In Excel 2007, Brooke notes that there is an icon to paste values that looks like a clipboard with the #12 on it. (She pastes pictures from Publisher.) In Excel 2019, to get the same results, Brooke needs to paste as Picture: Enhanced Metafile, which means two extra steps: she has to go to the Paste icon, then Paste Special, then select Enhanced Metafile. Brooke wonders if there is a way to create the Enhanced Metafile option in one click.
It can be infuriating when Microsoft makes changes in how things work in Excel. Even though the change might appear to be small or subtle, it can greatly affect how people work with the program. It seems that Brooke's issue is one such instance.
The best solution to this issue is to create a macro to do your pasting. The macro doesn't need to be complex or convoluted; it simply needs to paste whatever is in the Clipboard in the way you want it pasted. Here is an example:
Sub EnhancedMeta()
ActiveSheet.PasteSpecial Format:="Picture (Enhanced Metafile)", _
Link:=False, DisplayAsIcon:=False
End Sub
The macro attempts to paste the image into the current cell in the Enhanced Metafile format that Brooke desires. I say "attempts" because if such an image is not in the Clipboard, then the macro will fail with an error.
The macro can be assigned to a shortcut key or placed on the Quick Access Toolbar (or both), which would give Brooke the one-click action that she desires.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7838) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365.
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