Excel Technique: Using Paste Special to Lift a Copy of Values

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2
  • Typing in cell values can be boring work. It can be very useful sometimes to lift a copy of values already generated elsewhere by formulae.
  • Select the range of desired values and choose Copy in the usual way.
  • If you perform a normal Paste the formula and formatting will be recreated in the new setting, which may not always be what's wanted.
  • However, if instead you choose Paste Special from the Edit menu you will be offered some interesting choices.

Paste Special
There's lots to explore here, but for now it is the Values choice we want. Excel will then ignore the source formula, and associated formatting, and will pop in the values just as if you had typed them yourself. Isn't that handy?
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