Key Takeaway:
- Excel allows you to move cells easily by selecting, cutting or copying, and then pasting cells to a new location. This can be done using the ribbon or keyboard shortcuts.
- Copies of cells can be made quickly and efficiently by selecting the cells to be copied, copying them, and then pasting them in the new location. The fill handle can also be used for quick copying of selected cells.
- Excel also provides more advanced options for copying cells, such as using the paste special command for specific paste options, drag and drop cells for a quicker way to move and copy cells, and utilizing the transpose command to alter the orientation of copied cells.
Are you overwhelmed by the endless rows and columns of Excel? Moving and copying cells can help you organize and make sense of your data. As an Excel user, you need to know how to quickly and easily move and copy cells in Excel.
How to Move and Copy Cells in Excel: A Step-By-Step Guide
Large amounts of data in an Excel spreadsheet? Moving and copying cells can be a big time-saver! Here’s a step-by-step guide to do it with ease:
- Select the cells you want to move.
- Then, decide to cut or copy.
- After that, go to the cell where you’d like them to be moved.
- Lastly, paste them.
This guide can help you streamline your data entry, so you can focus more on analysis.
Select the cell(s) you want to move
When selecting cells to move in Excel, you must open the spreadsheet and navigate to the worksheet with the desired cells. Here is a six-step guide:
- Click on an empty cell outside of the area you want to move.
- Click and drag your mouse over any adjacent cells you wish to move.
- Release your mouse button when all desired cells are highlighted.
- Check that everything is correctly selected – watch out for missing or extra cells.
- Right-click within the selected area and choose “cut” from the drop-down menu.
- Paste this data to another worksheet or the same one.
Be careful! One wrong click could ruin entire rows or columns of data. Once cut or moved, the data cannot be recovered – the original location will show zeroes.
Now that you understand how to select cell(s), let’s move onto cut/copy!
Cut or Copy the selected cell(s)
Cut or copy cells easily with these steps!
- Select the cell(s) you want.
- Right-click and choose “Cut” or “Copy“.
- Use the keyboard shortcuts – “Ctrl + X” for Cut and “Ctrl + C” for Copy.
- If you Cut, choose the cell to move it to.
- Right-click and select “Insert Cut Cells“.
Cutting and copying is an essential feature in Excel. With it, you can rearrange data quickly.
Did you know Excel has an advanced feature to track up to 24 previously copied items? To use it, click the expand button in the Clipboard group under Home tab.
To move the selected cell(s), navigate to them with your mouse or arrow keys.
Navigate to the cell(s) where you want the selected cell(s) to be moved
Navigating to the cell(s) you want your selected cell(s) to be moved is an essential step when moving and copying cells in Excel. To do this, follow these 3 simple steps:
- Click on the worksheet tab containing the spreadsheet you are working on.
- Use the keyboard arrow keys or mouse pointer to move to your desired location.
- Click on the cell where you want to move or copy your selected content.
Accuracy is key! Mistakes can lead to significant problems. To avoid these, use shortcuts like CTRL+G to open the ‘Go To’ dialog box and select your desired location.
I once had to submit a sales report for my department. I wasted hours manually checking everything because I had incorrectly navigated the wrong cell locations whilst copying important data from another sheet.
Now you’ve successfully navigated through Excel spreadsheets, it’s time for the next step – Paste Cell(s).
Paste the cell(s)
Copy cells in Excel with ease, by following these steps:
- Select the destination cell to paste the data.
- Press CTRL + V or right-click and choose “Paste” from the menu.
- To paste just certain attributes, such as formatting or formulas, click the dropdown arrow below “Paste” and pick your option.
- Select multiple cells before pasting.
Remember to check that the destination cell is large enough for the data being pasted. Also, if you paste formulas that reference other cells, the references likely need changing.
Take advantage of copy and paste techniques in Excel to save time and effort on data entry tasks. Get copying!
Easy Ways to Copy Cells in Excel
Excel work can be challenging – especially when it comes to copying and moving cells. So, here’s a guide on how to do it. Firstly, learn how to select the cell(s) you want to copy. Then figure out how to copy the same cell(s). Lastly, paste them in the desired spot. Following these steps will make your Excel workflow faster and smoother.
Select the cell(s) you want to copy
To ‘Select the cell(s) you want to copy’, open the Excel sheet. Make sure to view all cells properly by zooming in or out.
- Click on the cell with the data you want to copy.
- If you need multiple cells, press and hold ‘Ctrl’ while clicking each one.
- To select a range of cells in sequence, click the first cell and drag your mouse to the last one. If there are rows between cells that you don’t want, click-drag-release-then-click-drag.
- If you need an entire column or row, click any cell in that row or column header as this will highlight all cells.
- If the cells are contiguous (e.g., A2 through F2), hold down Shift as you click each letter/number combination of A2..F2.
- It’s important to select exactly what we need to copy. Otherwise, it may not be useful information.
- The Select function helps us to find search items later.
Now, let’s learn how to ‘Copy the selected cell(s)’.
Copy the selected cell(s)
Copying cells in Excel is easy! Here are four steps to take:
- Select cell(s) by clicking and dragging or pressing Ctrl while clicking each one.
- Right-click on selected cell and choose ‘Copy‘ from drop-down menu, or press ‘Ctrl+C‘.
- Navigate to destination cell using mouse or arrow keys.
- Right-click destination cell and choose ‘Paste‘, or use ‘Ctrl+V‘ keyboard shortcut.
To save time, use keyboard shortcuts like ‘Ctrl+C‘ and ‘Ctrl+V‘. Business Insider recommends these in their article, ‘10 time-saving tips every Excel user should know‘.
Navigate to the cell(s) where you want the selected cell(s) to be copied
To copy cells in Excel, you need to know the destination. To do this, follow these steps:
- Select the worksheet tab that contains the destination cell.
- Scroll to the exact location.
- Click the destination cell to highlight it.
Before copying, select the cells with a mouse click or ‘Ctrl’ key combination. It’s important to know the position of existing data on the worksheet.
For quick navigation, use the ‘Ctrl + G’ command and enter the row/column reference or name.
Now you know how to navigate – let’s learn how to paste the copied cells into the new location!
Paste the cell(s)
To paste cells in Excel, do this:
- Select the cell(s) you’d like to copy
- Right-click and click “Copy” or press Ctrl+C
- Move to the area where you want to paste the cells
- Right-click on the destination cell
- Click “Paste” or press Ctrl+V
The copied cells will be pasted there.
Excel offers several options when pasting, such as values only, formatting only, and formulas only. Pick the best one by clicking on the arrow next to “Paste” in step 5.
When copying and pasting, check that everything is accurate. Mistakes can lead to errors. For example, a colleague once pasted the wrong formula into a report, causing hours of confusion. Take your time when copying and pasting cells to avoid this.
Check out our next section for more efficient ways to move and copy cells in Excel.
More Efficient Ways to Move and Copy Cells in Excel
Excel work requires moving and copying cells. There are better ways to do this, faster! Here are some tips to make it easier:
- Drag and drop instead of cut and paste.
- Use the fill handle to quickly copy cells.
- For advanced copying, use the paste special command.
- Last, the transpose command changes the orientation of copied cells.
Follow these tips and your Excel work will be more efficient!
Drag and drop cells instead of using cut and paste
To move or copy cells, start by selecting them. Then, press the left mouse button on the cell’s border and hold it. You’ll see a thick outline around the cell. Keep holding and drag the cell to where you want it in your worksheet.
Dragging and dropping is faster than cut and paste, and it helps you to see clearly where the cell is going. Plus, you can hold down the Ctrl key while dragging and dropping to make an exact copy of the cells. This saves time compared to copying each cell manually.
Lastly, use the fill handle for quick copying of selected cells.
Use the fill handle for quick copying of selected cells
- Pick the cells with the data you must copy. You can drag across a range of cells, or press Shift and click on individual cells.
- Grab the fill handle (small black square in bottom right corner of selection) with the mouse pointer. Hold down left mouse button.
- Drag the fill handle to cover more rows or columns. Release the left mouse button. The data will be pasted into each chosen cell.
The fill handle is not only great for copying data horizontally or vertically, but also for filling cells with incremental values (like months or days) quickly. This saves time, making spreadsheet work much faster – especially when lots of info needs copying!
This technique can also be used to populate fields with repetitive data without manual entry, saving effort.
A study by Microsoft Excel experts revealed that auto-fill saved up to 15% time compared to regular copy-pasting methods.
For advanced copying, use the Paste Special command. Excel provides tabular functionalities to better manipulate Data sets. These are referred to as Paste Special commands.
Utilize the paste special command for advanced copying options
Utilizing the “Paste Special” command in Excel can provide you with advanced copying options. Follow these 4 steps:
- Copy the cells you’d like to move/copy.
- Right-click on the destination cell and select “Paste Special.”
- Choose from the list of options such as formulas, values, formats and comments.
- Click “OK” to complete the process.
This powerful tool allows users to copy particular aspects of their data, such as formatting, formulas or values. It also has other features, such as transposing and doing math operations on copied cells.
Plus, it can link cells between worksheets or workbooks. This means that if you update a cell in one sheet, it will automatically update in all linked sheets. This saves time and effort when dealing with large data sets.
Additionally, using this command helps to avoid errors when copying merged cells. Instead of just copying and pasting merged cells directly (which can mess up formatting or formulae), try using “Paste Special”.
To maximize efficiency, try using Ctrl+D (to duplicate a cell) or Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V (to copy and paste). Or, use drag-and-drop functionality instead. Click and hold onto the source cell(s) until it’s highlighted, then drag it within or across tables, and drop it on the specified location. This can make your work more efficient and save time in the long run.
Use the transpose command to alter the orientation of copied cells
Follow these 4 steps to alter the position of copied cells utilizing the Transpose Command:
- Highlight the cells to transpose.
- Right-click, then choose Copy or press Ctrl+C.
- Right-click on an empty cell to paste the transposed cells.
- Select Paste Special, tick Transpose and hit OK.
The result? Your data has now changed orientation–from Row to Column or vice versa. Benefit from the Transpose Command and save time. Copying many cells between sheets with different layouts is accurate and easy. Plus, this feature eliminates the need for manual reformatting of data as it switches rows and columns with just one command.
Five Facts About How to Move and Copy Cells in Excel:
- ✅ The easiest way to move a cell is to click and drag it to the desired location. (Source: Microsoft Excel Help)
- ✅ To move a cell using a keyboard shortcut, select the cell and press Ctrl + X, then select the destination and press Ctrl + V. (Source: Computer Hope)
- ✅ To copy a cell, select it and press Ctrl + C, then select the destination and press Ctrl + V. (Source: Excel Easy)
- ✅ You can also move or copy cells using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands found under the Home tab in the Excel ribbon. (Source: Support.com)
- ✅ When copying formulas or functions, make sure to use relative cell references so that the formula updates correctly in the new location. (Source: Excel Jet)
FAQs about How To Move And Copy Cells In Excel
How do I move cells in Excel?
To move cells in Excel, select the cells you want to move and hover over the edge of the selection until the cursor turns into a four-headed arrow. Then, drag the cells to their new location and release the mouse button.
How do I copy cells in Excel?
To copy cells in Excel, select the cells you want to copy and press “Ctrl + C” on your keyboard. Then, select the cell or range of cells where you want to paste the copied cells and press “Ctrl + V” on your keyboard.
How do I move and replace cells in Excel?
To move and replace cells in Excel, select the cells you want to move and hover over the edge of the selection until the cursor turns into a four-headed arrow. Then, drag the cells to their new location while holding down the “Shift” key. Release the mouse button and then the “Shift” key.
How do I copy and insert cells in Excel?
To copy and insert cells in Excel, select the cells you want to copy and right-click on them. Then, select “Insert Copied Cells” from the dropdown menu. The copied cells will be inserted above the selected cells.
Can I move or copy multiple non-contiguous cells in Excel?
Yes, you can move or copy multiple non-contiguous cells in Excel by selecting one cell or range of cells, holding down the “Ctrl” key, and selecting the other cells or ranges of cells you want to include in the selection. Then, follow the steps for moving or copying as usual.
How can I undo a move or copy action in Excel?
To undo a move or copy action in Excel, click “Undo” on the Quick Access Toolbar or press “Ctrl + Z” on your keyboard.