Data Handling Basics (Copy, Cut and Paste) in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile spreadsheet application that allows you to store, manipulate, and analyze data. One of the essential skills you need to master in Google Sheets is how to handle data efficiently using the copy, cut, and paste commands. In this article, you will learn how to use these commands to perform various tasks such as copying and pasting values, formulas, formatting, column widths, and more.

Copy and Paste Data

Copying and pasting data is one of the most common operations you will perform in Google Sheets. It allows you to duplicate data from one cell or range of cells to another cell or range of cells without typing it manually. To copy and paste data in Google Sheets, you can use the following methods:

Right-click menu: Select the cell(s) you want to copy, right-click on them, and choose Copy from the menu. Then select the destination cell(s), right-click on them, and choose Paste from the menu.
Menu bar: Select the cell(s) you want to copy, click Edit on the menu bar, and choose Copy. Then select the destination cell(s), click Edit on the menu bar, and choose Paste.
Keyboard shortcuts: Select the cell(s) you want to copy, press Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac. Then select the destination cell(s), press Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac.

When you copy and paste data in Google Sheets, by default, it will paste everything that is in the source cell(s), including values, formulas, formatting, conditional formatting, data validation, etc. However, sometimes you may want to paste only specific aspects of the data, such as values only or formatting only. For this purpose, you can use the Paste Special options.

Paste Special Options

Paste Special options are a set of commands that allow you to paste only certain aspects of the data that you copied. To access the Paste Special options in Google Sheets, you can use the following methods:

Right-click menu: Select the destination cell(s), right-click on them, and move to Paste Special in the menu. Then choose the option you want from the pop-out menu.
Menu bar: Select the destination cell(s), click Edit on the menu bar, and go to Paste Special. Then choose the option you want from the menu.

There are eight Paste Special options currently available in Google Sheets:

Paste values only: This option pastes only the values (text or numbers) from the source cell(s) without any formatting or formulas. If the source cell(s) contain a formula, it will paste only the result of the formula. This option is useful when you want to remove any formatting or formulas from the data.
Paste format only: This option pastes only the formatting (such as font, color, alignment, borders, etc.) from the source cell(s) without any values or formulas. This option is useful when you want to apply consistent formatting to your data without changing any values or formulas.
Paste all except borders: This option pastes everything from the source cell(s) except the borders. This option is useful when you want to preserve your existing borders in the destination range while copying everything else from the source range.
Paste column widths only: This option pastes only the widths of the columns from the source range without any values, formulas, or formatting. This option is useful when you want to adjust your column widths to match another range without changing any data.
Paste formula only: This option pastes only the formulas from the source cell(s) without any values or formatting. If the source cell(s) contain a value instead of a formula, it will paste nothing. This option is useful when you want to copy a formula to another location without changing its result or appearance.
Paste data validation only: This option pastes only the data validation rules from the source cell(s) without any values, formulas, or formatting. Data validation rules are settings that restrict what kind of data can be entered in a cell or range. For example, you can use data validation to allow only numbers between 1 and 10 in a cell. This option is useful when you want to apply consistent data validation rules to your data without changing any values or formulas.
Paste conditional formatting only: This option pastes only the conditional formatting rules from the source cell(s) without any values, formulas, or formatting. Conditional formatting rules are settings that change the appearance of a cell or range based on certain criteria. For example, you can use conditional formatting to highlight cells that contain errors or outliers in your data. This option is useful when you want to apply consistent conditional formatting rules to your data without changing any values or formulas.
Paste transpose: This option pastes the data from the source range in a transposed manner. Transposing means changing rows into columns and columns into rows. For example, if you copy a horizontal range of cells and paste transpose them, they will become a vertical range of cells, and vice versa. This option is useful when you want to change the orientation of your data without changing its values or formulas.

Cut and Paste Data

Cutting and pasting data is another common operation you will perform in Google Sheets. It allows you to move data from one cell or range of cells to another cell or range of cells without copying it. To cut and paste data in Google Sheets, you can use the following methods:

Right-click menu: Select the cell(s) you want to cut, right-click on them, and choose Cut from the menu. Then select the destination cell(s), right-click on them, and choose Paste from the menu.
Menu bar: Select the cell(s) you want to cut, click Edit on the menu bar, and choose Cut. Then select the destination cell(s), click Edit on the menu bar, and choose Paste.
Keyboard shortcuts: Select the cell(s) you want to cut, press Ctrl+X on Windows or Command+X on Mac. Then select the destination cell(s), press Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac.

When you cut and paste data in Google Sheets, by default, it will paste everything that is in the source cell(s), including values, formulas, formatting, conditional formatting, data validation, etc. However, you can also use the Paste Special options to paste only specific aspects of the data, as explained above.

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to handle data efficiently using the copy, cut, and paste commands in Google Sheets. You also learned how to use the Paste Special options to paste only certain aspects of the data that you copied or cut. By mastering these skills, you can save time and avoid errors when working with data in Google Sheets.

If you want to learn more about Google Sheets, you can check out these video tutorials:

You can also read these web articles for more information:

Data Handling Basics (Copy, Cut and Paste) in Google Sheets