Paste Special is Our Friend

Have you ever copied some cells in a workbook and pasted it elsewhere, and gotten errors in the target location? If you want to copy what you see and have it appear in the new location exactly as it appeared in the source, you probably should give Paste Special a try.

The problem with using ordinary Copy/Paste is that it will duplicate any formulas contained within the data and transfer them to the new location in a relative manner (I know, I know, let’s not get the relatives involved…). Here’s what you do:

1. Select your data, right-click and choose Copy
2. Select your target cell, right-click and choose Paste Special
3. From the Paste Special menu, choose Values and click OK
4. Bamm! What you see is what you get!

The next time you find yourself in a Sticky Situation (“Sticky” and “Paste” get it… ), try using Paste Special. It really is Our Friend!