Excel Paste Special Shortcut: Keys and Options

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, copy the cells, select the destination, and press Ctrl+Alt+V to open the Paste Special dialog. Choose what to paste—such as values, formulas, or formatting—and confirm; this avoids bringing across content you do not want.

How the Windows shortcut works

Paste Special is a more selective version of Paste. The usual Ctrl+V command pastes the copied cells with their contents and much of their formatting. Paste Special instead lets you decide which parts to transfer, and in some cases how to combine the copied numbers with existing values.

The shortcut opens a dialog rather than pasting immediately. First copy the source with Ctrl+C, then click the destination cell or select a destination range. Press Ctrl+Alt+V, choose an option, and select OK. If you have not copied a compatible range, Excel may show limited choices or display a message instead.

You can also open the command from the ribbon: Home > Clipboard > Paste > Paste Special. Depending on the selection and Excel build, the Paste menu may offer quicker choices such as Values or Formatting without opening the full dialog. The keyboard shortcut is useful when you need the complete set of options.

Choosing what to paste

The main choices separate a cell’s contents from its appearance. The best option depends on what the destination should retain:

Values pastes the displayed results of formulas or the entered contents of cells, rather than the source formulas. It is useful for freezing calculated results or removing links to another workbook.
Formulas pastes formulas without copying the source cell formatting. Relative references can adjust to the new location, just as they do in an ordinary paste.
Formats copies appearance, including such features as number formats, font, fill, borders, and alignment, without replacing the destination’s values.
Values and number formats transfers the results and their number formats. Choose this when a result such as a date or percentage should keep its display, but its original formula should not.
Formulas and number formats transfers formulas along with number formatting, which can be helpful when copying a calculated column into a differently formatted area.
Column widths copies the source columns’ widths. This is useful when moving a prepared report layout, though it does not copy the cell contents by itself.

Other entries can include All, All except borders, Comments and Notes, Data Validation, and All using Source Theme. The precise labels and availability can vary with the kind of cells copied and the Excel version. “All” is closest to a normal paste; “All except borders” is useful when the destination already has a border scheme that should remain in place.

Paste values without formulas

A frequent reason to use Paste Special is to replace formulas with their current results. For example, suppose a report cell contains a formula that calculates a total from a changing list. Copying it and choosing Values places the current total in the destination as a fixed value. The destination will no longer recalculate when the source data changes.

To do this, copy the formula cells, select the destination, press Ctrl+Alt+V, choose Values, and confirm. You can paste over the original range as well, but first consider whether you might need the formulas again: once overwritten, they are gone unless you undo immediately or restore them from a saved copy. If the results are dates, currency, or percentages and need the same display, use Values and number formats rather than Values alone.

Paste Values is not the same as converting a formula into a formula that has no dependencies. It removes the formula from the pasted cells; it does not alter the original cells unless those are also selected as the destination.

Formatting, blanks, and transposing

Paste Special can solve layout problems as well as formula problems. Choose Formats to apply a consistent look to another range without changing its data. For instance, you can copy a correctly formatted percentage cell and paste its format onto another calculation. Check the result afterward: copying a number format can change how a value appears even though the underlying value stays the same.

The dialog also includes options that affect how a whole range is pasted. Transpose switches rows and columns: a copied row becomes a column, or a copied column becomes a row. It is useful for reshaping a small table, but it changes the destination layout and may overwrite cells, so make sure the target area is clear.

Skip blanks tells Excel not to replace destination cells corresponding to blank cells in the copied range. This can help overlay updates on an existing grid while preserving values where the source has gaps. It does not remove content from the destination. Without Skip blanks, a blank copied cell can replace the corresponding destination content.

When copying column widths or transposing a range, review the destination before confirming. These options affect the layout, and the result may not fit the area you initially selected in the way a simple one-cell paste would.

Using Paste Special for arithmetic

The Operation section can combine copied numbers with values already in the destination. Its choices are None, Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide. For example, if a copied range contains 10, 20, and 30, and the corresponding destination cells contain 2, 3, and 4, choosing Multiply applies the copied numbers to the matching destination cells. The results are 20, 60, and 120.

This can be quicker than writing temporary formulas when applying one adjustment across a range. A copied cell containing 1.1, for instance, can be used with Multiply to increase selected numeric values by 10 percent. Check that the copied range and destination align as intended and that the operation is appropriate for every selected cell. If you accidentally apply the wrong operation, use Ctrl+Z immediately; do not assume the result can be reversed by repeating the paste.

Arithmetic paste is not a substitute for a clearly documented calculation when the workbook needs an auditable process. It changes destination values directly, so retaining an untouched source range or a backup can make the adjustment easier to verify.

Common problems and how to fix them

The dialog does not open: Make sure a cell range has been copied, not merely selected. On some keyboards, another application or system utility may intercept a key combination; use the ribbon path as a fallback.
Values look different after pasting: Values may retain or inherit a number format that displays the result differently. Try Values and number formats, or apply the desired format separately.
Formulas show unexpected references: Relative references may change when a formula is pasted to another location. If you need fixed references, inspect whether the source formula uses dollar signs, as in $A$1, before copying.
The paste changes more cells than expected: Check the copied range and the destination selection. A multi-cell source can fill a larger area than a single-cell destination suggests.
Some options are unavailable: Paste Special choices depend on what was copied. Copying cells in Excel is different from copying text or an image from another application, and not every dialog option applies to every clipboard item.

Excel does not provide a universal shortcut that means “paste values” in every version and configuration. Ctrl+Alt+V opens the Windows dialog, where you can choose Values. That distinction matters when a shortcut guide claims that a different key combination always pastes values: shortcuts can vary by Excel release, platform, and context.

Mac and Excel for the web

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Mac, copy the cells, select the destination, and use Control+Option+V to open Paste Special. The ribbon or menu command is a useful alternative if that key combination conflicts with a keyboard layout or another system shortcut. Excel for Mac has its own dialog presentation, and some options can differ from Windows.

Excel for the web runs in a browser, where keyboard shortcuts can overlap with browser commands and clipboard permissions. Use the Paste dropdown on the Home tab and select an available paste option, such as Values, rather than assuming the Windows dialog shortcut behaves identically. The options offered can depend on the browser and the content copied. If you need a specific desktop Paste Special operation that is not available, open the workbook in the Excel desktop app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Excel Paste Special shortcut on Windows?
Press Ctrl+Alt+V after copying cells and selecting the destination. This opens the Paste Special dialog; choose the paste type you need and confirm.

How do I paste values only in Excel?
Copy the source cells, select the destination, press Ctrl+Alt+V, choose Values, and select OK. Choose Values and number formats if the results should keep the source number display.

Can I paste only formatting in Excel?
Yes. Open Paste Special and choose Formats, or use the Formatting option in the Home tab’s Paste menu if it is available. This copies appearance without replacing the destination’s cell values.

How do I switch rows and columns when pasting?
Copy the range, select the destination, open Paste Special, and select Transpose. Check that the destination area is clear and large enough for the rotated range.

Does Ctrl+Shift+V open Paste Special in Excel?
Do not rely on it as the standard Windows shortcut for the Paste Special dialog. Use Ctrl+Alt+V in desktop Excel for Windows, or open Paste Special from the Home tab’s Paste menu.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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