Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Using Copy and Paste for Formatting.

Using Copy and Paste for Formatting

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 9, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

In other issues of ExcelTips you learn how to use the Format Painter to quickly and easily copy formatting between cells. Despite how handy it is, there may be times when you don't want to use the Format Painter. For instance, the Format Painter may not be visible at the top of the screen and it would be a hassle to display it just to copy a format. In instances like this, you can use copying and pasting to copy formats to a different cell or cell range.

To copy formatting using this method, you use techniques traditionally used when editing the contents of your worksheet:

  1. Select the cell or cells whose format you wish to copy.
  2. Press Ctrl+C or press Ctrl+Insert. This copies the cell contents to the Clipboard and places a dotted, moving border around your selection.
  3. Select the cell or cell range into which you want the formats pasted.
  4. Choose Paste Special from the Edit menu. Excel displays the Paste Special dialog box.
  5. Choose the Formats radio button.
  6. Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2768) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Using Copy and Paste for Formatting.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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What is four more than 6?

2021-04-20 14:28:52

Mark Schweim

This method doesn't seem to work though on cells with mixed character formatting. I have a spreadsheet at work made by someone else with text not underlined and I need to select the underline format so the inserted data appears underlined like the rest of the details area. But although the underlining shows correctly on the first sheet, copying and pasting to the other worksheets results in the Date copied from the first sheet where it appeared underlined not being underlined on the sheet it was pasted into even when selecting to paste formatting.


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