Cutting, Copying and Pasting Cells

The Cut, Copy and Paste commands are used to move data and other items within a workbook and between Office applications. Data that is cut is removed from the document and placed on the Office Clipboard for later use. The Copy command places a duplicate of the selected data on the Clipboard without changing the workbook. The Paste command is used to insert items from the Clipboard into a workbook.



To move data within a workbook:

  1. Select the cell or cells you want to cut or copy.
  2. Click the appropriate toolbar button:
    1. Cut or
    2. Copy
    3. The cell appears with a flashing dotted line around it.
  3. Place the cursor where you want to insert data from the Clipboard.
  4. Click the Paste toolbar button.


When you cut or copy data in Excel a flashing dotted line appears around the data that has been copied. If you do not see this line, then the data has not been copied. To undo the copy, press on the keyboard.

When you cut or copy items, they are placed on the Office Clipboard. The Office Clipboard can store up to 24 items for use in the current document or any other Office application. You can view the contents of the Clipboard at any time by navigating to it in the Task Pane or by opening the Edit menu and selecting Office Clipboard... The icons in the Clipboard identify the type of document from which each item originated (Word, Excel, Paint, etc.). A short description of an item will appear when you select it or move the cursor over its icon.

To copy data, you can also:

  • Click the Edit menu and select Copy.
  • Right-click the cell to copy and select Copy.
  • Press + on the keyboard.

To cut data, you can also:

  • Click the Edit menu and select Cut.
  • Right-click the cell to cut and select Cut.
  • Press + on the keyboard.

To paste data, you can also:

  • Click the Edit menu and select Paste.
  • Right-click the cell to paste to and select Paste.
  • Press + on the keyboard.