Move or copy cells, rows, and columns

You can use the Cut command or Copy command to move or copy selected cells, rows, and columns, but you can also move or copy them by using the mouse.

By default, Excel displays the Paste Options button. If you need to redisplay it, go to Advanced in Excel Options. For more information, see Advanced options.

Move or copy rows and columns by using commands

1. Select the cell, row, or column that you want to move or copy.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To move rows or columns, on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Cut  or press CTRL+X.
   • To copy rows or columns, on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press CTRL+C.

3. Right-click a row or column below or to the right of where you want to move or copy your selection, and then do one of the following:

   • When you are moving rows or columns, select Insert Cut Cells.
   • When you are copying rows or columns, select Insert Copied Cells.

   Tip

   To move or copy a selection to a different worksheet or workbook, select another worksheet tab or switch to another workbook, and then select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

Move or copy rows and columns by using the mouse

By default, drag-and-drop editing is turned on so that you can use the mouse to move and copy cells.

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Cut and replace Point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the rows or columns to another location. Excel warns you if you are going to replace a column. Press Cancel to avoid replacing.
   • Copy and replace Hold down CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a copy pointer , drag the rows or columns to another location. Excel doesn't warn you if you are going to replace a column. Press CTRL+Z if you don't want to replace a row or column.
   • Cut and insertHold down SHIFT while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the rows or columns to another location.
   • Copy and insert Hold down SHIFT and CTRL  while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the rows or columns to another location.

   Note

   Make sure that you hold down CTRL or SHIFT during the drag-and-drop operation. If you release CTRL or SHIFT before you release the mouse button, you will move the rows or columns instead of copying them.

Copy visible cells only

If some cells, rows, or columns on the worksheet are not displayed, you have the option of copying all cells or only the visible cells. For example, you can choose to copy only the displayed summary data on an outlined worksheet.

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, select Find & Select, and then select Go To Special.

3. Under Select, select Visible cells only, and then select OK.

4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.

5. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

   Tip

   To move or copy a selection to a different worksheet or workbook, select another worksheet tab or switch to another workbook, and then select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

6. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste  or press Ctrl+V.

   If you select the arrow below Paste , you can choose from several paste options to apply to your selection.

Excel pastes the copied data into consecutive rows or columns. If the paste area contains hidden rows or columns, you might have to unhide the paste area to see all of the copied cells.

When you copy or paste hidden or filtered data to another application or another instance of Excel, only visible cells are copied.

Prevent copied blank cells from replacing data

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.
2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.
3. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area.
4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow below Paste , and then select Paste Special.
5. Select the Skip blanks check box.

Move or copy just the contents of a cell

1. Double-click the cell that contains the data that you want to move or copy. You can also edit and select cell data in the formula bar.

2. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

3. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, do one of the following:

   • To move the selection, select Cut  or press Ctrl+X.
   • To copy the selection, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.

4. In the cell, click where you want to paste the characters, or double-click another cell to move or copy the data.

5. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste  or press Ctrl+V.

6. Press ENTER.

   Note

   When you double-click a cell or press F2 to edit the active cell, the arrow keys work only within that cell. To use the arrow keys to move to another cell, first press Enter to complete your editing changes to the active cell.

Copy cell values, cell formats, or formulas only

When you paste copied data, you can do any of the following:

• Paste only the cell formatting, such as font color or fill color (and not the contents of the cells).
• Convert any formulas in the cell to the calculated values without overwriting the existing formatting.
• Paste only the formulas (and not the calculated values).

Procedure

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.
    

3. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area or the cell where you want to paste the value, cell format, or formula.

4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow below Paste , and then do one of the following:

   • To paste values only, select Values.
   • To paste cell formats only, select Formatting.
   • To paste formulas only, select Formulas.

Copy cell width settings

When you paste copied data, the pasted data uses the column width settings of the target cells. To correct the column widths so that they match the source cells, follow these steps.

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, do one of the following:

   • To move cells, select Cut  or press Ctrl+X.
   • To copy cells, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.

3. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

   Tip

   To move or copy a selection to a different worksheet or workbook, select another worksheet tab or switch to another workbook, and then select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select the arrow under Paste , and then select Keep Source Column Widths.

You can use the Cut command or Copy command to move or copy selected cells, rows, and columns, but you can also move or copy them by using the mouse.

Move or copy rows and columns by using commands

1. Select the cell, row, or column that you want to move or copy.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To move rows or columns, on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Cut  or press CTRL+X.
   • To copy rows or columns, on the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press CTRL+C.

3. Right-click a row or column below or to the right of where you want to move or copy your selection, and then do one of the following:

   • When you are moving rows or columns, select Insert Cut Cells.
   • When you are copying rows or columns, select Insert Copied Cells.

   Tip

   To move or copy a selection to a different worksheet or workbook, select another worksheet tab or switch to another workbook, and then select the upper-left cell of the paste area.

Move or copy rows and columns by using the mouse

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Cut and insert Point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a hand pointer , drag the row or column to another location
   • Cut and replaceHold down SHIFT while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the row or column to another location. Excel warns you if you are going to replace a row or column. Press Cancel to avoid replacing.
   • Copy and insert Hold down CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the row or column to another location.
   • Copy and replace Hold down SHIFT and CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the row or column to another location. Excel warns you if you are going to replace a row or column. Press Cancel to avoid replacing.

   Note

   Make sure that you hold down CTRL or SHIFT during the drag-and-drop operation. If you release CTRL or SHIFT before you release the mouse button, you will move the rows or columns instead of copying them.

Move or copy just the contents of a cell

1. Double-click the cell that contains the data that you want to move or copy. You can also edit and select cell data in the formula bar.

2. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

3. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, do one of the following:

   • To move the selection, select Cut  or press Ctrl+X.
   • To copy the selection, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.

4. In the cell, click where you want to paste the characters, or double-click another cell to move or copy the data.

5. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste  or press Ctrl+V.

6. Press ENTER.

   Note

   When you double-click a cell or press F2 to edit the active cell, the arrow keys work only within that cell. To use the arrow keys to move to another cell, first press Enter to complete your editing changes to the active cell.

Copy cell values, cell formats, or formulas only

When you paste copied data, you can do any of the following:

• Paste only the cell formatting, such as font color or fill color (and not the contents of the cells).
• Convert any formulas in the cell to the calculated values without overwriting the existing formatting.
• Paste only the formulas (and not the calculated values).

Procedure

1. Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy  or press Ctrl+C.
    

3. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area or the cell where you want to paste the value, cell format, or formula.

4. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow below Paste , and then do one of the following:

   • To paste values only, select Paste Values.
   • To paste cell formats only, select Paste Formatting.
   • To paste formulas only, select Paste Formulas.

You can move or copy selected cells, rows, and columns by using the mouse and Transpose.

Move or copy cells

1. Select the cells or range of cells that you want to move or copy.
2. Point to the border of the cell or range that you selected.
3. When the pointer becomes a , do one of the following:

Move or copy rows or columns

1. Select the rows or columns that you want to move or copy.
2. Point to the border of the cell or range that you selected.
3. When the pointer becomes a , do one of the following:

Convert columns to rows, or rows to columns

1. Copy the rows or columns that you want to transpose.

2. Select the destination cell (the first cell of the row or column into which you want to paste your data) for the rows or columns that you are transposing.

3. On the Home tab, under Edit, click the arrow next to Paste, and then select Transpose.

   Note

   Columns and rows cannot overlap. For example, if you select values in Column C, and try to paste them into a row that overlaps Column C, Excel displays an error message. The destination area of a pasted column or row must be outside the original values.

See also

Insert or delete cells, rows, columns