How to Use Paste Special Options in Google Spreadsheet? Google Sheets Paste Special Explained

Google Sheets is a web-based spreadsheet application, like Microsoft Excel, which allows you to store and organize various types of information. While Google Sheets does not have all of the advanced features of Excel, it is simple to create and edit spreadsheets ranging from simple to complex. Like Excel, Google Sheets also comes with Paste Special Options, where we have a range of pasting options. If you are new to Google Spreadsheet and want to know the list of Paste Special Options, then this page is for you. On this page let us learn everything about Google Sheets Paste Option using the Google Sheets Tips provided on this page. Read further to find more.

Table of Contents

List of Paste Special Options Available in Google Sheets

Google Sheets provides a number of Paste Special options. In addition to values, you can paste formulas, conditional formatting, and other things with many of these.

  1. Paste Values Only
  2. Paste Format Only
  3. Paste All Except Borders
  4. Paste Column Widths Only
  5. Paste Formula Only
  6. Paste Data Validation Only
  7. Paste Conditional Formatting Only
  8. Paste Transposed

How To Enable Paste Special Options in Google Sheets?

In order to enable the Paste Special option in Google Spreadsheet, we need to first create a dataset. Post creating your dataset, follow the steps as outlined below to enable the Paste Special Options in Sheets.

  • Step 1: Open the Google Spreadsheet and move to the dataset.
  • Step 2: Now copy the dataset by selecting the required cell range. To copy, select the dataset, right-click anywhere on the screen, and choose “Copy“. Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+C” to copy the dataset.
  • Step 3: Now head to the cell where you want to paste the data and right click on the cell.
  • Step 4: Soon after Right-Clicking the cell, you will see “Paste Special” options.

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That’s it, your Paste Special Options has been enabled.

Google Sheets Paste Values Only

Paste Values Only is similar to the plain text paste function in Microsoft Excel. This action only pastes the text without any formatting. If the data you are copying contains a formula, Paste Values Only will only paste the formula’s result.

Here we have used a formula.

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Now when we are pasting the data using Paste Values, it pastes as shown in the image given below.

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Google Sheets Paste Format Only

If you only want to paste the formatting and not the data, Paste Format Only is the action to use. This is a better option than the Paint Format tool because it does not change any data and only pastes formatting.

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Google Sheets Paste All Expect Borders

Data with borders, formulas and another formatting may exist in the copied data. Paste All Except Borders performs exactly as it sounds. Except for cell borders, it pastes everything you copy, including data and formatting. When moving data around, this option allows you to avoid reformatting your borders.

Google Sheets Paste Column Widths Only

When you take the time to precisely size columns in Google Sheets, you may want to carry those sizes throughout your sheet. Only the column widths are pasted to your selected cells when you use Paste Columns Widths Only.

Google Sheets Paste Formula Only

The opposite of Paste Values is  Paste Formula which only actually pastes the formula where you only see the result of a copied formula. When adding totals to rows or columns, this paste special option comes in handy. Simply copy and paste the formula into the other cells.

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Google Sheets Paste Data Validation Only

In Google Sheets, data validation can prevent incorrect data from being entered into your sheet. So, if you create a data validation rule, you can copy and paste that rule to other cells in your sheet using Paste Data Validation Only. Except for the data validation, nothing else will be pasted.

Google Sheets Paste Conditional Formatting Only

You can use conditional formatting in Google Sheets to highlight blanks or errors and apply colour scales based on values. Copy and paste a conditional formatting rule that you want to apply to other areas of your sheet with Paste Conditional Formatting Only if you want to apply it to other areas of your sheet. The only thing that will be pasted in the conditional formatting.

Google Sheets Paste Transposed

Paste Transposed is the last but not the least option available in the Google Sheets Paste Special options. The paste Transposed option is one of the most useful options which is widely used in Google Spreadsheets. Paste Transposed is the final and, in many ways, most useful of the paste special options. You can use this feature to copy cells from a column and paste them into a row, or vice versa. Through essentially, it enables you to convert a column to a row or a row to a column.

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