# Microsoft Office Application Help - Excel Help forum > Excel General >  >  Compare and Merge Workbooks in Excel

## colin41

I am using Microsoft Excel 2002.

I want to Compare and Merge two Workbooks, but when I go to the Tools Menu, the option is shaded. What should I do?

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## VBA Noob

Hi,

This link may help

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ex...CH010003671033

VBA Noob

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## colin41

Thank you for responding to my post.

I went to the site but this does not help me. It has the same instructions that are in the Excel Help.

As I mentioned in my previous post, when I go to the Tools menu, the Compare and Merge Workbooks option is shaded, i.e. in grey and not black. So I cannot click on it. I want to know how to make that option black so I can complete the Compare and Merge function.

Thanks.

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## davesexcel

> Thank you for responding to my post.
> 
> I went to the site but this does not help me. It has the same instructions that are in the Excel Help.
> 
> As I mentioned in my previous post, when I go to the Tools menu, the Compare and Merge Workbooks option is shaded, i.e. in grey and not black. So I cannot click on it. I want to know how to make that option black so I can complete the Compare and Merge function.
> 
> Thanks.



Is your sheet protected??

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## Paul

I'm pretty sure that option is only available when you're merging two 'shared' workbooks (two versions of the same shared workbook, too).

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## colin41

Thank you davesexcel and pjoaquin.

I don't understand what you mean by the sheet being protected. Also, I am not using a shared workbook, just my home computer.

I have the two separate workbooks in the same folder, of course with different filenames, and want to combine the data into one new workbook. Is there any way to get around the problem of having the gray option?

Thanks for any help.

Colin

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## Paul

Let me rephrase:

You cannot use the "Compare and Merge Workbooks" function unless the two workbooks are both Shared Workbooks, and one of the two is a "child" of the other one (meaning it was an exact copy of the shared workbook for use on another PC, or just separately).  You can then compare these two kindred files and merge them.

If your two workbooks are unrelated such that they are not shared workbooks, and one isn't a 'child' of the other, then you'll have to copy the data from one book to the other either manually or through the use of a macro/vba.

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## colin41

Thanks Paul.

Turns out I had to do the merging manually though, but fortunately it didn't take as long as I thought.

Take care.

Colin

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