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

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
 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.