The simplest way to copy a cell

To copy a cell in Excel, click on the cell you want to copy, press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac), then click where you want it to go and press Ctrl+V. That's the whole process. The cell's contents — whether it's text, a number, or a formula — move to your clipboard and stay there until you copy something else.

You can copy a single cell or multiple cells at once. If you need several cells in a row, click the first one, hold Shift, and click the last one. If the cells aren't next to each other, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click each cell individually. Then copy and paste as usual.

The copied cell stays in your clipboard even after you paste it once, so you can paste the same cell into multiple locations without copying again. Press Escape or copy something new when you're done, and the clipboard clears.

Key Takeaways

  • Copy any cell or group of cells with Ctrl+C, then paste with Ctrl+V in the location where you want it.
  • When you copy a cell with a formula, Excel automatically adjusts the formula references to match the new location unless you lock them with dollar signs.
  • Paste Special lets you copy only the values, only the formatting, or only the formulas — useful when you don't want everything from the original cell.
  • A copied cell remains in your clipboard until you copy something else or press Escape, so you can paste it multiple times without re-copying.
  • Right-clicking on a cell gives you a context menu with copy and paste options if you prefer not to use keyboard shortcuts.

What happens when you copy a formula

When you copy a cell that contains a formula, Excel doesn't copy the formula exactly as it is. Instead, it adjusts the cell references to match the new location. If your original cell has the formula =A1+B1 and you copy it one row down, the new cell will have =A2+B2. This automatic adjustment is usually what you want — it saves you from rewriting the same formula over and over.

Sometimes, though, you want the formula to stay exactly the same no matter where you paste it. To do that, use a dollar sign before the part you want to lock. The formula =$A$1+$B$1 will stay identical everywhere you paste it. You can also lock just the column or just the row: =$A1 locks the column A but lets the row number change, while =A$1 locks row 1 but lets the column change.

If you're not sure whether your formula adjusted correctly after pasting, click on the pasted cell and look at the formula bar at the top of the screen. It shows you exactly what formula is in that cell.

Using Paste Special for more control

Paste Special lets you choose what gets pasted — just the values, just the formatting, just the formulas, or any combination. This is useful when you want to copy a cell's appearance without its contents, or when you want the numbers but not the formula behind them.

To use Paste Special, copy your cell as usual with Ctrl+C. Then right-click where you want to paste and select Paste Special from the menu. A dialog box opens with options. Click Values if you want only the numbers or text without any formulas. Click Formats if you want only the colors, fonts, and borders. You can also reach Paste Special with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V.

A common use: you've built a formula that calculates something, and now you want to convert it to a plain number so someone else can't accidentally change the formula. Copy the cell, use Paste Special > Values, and paste it over itself. The formula becomes a number.

Copying cells across sheets and workbooks

You can copy a cell from one sheet to another sheet in the same workbook just as easily as copying within a sheet. Copy the cell with Ctrl+C, click the sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to switch sheets, click where you want to paste, and press Ctrl+V. The cell's contents come with you.

Copying between different Excel files works the same way. Open both files side by side (or switch between them), copy from one, and paste into the other. If you're copying a formula that refers to cells in the original sheet, Excel will update those references to point to the new sheet — for example, =Sheet1!A1 becomes =Sheet2!A1. If that's not what you want, use Paste Special > Values instead.

If you copy a cell and then close the file it came from before pasting, the cell stays in your clipboard and you can still paste it. Excel doesn't need the original file to be open.

Dragging cells instead of copying

For cells right next to each other, dragging is often faster than copying. Click and hold on the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell (called the fill handle), then drag it across or down to the cells you want to fill. If the cell contains a number, Excel can sometimes guess the pattern — for example, if you drag from 1 and 2, it will continue with 3, 4, 5. If it contains a formula, dragging adjusts the formula references just like copying does.

Dragging works best for small distances. For larger jumps or non-adjacent cells, copying and pasting is more reliable. You can also double-click the fill handle and Excel will automatically fill down as far as there's data in the column next to it — a quick way to explore a formula to a whole column of data.

Copying and pasting in the right order

When you copy multiple cells, the order matters if they're not in a straightforward rectangle. If you select cells A1, A3, and A5 (skipping A2 and A4), and then paste into B1, Excel pastes them into B1, B3, and B5 — it preserves the gaps. This is usually what you want, but it's worth knowing in case the result surprises you.

If you copy a rectangular block of cells — say, A1 through C5 — and paste it somewhere else, the whole rectangle pastes in the same shape. The top-left cell of your selection becomes the top-left cell of the pasted block.

You can also copy cells and paste them as a transpose, which flips rows and columns. Use Paste Special and check the Transpose box. This turns a row of data into a column, or a column into a row.

Troubleshooting common copy and paste problems

If you copy a cell and nothing happens when you paste, the most common reason is that you forgot to copy. Press Ctrl+C again on the cell you want, then paste. You should see a dotted border around the copied cell while it's in your clipboard — if you don't see that border, the copy didn't work.

If the pasted cell looks wrong — the wrong color, the wrong size, or the wrong format — you probably pasted formatting along with the content. Use Paste Special > Values to paste only the numbers or text, or Paste Special > Formats to paste only the appearance without changing the content.

If a formula you pasted shows an error like #REF!, the formula is trying to refer to a cell that doesn't exist in the new location. This usually happens when you copy a formula that refers to cells above or to the left, and then paste it somewhere that doesn't have those cells. Check the formula bar to see what went wrong, or use Paste Special > Values to convert the formula to its result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy a cell without using the keyboard shortcut?

Yes. Right-click on the cell and select Copy from the menu. Then right-click where you want to paste and select Paste. You can also use the copy and paste buttons in the toolbar at the top of the screen — they look like overlapping rectangles.

What's the difference between cut and copy?

Copy leaves the original cell alone and puts a duplicate in your clipboard. Cut removes the original cell and puts it in your clipboard. Use Ctrl+X to cut. After you paste a cut cell, the original location becomes empty. After you paste a copied cell, the original stays as it was.

Can I undo a paste if I made a mistake?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z when ready after pasting to undo it. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps. If you've already done other work, undo will reverse that work too, so undo right away if you catch the mistake.

How do I copy just the formatting from one cell to another?

Use the Format Painter tool. Click the cell with the formatting you want to copy, then click the Format Painter button in the toolbar (it looks like a paintbrush). Click the cell you want to explore that formatting to. For multiple cells, double-click the Format Painter button and then click each cell you want to format.

What if I want to paste a cell but keep the original formatting of the destination?

Use Paste Special and select Values to paste only the content without any formatting. Or select Formulas if you want the formula but not the colors or fonts from the original cell.