If you’re like most people, you probably use Google Sheets to store your data and manage your finances. But did you know that you can use the Paste Special Options to do some really cool things with your data? In this article, we’ll show you how to use the Paste Special Options in Google Sheets to make your data work for you. First, let’s talk about what the Paste Special Options are. The Paste Special Options are a set of options that are available when you paste data into a Google Sheets spreadsheet. They allow you to control how the data is displayed and edited in the spreadsheet. One of the most important things that the Paste Special Options can do is control how columns and rows are formatted. You can change the widths of columns and rows, as well as the font size and color of text in those columns and rows. This makes it easy to organize your data into different formats without having to reformat it every time you want to use it in a new way. Another thing that the Paste Special Options can do is control how cells are formatted. You can change their color, font size, and more. This makes it easy to see which cells contain specific information without having to scroll through long lists of cells or click on individual ones. In short, using the Paste Special Options in Google Sheets allows you to easily format your data so that it’s easy to understand and use. If you’re ever stuck trying to figure out how something works in Google Sheets, using the Paste Special Options might be just what you need! ..
There’s more to pasting data into spreadsheets than simply inserting values copied from elsewhere. Google Sheets offers several Paste Special options. With these, you can paste formulas, conditional formatting, and more, in addition to values.
Access Paste Special in Google Sheets
As a refresher, you can copy data in Google Sheets in a few easy ways. Once you do, you’ll then access Paste Special.
To copy data:
Right-click the cell(s) and select “Copy” in the shortcut menu. Select the cell(s) and click Edit > Copy in the menu. Press Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac.
To open Paste Special:
Right-click the cell(s) and move to Paste Special in the shortcut menu. Select the paste option from the pop-out menu. Select the cell(s) and go to Edit > Paste Special in the menu. Select the paste option from the pop-out menu.
Paste Special Options in Google Sheets
While some of the paste special options in Google Sheets seem clear enough, others may not. And whether you’re copying data, formulas, or formatting, it’s important to know the correct paste option to select.
Let’s look at each of the eight paste special options currently available and what they do.
Paste Values Only
You can think of Paste Values Only as the plain text paste you’d use in Microsoft Excel. This action pastes only the text without formatting. If the data you’re copying includes a formula, Paste Values Only will paste only the result of the formula.
Paste Format Only
If it’s not the data you want to paste but the formatting instead, Paste Format Only is the action you want. This is an alternative to the Paint Format tool because it will not change any data and only paste formatting.
Paste All Except Borders
You may have data with borders, formulas, and other formatting. Paste All Except Borders does exactly what the name implies. It pastes everything you copy including data and formatting except cell borders. This option helps you avoid reformatting your borders when moving data around.
Paste Column Widths Only
When you take time to size columns in Google Sheets the exact sizes you want, you may want to carry those sizes elsewhere in your sheet. With Paste Columns Widths Only, all that’s pasted to your selected cells are the widths of the columns and nothing else.
Paste Formula Only
The opposite of Paste Values Only where you only see the result of a formula you copy, Paste Formula Only actually pastes the formula. A good example use for this paste special option is when adding totals to rows or columns. You can simply copy and paste the formula to the remaining cells.
Paste Data Validation Only
Data validation in Google Sheets can keep improper data from being entered into your sheet. So if you set up a data validation rule, you can use Paste Data Validation Only to copy and paste that same rule to additional cells in your sheet. Nothing else will be pasted but the data validation.
Paste Conditional Formatting Only
With conditional formatting in Google Sheets, you can do things like highlight blanks or errors and apply color scales based on values. If you create a conditional formatting rule that you want to apply to other areas of your sheet, copy and then paste with Paste Conditional Formatting Only. Nothing else will be pasted but the conditional formatting.
Paste Transposed
The last, and to many the handiest, of the paste special options is Paste Transposed. With this feature, you can copy cells in a column and paste them into a row or vice versa. Essentially, it allows you to convert a column to a row or row to a column.
When entering data into a spreadsheet, anything that can speed up the task is welcome. So the next time you want to copy and paste, data, formulas, or formatting, remember your paste special options in Google Sheets.
