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    Home»Office»Excel»8 Ways to Copy Paste an Entire Column in Excel

    8 Ways to Copy Paste an Entire Column in Excel

    Asmi DhakalBy Asmi DhakalDecember 8, 2023 Excel 4 Mins Read

    If you want to change the content of your excel column while keeping the original data intact, simply copy it to a new sheet.

    You can use the standard method of copying and pasting the cells with static values. If your column contains references, cell formatting, or formulas, you must use a different method.

    Copy Paste Using Keyboard Shortcuts

    Excel supports Windows keyboard shortcuts for copy-paste.

    If you’re fond of using shortcuts, select your data and use the following combination to copy your column:

    Ctrl+C
    Copy shortcut

    After copying your data, you will see a dashed box surrounding your column. Select the column you wish to paste your data onto and use the following shortcut:

    Ctrl+V
    Paste SHortcut

    Copy Paste an Entire Column Using Mouse

    In Excel, you can copy-paste columns using your mouse pointer. Here’s how you can do it.

    1. Select the column header.
    2. On your keyboard, press and hold the Ctrl key.
    3. Place your pointer on the edge of the selected column.
    4. Once the pointer has a plus sign above it, drag the column to create a copy.
    5. Drop the copied content to the destination column to paste it.
      Copy-paste using mouse

    Use Context Menu

    You also have the option to use Excel’s context menu to copy-paste an entire column.

    1. Right-click on the column header you wish to copy.
    2. From the context menu, select Copy.
      Copy from context menu
    3. Right-click on the destination header.
    4. Choose the first option under Paste Options.
      Paste from context menu

    Copy Data from the Adjacent Column

    If your data is in the adjacent column, use a special Excel function to copy data from the left. Simply select the cells from your column and hit the following combination to paste your data to the right:

    Ctrl+R
    copy cells from left

    Copy Using Clipboard

    Once you copy another data from your sheet, you can no longer conventionally paste the previous data from your sheet.

    If you want to save your copied data for future use, use the Clipboard utility. You can store up to 24 copied items within and outside your spreadsheet using Clipboard.

    1. Copy your columns from your sheet using the above-mentioned steps.
    2. From the Home tab, expand the Clipboard section.
      Expand Clipboard
    3. Select the cell you want to paste the data on.
    4. From the sidebar, click on the copied items to paste them.
      Paste from clipboard

    Copy Paste Columns with Formulas

    If you’ve used relative referencing on the columns, Excel will automatically change your references when you paste them into a different column.

    In cell F2, I have used the asterisk operator to multiply data in E2 and D2. If I copy the content of cell F2 to G2, I receive a different value. This is because the referencing changed from E2 and D2 to F2 and E2.

    Copy pasted value

    We can create an absolute reference to fix this error. However, this means you can no longer use flash fill to apply the formula to the column.

    Therefore, we’ll use a workaround using the Find and Replace tool.

    1. On your keyboard, use Ctrl + H to open Find and Replace.
    2. In the window, enter the following values and hit Replace all:
      • Find what: =
      • Replace with: #
        Find and replace tool Excel
    1. Copy your column and paste it using the above-mentioned steps.
      Copy paste replaced value
    2. Hit Ctrl+H again.
    3. In the window, enter the following details and select Replace all:
      • Find what: #
      • Replace with: =
        Find and replace

    Use Paste Special

    As the name suggests, paste special is a special utility in Excel that allows you to paste formulas, formatting, values, and many more.

    Additionally, if you’re pasting numbers, you can operate on them even before pasting.

    In this sheet, we have a data table in the range A1:D11.

    Woksheet

    Let’s copy the formatting from range C2:C16 to A2:A16.

    1. Select range C2:B16 and hit Ctrl + C on your keyboard.
    2. Select range A2:A16 and right-click on it.
    3. Choose Paste Special in the context menu.
      Paste Special Excel
    4. Under Paste, choose Formats > OK.
      Paste special window

    Copy the Entire Column Excluding Hidden Rows

    Many times, we find the need to hide rows that do not add much value to the data set. However, Excel takes such hidden rows into account when copying columns from the sheet.

    To ignore such hidden elements, you’ll have to use an extra command before copying the column.

    1. Select the target column.
    2. On your keyboard, hit the Alt +; combination.
      Copy only visible columns
    3. Copy the visible content from the column (Ctrl + C).
    4. Head to an empty cell and paste it (Ctrl + V).
    Excel Basics
    Asmi Dhakal

      Asmi is a content writer specializing in MS Office. She loves writing Excel-related content to assist other users to learn their way around the program. She started using Excel when she first entered the industry as a marketing intern. Soon, she realized that learning the often-overlooked spreadsheet program was no piece of cake. In her articles, she attempts to brief out complex topics to help beginner to intermediate-level Excel users. Asmi uses Excel for everything, including creating a grocery list to managing her personal finance. She’s a bit dramatic when it comes to the Flash Fill feature; so much so that could write a eulogy out of it. When she’s not working, you’ll find her learning a new recipe, or cleaning up her mess (out of the failed recipe).

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      Table of ContentsToggle Table of ContentToggle
      • Copy Paste Using Keyboard Shortcuts
      • Copy Paste an Entire Column Using Mouse
      • Use Context Menu
      • Copy Data from the Adjacent Column
      • Copy Using Clipboard
      • Copy Paste Columns with Formulas
      • Use Paste Special
      • Copy the Entire Column Excluding Hidden Rows
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