Excel 2003

Identify options in the Paste Special Dialog Box

Introduction

When you use the Copy and Paste Commands, you paste the total contents of a position to another.

On the other hand, you may want to paste specific cell contents, or apply a particular numerical operation to the pasted cells.

In that case you can use Paste Special Command from Edit Menu.

It does not work with the Cut Command as the source data must remain intact.

To use the Paste Special Dialog Box you must first copy the content of the cell and then select the Paste Special command from the Edit menu.

In Sheet1, the Science figures have been copied. The Edit menu is open. To display the Paste Special Dialog Box, click Paste Special menu item or the S key.

• The Paste Special Dialog box is displayed and it 3 areas – Paste, Operation, Skip blanks and Transpose. All option is default selected.

All Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

• The All option is the default selected.

• It performs the same functions as Paste.

• You can select only one option from the Paste area at a time. But you can repeat the Paste Special command and choose a different option the second time round

Formula Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

• The Formula Option allows you to paste only the formula as displayed in the formula bar.

Values Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

• The Values Option allows you to paste the values returned by the formulas in the range you have copied without pasting the formulas.

Formats Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

NOTE: This method copies all of the formats, from the selected columns to the destination range including all formats.

• Select the columns which you want to copy.

• On the Edit menu, click Copy. • Select any cell in your destination

range (the range where you want to paste your data).

• On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.

• In the Paste Special dialog box, select the Formats option.

• Click OK

• The Formats Option pastes the only formatting attached to the cells copied from. Copy the column widths separately from your data

Comments Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

The Comments Option pastes only comments attached to the cells you copied from.

Copy comments• Select the cells you want to

copy. • Click Copy. • Select the upper-left cell of the

paste area. • On the Edit menu, click Paste

Special. • Click Comments. • Do not press ENTER after you

click OK. If you do, the entire cells within the moving border are copied to the paste area. To cancel the moving border, press ESC.

Validation Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

The Validation Option is useful if you want to copy only the data validation rules to the paste area.

This option disables the Operation area.

All except borders Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

The All except borders option pastes all contents except the borders.

Column width Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

Column Width option allows you to paste the width of one column to another

Formulas and number formats Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

Formulas and number formats option pastes formulas and also any number formatting from selected cells to the paste area.

Values and number formats Option – Paste Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

Values and number formats option pastes only the values and any number formatting.

Operation Area – Paste Special Dialog Box

The Operation area in the Paste Special Dialog Box allows the values being pasted into replace the original cell contents. The other options Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide the original cell value by the value being pasted in.

Skip Blank – Paste Special Dialog Box

By using the Skip blanks option, if a value exists in the Paste area, and there is a blank cell in the corresponding position in the area you are copying from, the clipboard retains the original value in the Paste area.

Transpose – Paste Special Dialog Box

• The Transpose option allows you to paste columns of data as rows, or paste rows of data as columns.