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: Automatically Copying Formatting.
One of the foundational features of Excel is to allow one cell to be equal to another cell. For instance, you could use the most simple of formulas in a cell:
=C7
This copies the contents from cell C7 to the current cell, and updates whenever the contents of cell C7 change. What if you are not just interested in copying cell values, but also want to copy formatting from one cell to another?
Unfortunately, there is no intrinsic way to do this in Excel. There are two workarounds you can try, however. First, you can create a macro that will find out whenever cell C7 changes, and if it does, the macro copies the contents of the cell (including formatting) to the target cell. For instance, the following macro will run every time there are changes in the worksheet. When the change is in cell C7, then the contents of C7 are copied to cell E3 on Sheet1.
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: 
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Excel.Range)
If Not Intersect(Target, Range("C7")) Is Nothing Then
Range("C7").Copy (Worksheets("Sheet1").Range("E3"))
End If
End Sub
There are some downsides to this approach. First, it can be slow, particularly if you have quite a few cells that you want to copy in this manner. In addition, the macro only runs if the contents of cell C7 are actually changed, not if the formatting alone of C7 is changed. (There is no way to trigger an automatic event whenever formatting is changed.)
An alternative to the macro approach is to use the Camera tool in Excel. This has been covered in other issues of ExcelTips, but essentially the camera is a way to copy a dynamic image of a range of cells from one place to another. It is the image of the source cells that is shown, and it is shown as a graphic, not as the contents of any target cells. Since the graphic is dynamic, whenever the source cells are changed (including formatting), the image is also updated to reflect the change.
To use the Camera tool, you must customize your toolbar so that the tool is available; it is not available by default. When you are doing your customizing, the Camera tool is available on the Commands tab in the Tools section. It is near the bottom of the list of commands and looks—oddly enough—like a small camera.
With the Camera tool in place, follow these steps to use it:
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2769) 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: Automatically Copying Formatting.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
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2020-04-06 10:37:48
Sikkeb
I have an excel file that automatically duplicates the formula from the cell above (column B) when I enter data in two other cells (columns K & L) in the same row..
I absolutely love this but I don't know how this happened. I now want to do something similar to another spreadsheet but can't figure out how it's done or make it work here.
Please help. See my (see Figure 1 below) PDF attached.
Figure 1.
2017-08-04 08:45:46
Abe Ash
Little more detail
I have a master sheet "Master" that has a table and numerous TABS
Each TAB has a spreadsheet with a specific cell that gets it's from a specific cell in the master sheet
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
Me.Range("A4").Interior.Color = Worksheets("Master").Range("A3").Interior.Color
End Sub
A4 is the cell that needs to be colored in every TAB and it gets it's color from the Master Row 3,Row 4, Row 5.....
Right click on every TAB and select "View Code" then paste the code
To activate the command, go to every TAB and click on the page
2016-11-25 14:41:31
dennis brennan
So, I got my first set of tips and I think they'll be a big help especially since microsoft completely removed from help type support.
I never knew you could customize the tool bar so i followed your instruction to add a camera icon to the tool bar. eureka! it worked! I even took a pic following the instructions in the tip. now, of course, i cannot get rid of it! please help!
2016-09-26 10:33:38
timi
what if i want to copy the cell contents to another sheet
2015-10-29 03:11:41
John
CELL D108 REPRODUCES THE CONTENT OF EVERY NEW CELL I WRITE......EG, IF I ENTER TEXT INTO CELL C114, IT IS ALSO REPRODUCED IN CELL D108; AND IF I THEN ENTER TEXT INTO CELL C120, THEN THIS IS REPRODUCED IN CELL D108.
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO STOP THIS PLEASE?
THANKS.
JOHN D.
2015-03-18 05:42:22
Emilia
Hi,
I'm trying to get different cells on sheet2, to link with different cells on sheet 1.
So I want to make some cells green (not through formatting) in sheet2 and link them to various cells in sheet 1 and for those cells in sheet 1 to go green also.
Ive recorded a macro as suggested by New way 08 Mar 2015, 11:18 but that only does it for one. If i needed it for many, i would have to create lots of shortcuts.
Please can anyone help me?
Thanks
2015-03-08 11:18:51
New way
You can do this by recording a macro using the copy and paste formating and paste contents
2015-03-06 03:04:24
ning
using paste special > Linked image will work the same. it's a little bit faster imo.
2015-02-19 10:23:13
Hennery
Thank you so much for this - I have been looking for a solution for ages! I tried all the =Master!A1 stuff but kept getting a warning about merged cells not being the same size.. Only problem now is that my Workbook is 10 times the file size? Any ideas how to reduce? Thank you!
2015-01-07 03:11:46
Colin
Hard to believe (in one way!) that Microsoft doesn't have an option to link the formatting between cells but a wonderful workaround solution - thanks!
2014-10-09 22:04:28
Chris Lloyd
How about making a given cell automatically mimic the format in another cell? So whenever I change the format of the first, the second will change>
2014-09-12 09:42:51
evelyn
camera tip saved me tons of work. Thanks had never used this feature! THANKS!!
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