If you want to copy only the sum of an equation to another cell, using the standard copy-paste option, the pasted value will include the formula.
If you want to copy a cell value only, this article is for you. Here you will learn how to copy cell values without formulas, copy cell formatting and other handy features.
How to copy and paste values without formula in Excel?
Whether you want to copy numbers or letters without a formula, there are two ways to do it. To copy a cell value without the formula, follow these steps:
- Select the cell with the value you want to copy.
- Right click on the selected cell and click "Copy". (You can also use Ctrl+C for this step.)
- Select the cell in your spreadsheet where you want to paste the value.
- Go to the "Home" tab on the ribbon.
- In the "Clipboard" tab, click on the "Paste" button with a small arrow.
- In the drop-down menu, under the "Paste values" section, click on the first option in the row ("Values").
Note: You can select and copy multiple cells using this method.
Also, there is an easier way to do it:
- Select the cell(s) with the value you want to copy.
- Right-click the selected cell or range of cells and click "Copy."
- Right-click the cell where you want to paste the value(s).
- Hover your cursor over the little arrow right next to the "Paste Special" option.
- In the extended menu, under the "Paste values" section, select the first option in the row ("Values").
How to copy and paste conditional formatting?
As in the previous example, you will need to use the "Paste Special" option. To copy and paste cells that have conditional formatting, follow these steps:
- Select the range of cells with the conditional formatting that you want to copy.
- Right-click on the selected range and click "Copy" (or use Ctrl + C for this step).
- Select the range of cells where you want to paste the conditional formatting.
- Click on the "Paste Special" option.
- In the "Paste" section of the "Paste Special" dialog box, check "Formats".
- Click on OK. "
Another way to copy and paste conditional formatting is to use the "Format Painter" option:
- Select the range of cells with conditional formatting.
- Go to the "Home" tab on the ribbon.
- In the “Clipboard” section, click on the “Format Painter” button.
- Drag the cursor over the range of cells where you want to paste the conditional formatting.
Notes: The cells into which you paste conditional formatting do not have to contain values. You can also copy conditional formatting to blank cells.
Also, you can paste conditional formatting multiple times. In step 3, double-click the "Format Painter" button. Once you are done pasting the conditional formatting, click the button again to turn off the paste feature.
Additional FAQs
How to display formulas in Excel instead of values?
Occasionally you may want to see the formula behind certain values. To view the formulas applied to the cells, simply:
1. Go to the "Formulas" tab on the ribbon.
2. In the "Formula Audit" section, click the "Show Formulas" button.
In cells that contain formulas, you can now see formulas instead of values.
Does Microsoft Excel make an exact copy of a formula?
Yes, Excel allows you to copy a formula to another cell without changing cell references.
1. Double click the cell with the formula you want to copy. The cell is now in edit mode.
2. In the formula bar above the worksheet, highlight the formula and press Ctrl + C (copy).
3. Select the cell you want to apply the formula to, and press Ctrl + V (paste).
Notes: If you double-click a cell and the cursor does not appear in the cell, you need to activate Edit mode. Go to File > Options > Advanced and in the "Editing options" section check "Allow editing directly in cells".
There is a shortcut to copy formula from one cell to multiple cells. However, this is only applicable when the cells are adjacent to each other:
1. Place the cursor in the lower right corner of the cell so that it appears as a black cross.
2. Click and drag the cursor over the adjacent cells where you want to copy the formula.
3. Release the cursor when you have highlighted the cells.
Now the formula is applied to a group of cells.
How to replace values in Excel?
You can do this by using the "Find and Replace" function to replace letters and numbers. This process is very simple.
1. Select the cell range where you want to change the values.
2. Go to the "Home" tab on the ribbon.
3. In the "Edit" section, click on the "Search and select" button.
4. Click on "Search" in the drop-down menu.
5. In the "Find and Replace" dialog box, select the "Replace" tab.
6. Enter the value you want Excel to search for in the "Find" text box.
7. In the "Replace with" text box, enter the replacement value.
Notes: You can replace steps 1-3 with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + H.
Now there are two things you can do. To replace the value in a single cell, follow these steps:
1. Click on the “Search Next” button. This will select the first cell in the section that contains the value you want to change.
2. Click the "Replace" button to replace the value of this cell with the new value.
If you want to replace all values in the selected range of cells:
1. Click the "Find All" button. This will select all cells that have the value you want to replace.
2. Click "Replace All" to replace all old values with new ones.
Notes: You can skip step 1. if you don't want to identify cells that require value replacement.
How to copy text in Excel with formulas?
To copy text with formulas, you need to perform the basic copy-paste procedure:
1. Select the cell with the text and formula you want to copy.
2. Press Ctrl+C.
3. Select the cell where you want to paste the text and formula, and then press Ctrl + V.
Why does Excel copy the value but not the formula?
For some reason your Excel is set to manual recalculation. You must return to automatic mode:
1. Navigate to the "Formulas" tab in the ribbon.
2. In the "Calculations" section, click on the "Calculation options" button.
3. Click on “Automatic”.
How to copy a value and a format in Excel?
You can use the "Paste Special" function to achieve this:
1. Select the cell or a range of cells containing the value and format you want to copy.
2. Press Ctrl+C.
3. Right click the cell where you want to paste the values and formats.
4. Hover your cursor over the small arrow next to "Paste Special".
5. In the extended menu, under the "Paste values" tab, click on the third option in the row ("Values and formatting from source").
How to display value in Excel?
If a cell value is hidden and you don't see the formula bar, you can display that value as follows:
1. Select the cell with the value you want to reveal.
2. Navigate to the "View" tab of the ribbon.
3. In the "Display" section, check the "Formula bar" box.
You should now be able to see the value of the selected cell in the formula bar. Otherwise, if you want to display the values directly in the cells, you must:
1. Select the desired cell range.
2. Go to the "Home" tab on the ribbon.
3. In the “Number” section, click on the small arrow button in the lower right corner.
4. Select "Custom" in the "Category" section.
5. Scroll the slider down.
6. You should see an entry with one or more semicolons (“;”). Select this entry and click "Delete".
All hidden values in the selected cell range should now appear.
Copy value to Excel without formula
There are some features in Excel that you simply cannot intuitively understand. Copying a cell's value is one of them. Hope this article helped you overcome this obstacle.
More importantly, you learned how to copy other elements of a cell, such as its formatting and formulas. “Paste Special” is the feature you will use the most for these purposes.
Also, if you are viewing Excel documents created by someone else, you now know how to view values and formulas that the author has hidden. This option helps you find all the important information in the document.
Have you ever had a problem with copying values into Excel? If so, how did you approach the problem? Let us know in the comments section below.