Copy-paste is the most common action you do in Excel to save a lot of time.
- Copy-paste using the ribbon
This is the original technique to perform a copy-paste in Excel. It works but it isn't the most efficient
- Shortcuts
Former a copy-paste is such a common manipulation that you have 2 shortcuts to do this task
- The Fill handle
Also, when you drag and drop the fill handle, you can paste values or formulas
Benefits of the action Copy Paste in Excel
With Excel, you can copy any cell or any range of cell
- Select the cell you want to copy and click on the following icon "Copy" in the Home tab.
- Just after, you see an animation with dotted lines moving (the dancing ants 🕺🐜). This animation means that the cell has been copied to the computer's memory.
- Then, select the cell where you want to paste the contain of the first cell
- Click on the Paste icon.
- All the contain of the first cell (color, font, borders, formula) is transferred to the second cell.
Keyboard Shortcut
You can also use the following shortcut to perform the same action
| Copy contents of the selection to the clipboard | Ctrl + C |
| Paste contents of the clipboard. | Ctrl + V |
The fill-handle
When you want to copy/paste on adjacent cells, doing this action with the mouse is faster. You notice a square in the bottom-right corner of a cell: the fill-handle. Whatever is contained in your original cell, you have to click and drag to copy this cell.
If you have a single value, use the fill handle to copy the same value. If you press Ctrl, you extend the series.
Increase series automatically
The fill handle helps you to increase the series of values automatically. NO FORMULA is needed 😉
Duplicate column with the Ctrl Key
If you want to duplicate a column, the easiest way is to
- Select the column you want to duplicate
- Move the cursor to the edge of the selection
- Press the Ctrl key
- Drag and Drop BUT never release the Ctrl Key
- Tutorial – Tricks to Copy and Delete Rows and Columns
- Tutorial – Moving or Swapping rows and columns
- Tips to Move and Copy Worksheet in Excel
- Move cells with the mouse in Excel (Easy Guide)
Copy a formula
When a cell contains a formula, Excel automatically changes the formula's references. Let's copy cell C2 to the range C3:C6.
Automatically, Excel has changed the references of the cells in the formulas 😉 You can "block" the cell references by putting the $ sign on both sides of the reference to ensure that they do not move.
Related articles
- Tutorial – All Excel tricks to Copy-Paste
- Tips and Tricks to Paste Data in Values
- Examples of Paste Special (All Options)
- How to Fill Series Automatically with Excel
