How to Copy and Paste in Excel (5 Different Ways)

Knowing how to copy and paste is one of the most basic things you can learn to do in Excel. And while everyone is familiar with doing it, you might be surprised that there are several ways to do it, some more common than others.

Using Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V

This is definitely one of the more common ways that people are familiar with copying and pasting. It simply involves selecting the cells you want to copy, pressing Ctrl + C, and then selecting where you want to paste them, and then clicking Ctrl+ V.

Using the mouse to right-click copy and paste

Also another one of the more common ways to copy and paste. Here you’ll select what you want to copy, right-click and select copy. Then, select where you want to paste the data, then click right-click and paste. This way avoids having to use the keyboard but requires pulling up the menu with two mouse clicks.

Using the mouse and keyboard together

Hold down Ctrl while selecting the cell that you want to copy and drag it to your destination. Then, release the mouse button and your data will be copied.

Note, if you release the Ctrl button first, and then release the mouse button, then you will have moved the cell (the equivalent of Ctrl + X, Ctrl+V) instead of copying it. The advantage of this method is you don’t have to click as much and it’s useful if you’re quickly copying within the same area. The disadvantage is this method won’t work if you want to copy the data onto another tab or workbook.

Using right-click to copy and paste

Select a cell and hover over the borders until you see a crosshair appear. Then hold down on right click and drag it to where you want to copy it to, then release the button. You’ll be left with many options, including copying the cell or moving it. Technically this involves a second click, but you only have to bring up the menu once.

Using VBA

This is obviously not a method I’d suggest if you wanted to just copy cells over one time unless it was part of a larger macro you’re working on. But to copy data over in VBA it’s a fairly straightforward process that includes just one line of code:

Range(“A1”).copy Range(“A2”)

The first range (A1) is the cell you’re copying and in the above example, A2 is where you’re pasting it to.

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