provide an option to set Excel's default paste behavior
When you do an ordinary paste like Ctrl+V, Excel pastes the cell values, formatting, validation, everything. However, many users usually paste only values when working, and the extra handling to paste special is not productive.
Word and OneNote have a setting that allow the user to choose the default paste type, and that should also be available in Excel.
I know there are add-ins to workaround that and also the shortcut AppKey+V to paste values, but I think that should be a native Excel setting.
This is a great suggestion, and we want to keep the interest going. Thanks to everyone who has already voted and commented on the suggestion to have an option for the default paste behavior in Excel.
Sorry that we’ve been slow to comment and update the status on this one.
Steve K [Excel]
251 comments
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Anonymous
commented
Is there any update on this? Can we expect MS to make the change in this version or is it a waste of time?
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Mitch Haraldsson
commented
I also can not see why you would remove this option. Clearly everyone who works with excel know that, if you copy data from other source you want them to match the target formatting, not the source formatting.
I also can not understand why you would remove a feature you previously had.
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Michael Meier
commented
In old Excel version it was possible to set the default paste behavior in options.
Why Microsoft removed this? Looks like they never worked with their own application.
It's so obvious i want to have the same formating in a row, if i'm pasting something, at least in most cases.It's a horrible behavior how it is now. In One Note (not the tablet version) the solution is great (choose the default from the paste menu)
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RS
commented
Having single default paste option is not necessarily perfect as you may want different pastes throughout a day.
As a workaround it makes sense to place a different pastes on Quick Access Toolbar as shown:
(Paste, Paste Special, Data Only, Paste with Formatting, etc), insert copied cells.
Or at least different defaults for Ctrl-V, Ctrl-Shift-V, etc. -
Christa Hanson
commented
Please! Or at least allow Shift-Ctrl-V for paste without formatting, like other programs!
I feel like I spend my life "tab, F2, ctrl-V, repeat."
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Eric
commented
Plsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss add this feature. I am waiting for this for toooo long!
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Rob Ringham
commented
Please, please add this feature.
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shame
commented
How is this not a thing yet??
microsoft only care about the money. 10 years they added nothing but style to office and over price it. -
Anonymous
commented
Yes please
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Jerry
commented
Agreed. The option to choose the default paste behavior should be available to set for a workbook. The annoying "let's paste hyperlinked text into a protected worksheet in an unprotected cell and wreck a week's worth of work" behavior is bad enough. Not giving us the option to help Excel novices to not wreck their work is callous, cold, possibly diabolical.
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Anonymous
commented
Microsoft, what on earth are you thinking? Did you know Excel is for spreadsheets? It's not powerpoint. why on earth would you not provide a default paste setting, or, at a minimum, make the default match destination formatting? this is STUPID. fix it already. our whole lives, we've had the functionality of simply pasting text. you guys get this genius idea to include formatting, and don't give us an option to change / set that behavior? it's so aggravating. who comes up with this garbage?
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Anonymous
commented
I find it incredibly frustrating and short-sighted, and frankly stupid, that this is available in some Office products and not others.
So often I copy things from web pages with all sorts of formatting. That's almost never useful in Excel, which is about tabulation of data. Surely to God the option to set a default paste setting is an obviously needed feature!
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Stéphane English
commented
This is essential. In fact keeping the destination formatting should be the default, because ctrl+V breaks any conditional formatting in the destination block of cells - which is a real pain when I’m using conditional formats for heat mapping or highlighting information within a table.
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Anonymous
commented
I'm not doing graphic design in excel I just want the TEXT
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Tim Bell
commented
Futski and Trisch: It seems to be relative to what's being pasted - if you're copying and pasting text from the web into a cell, you don't get "Paste Values" as a hotbar option (so Ctrl-V, Ctrl, V doesn't work but Ctrl-V, Ctrl, M does) regardless of what options you have set.
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Futski
commented
Tim, I also use O365.
You may want to check the setting that Roy found.
File|Options|Advanced|Cut, copy, and paste | Show Paste Options button when content is pasted should be checked. -
Trisch
commented
Tim match destination formatting is different from paste as values. I use 365 at work and Ctrl V, Ctrl, V worked for me.
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Lloyd Chircop
commented
Excellent tip Tim, thank you.
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Tim Bell
commented
For Excel 365, the current workaround hotkey is no longer "Ctrl-V, Ctrl, V" as "Paste Values" isn't in the hotbar. You now have to use "Ctrl-V, Ctrl, M" for Match Destination Formatting.
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Futski
commented
Roy, Glad it worked for you. And good find on the Options / Advanced / Cut Copy Paste / Show Paste Options. Mine is indeed checked.
And you are absolutely correct when you you say some options should be carried thru at the spreadsheet level. Default PSV being one of them.
And like you, Alt-ESV just flows out my fingertips every time I copy/paste. But I / we shouldn't need to resort to that. MS really needs fix this and add a worksheet level default. That way we won't need to go back and fix everybody elses carelessness (I had another word there, but thought it'd get censored :-) .
