Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Copying a Cell without Formatting.
If you want to copy the contents of a cell without formatting, you can easily do so by using the Paste Special feature of Excel. Simply follow these steps:
In step 5 you could have chosen one of the Paste Values options, but Excel would not have transferred any formulas. Instead, it would have pasted the results of formulas, as if they were static values. In other words, to truly copy cell contents, you must use the Formulas option.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9045) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Copying a Cell without Formatting.
Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!
One way to make your worksheets less complex is to get rid of detail and keep only the summary of that detail. Here's how ...
Discover MoreUsing the mouse to select a large cell range can be frustratingly slow. If you want to make copying to a large range of ...
Discover MoreSeparating text values in one cell into a group of other cells is a common need when dealing with text. Excel provides a ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2017-08-16 13:10:49
Scott
That is good to know, because I always assumed that if I clicked Formulas it would only copy formulas and not copy the data if they were not formulas but were ordinary values.
2017-08-16 08:20:45
Gene
Allen,
This brings up a question that I have been trying to find an answer for.
I have many workbooks that have many conditional formatting rules. Unfortunately when one uses the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V the conditional formats get copied also. I have tried to stress to the users of the workbooks to use Ctrl-C and then use the right click paste value option. Unfortunately this doesn't always happen. As you can imagine the conditional formatting gets rather messy.
Is there a way to lock the conditional formatting for a worksheet or workbook so the users can use the keyboard shortcuts? Or is there a way to change the default paste option?
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: 
Comments