How to Insert a Document Into Another in Word

Insert text or data from another document without using cut-and-paste

What to Know

  • Insert a document within Word by going to Insert > Object > Text from File. Select a file and choose Insert.
  • Insert a portion of a document by going to Insert > Object > Text from File and selecting a file. Adjust Range to choose a portion.

A common method to insert text into a Microsoft Word document is to cut and paste it. This works well for short pieces of text. When you want to insert an entire document or a lengthy section of a document, there's a quicker solution than the cut-and-paste method. Instructions in this article apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

Add Another Document to a Word Document

Word can add an entire document into your work in a few quick steps.

  1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the document.

  2. Go to the Insert tab.

    Insert tab in Word
  3. In the Text group, select the Object drop-down arrow.

    Objec menu in text area in Word
  4. Select Text from File.

    Text from File
  5. In the Insert File dialog box, select a document file.

    Example document.docx
  6. Choose Insert.

  7. The document is inserted, beginning at the cursor location.

Add a Portion of a Document to a Word Document

If you don't want to add the entire contents of the file into your Word document, choose which parts of the document or worksheet that you want to insert.

  1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the text.

  2. Select Insert > Object > Text from File.

    Text from File menu option
  3. In the Insert File dialog box, select a document file.

  4. Select Range.

    Range button in Insert Text from File dialog
  5. In the Set Range dialog box, enter the bookmark name from the Word document, or the range of cells from the Excel worksheet.

    Sample in Range field
  6. Select OK.

  7. In the Insert File dialog box, select Insert.

  8. The portion of the document is inserted, beginning at the cursor location.

Insert a Linked Text in a Document

If the text from the document you're inserting might change, use linked text that can be updated easily. The linked text option offers a third method to insert a document that updates the document automatically if the original changes.

  1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the link to the document.

  2. Go to the Insert tab.

  3. Select the Object drop-down arrow.

  4. Choose Object.

  5. In the Object dialog box, go to the Create from File tab, then select Browse.

    Create from File tab in Word
  6. In the Browse dialog box, choose the file to insert, then select Insert.

  7. In the Object dialog box, select Display as icon to display the inserted file as a clickable icon, rather than display the first page of the file.

    Display as icon checkbox in Word
  8. Select OK to insert the linked file

How to Update Linked Text

Because linked data is stored in the source file, linked objects can be updated if the source is changed.

If the text changes in the original document, select the linked text object (the entire text of the insert will be selected), then press F9. This checks the original and updates the inserted text with the changes made to the original.

Only linked text can be updated. Because embedded objects become part of the Word file, these objects are not connected to the source file and do not update.

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