range rather than copying the entire worksheet to a new workbook.
Save a Worksheet as Values Without External Links in WPS Office
Open the workbook in WPS Office Spreadsheets, copy the source sheet to a new workbook, paste values to remove formulas and external links, and save a clean Excel-compatible file.
- 1. Open the workbook: Launch WPS Office Spreadsheets and open the Excel workbook that contains the worksheet you want to clean.
- 2. Copy the worksheet to a new workbook: Right-click the source sheet tab, click Move or Copy, select Create a copy, choose (new book) under To book, and click OK.
- 3. Select and paste values: In the new workbook, press Ctrl+A to select the used range, click Home > Copy, then open the Paste drop-down menu and choose Values.
- 4. Save the clean workbook: Click Menu > Save As, choose a location, name the file, and select .xlsx or another Excel-compatible format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Paste Values remove all external links from my worksheet?
Paste Values removes formula references to external sheets and workbooks because formulas are replaced with their displayed results. Data validation lists, defined names, query connections, and some chart series may still reference external sources, so review Data > Data Validation and Formulas > Name Manager after pasting.
Can I keep my cell formatting when I replace formulas with values?
Yes. Paste Values keeps the current displayed values and cell formatting. If you need to use the original number formatting, use Paste Special and choose Values & Number Formatting.
Does this method work if the source workbook contains multiple sheets?
Yes. Copy only the worksheet you want to share into a new workbook. If multiple sheets need to be value-only, repeat the Move or Copy and Paste Values process for each relevant sheet.
Is Move or Copy available in WPS Office on Windows and Mac?
Yes. WPS Office Spreadsheets on Windows and Mac includes the right-click Move or Copy command and the Paste Values option in the Home tab.
