Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Turning Off Paste Options.

Turning Off Paste Options

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 20, 2020)

12

Excel includes a feature that really annoys some people: Paste Options. When you paste some tidbit of information in your worksheet, Excel displays a small, floating "button" right near the end of the pasted information. The button looks like the Paste tool on the toolbar: a small clipboard with a piece of paper over it. This is the Paste Options button. If you move your mouse pointer over the button, you find that it is really a drop-down menu, and clicking on the menu gives you a few options that you can apply to what you just pasted.

If you find the Paste Options button distracting, or if you never use it, you may want to turn it off. Follow these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 or a later version, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Advanced at the left of the dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.

  3. In the Cut, Copy, and Paste section, clear the Show Paste Options Button when Content is Pasted check box.
  4. Click OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6247) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Turning Off Paste Options.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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What is seven minus 5?

2020-04-20 12:29:08

Emily

Thank you very much! The instructions worked perfectly!

2019-06-18 09:28:22

Galerien

I love you

2018-03-05 06:57:35

sridhar

Thank you very much.

2018-02-13 17:31:33

Larry

Many thanks. Banished another unholy "feature" from MS.

2017-11-17 10:40:30

JBoyce

Thank you! Flying blind on the following cell...annoying!!

2017-05-02 11:52:03

david

hateful feature. why bind it to the ctrl key for goodness sake?

2017-02-17 13:17:11

Ryan

Thank you!

2017-01-30 15:25:22

Katrina

So glad to finally know how to turn this off! It was ALWAYS blocking cells that I needed to see. Thank you!!

2016-12-02 14:52:23

Susan

Thank you! Why would they think that's helpful when it blocks the next cell where I'm trying to enter information?And besides, I'm DONE pasting!

2015-10-05 19:05:33

Kelly Runyon

Thank you!

2015-10-05 08:52:08

Barbara

Wow, this is great! I hate this little thing. I'm sure many find it useful, and I've tried to force myself to use it in the past, but I just can't get used to it. It gets in my way. Thanks for the tip!

2015-10-03 17:33:43

Don Mattocks

I would LOVE to turn this distracting thing off, but where do I find "options" in Excel 2011 (for the Mac)?

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