How to Paste Special Shortcuts in Excel

Paste Special Shortcuts in Excel are your secret weapons for precision and efficiency in data manipulation. These keyboard shortcuts put the power of data formatting and transformation right at your fingertips, allowing you to seamlessly tailor your Excel worksheets to meet your exact needs. With ‘Paste Special Shortcuts in Excel,’ you’re not just pasting data; you’re performing intricate operations, applying formatting, and transposing data effortlessly. Embrace the simplicity and impact of these shortcuts to make your Excel experience smoother and more productive. Whether it’s pasting values, formats, or performing complex operations, ‘Paste Special Shortcuts in Excel’ are the go-to tools for Excel users who value precision and efficiency in their data handling.

The following screenshot shows each Paste Special option that is offered

All of the Paste Special commands work within the same worksheet as well as across different sheets and workbooks.

How to use past special in Excel?

Step-1: Prepare a data table with information outlined below

Copy Cell D2 (Select Cell D2 and press Ctrl+C)

Step-2: Select Home, select the clipboard icon (Paste) and pick the specific paste option you want, outlined below

Alternatively, you can right-click a cell where you want to paste the copied data, and then click Paste Special in the context menu., outlined below

Or you can use shortcut key for Paste Special: Ctrl+Alt+V. Paste Special dialog box will appear, outlined below

Step-2: Now select the required option from the Paste Special dialog box. See the below mentioned Excel Paste Special Shortcut Keys, Operation, and Description

Example-1 Shortcut to Paste Formulas

Copy Cell D2 outline in Step 1
Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V
Select only Formula from Paste Special dialog box, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (only formula paste in cell D3

Example-2 Shortcut to Paste Values

Copy Cell D2 outline in Step 1
Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V
Select only Values from Paste Special dialog box, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (only Cell D2 value will paste in cell D3 instead of formula)

Example-3 Shortcut to Paste Formats

Copy Cell D2 outline in Step 1
Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V
Select only Formats from Paste Special dialog box, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (only Cell D2 format will paste in cell D3 instead of formula and values):

Example-4 Shortcut to Paste Comments and Notes

Copy Cell D2 outline below (D2 include a Note)

Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V
Select only Comments and Notes from Paste Special dialog box, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (only Cell D2 Note or comments will paste in cell D3):

Example-5 Shortcut to Paste Validation

Copy Cell B2 outline below (B2 include a Data Validation)

Select Cell B3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V
Select only Validation from Paste Special dialog box, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (only Cell B2 Data Validation will paste in cell B3):

Example-6 Operation Part, Shortcut Paste to Add

Copy Cell D2 outline below (D2 have only value 500 and D3 have value 300)

Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V

Select only Add from Paste Special dialog box operation part, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (Cell D2 value will add with cell D3 value):

Example-7 Operation Part, Shortcut Paste to Subtract

Copy Cell D2 outline below (D2 have only value 500 and D3 have value 300)

Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V

Select only Subtract from Paste Special dialog box operation part, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (Cell D2 value will Subtract with cell D3 value):

Example-8 Operation Part, Shortcut Paste to Multiply:

Copy Cell D2 outline below (D2 have only value 500 and D3 have value 300)

Select Cell D3
Press Ctrl+Alt+V

Select only Multiply from Paste Special dialog box operation part, outlined below

Click Ok, Result outlined below (Cell D2 value will Multiply with cell D3 value):

Application of Paste Special Shortcuts in Excel

Values Only (Alt + E, S, V):
- Paste values without formatting, removing any formulas or links from the copied data.
Formats Only (Alt + E, S, T):
- Copy cell formatting (e.g., font, color) and apply it to selected cells without changing their content.
Transpose (Alt + E, S, E):
- Swap rows and columns by pasting data in a transposed manner, converting columns into rows and vice versa.
Operations (Alt + E, S, O):
- Perform arithmetic operations during paste, such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing data.
Column Widths (Alt + E, S, W):
- Copy and paste column widths from one range to another, ensuring consistent formatting.
Validation (Alt + E, S, N):
- Copy data validation rules from one cell to another, ensuring consistent data entry.

These Paste Special shortcuts streamline data manipulation and formatting tasks in Excel, saving time and ensuring accuracy in your worksheets.