Paste all in one column excel

Say, you have an Excel table and want to copy all column underneath each other so that you only have one column. For example, you have a table 2 rows by 4 columns like in the screenshot on the right-hand side. You want to copy and paste this table to one column. You often need such transformation for inserting PivotTables or to create database formats. This article provides 4 simple methods to transform a 2-dimensional table into one column in Excel.

Example

The following methods will be introduced with a simplified example as shown on the right-hand side. You have a table with numbers within the cell range A1 to G7. That means you have 7 rows and also 7 columns. In total 49 cells to be copied to one column.

Method 1: Copy table to one column manually

Like so often, copying and pasting the columns manually might be the fastest solution. Given that you are reading this article, this might not be the method you want to hear. But anyway, doing it manually is often the fastest way.

Maybe some advice to speed up the manual process might help. Try to use as many keyboard shortcuts as possible. That way you could save some time.

• Holding Ctrl and pressing one of the arrow keys makes you jump between tables and cells.
• Holding the Shift key, you can select cells and ranges.
• And – of course – with Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V you can copy and paste cells.

For more information about the keyboard shortcuts please refer to our big keyboard shortcut package.

Method 2: The INDEX formula

You can convert a two-dimensional table into just one column by using the INDEX formula. Unfortunately, it requires some preparations. But on the other hand, it’s one of the faster ways (compared to setting up the more complex OFFSET formula like in method 3 below or the INDIRECT formula).

Let’s see what you need to prepare. Basically you have to create the column and row number in additional helper columns. That way you can easily refer to the original table. The screenshot on the right-hand side shows the necessary preparations.

• You need one column containing the row number (here in column A). You always start with 1. So if you data start in row 3, the first number you write is still 1.
• You need one column containing the column number (here in column B). Also for the column number you always start with number one.
• The third column contains the actual values, pulled by the formula =INDEX($A$1:$G$7;A10;B10)  . Example: In cell C10, the INDEX formula returns the value from the first row and first column of the range A1 to G7.

Please refer to this article for more information about the INDEX formula in Excel.

Method 3: OFFSET formula

The third method uses the OFFSET formula for copying several columns underneath each other to one column. If you need some introduction to the OFFSET formula, please refer to this article.

Because the formula is – in this universal case – very long, we don’t go much into detail here. It’s based on three cells.

1. The top left cell of the table you want to convert (here: A1).
2. The bottom left cell of the table you want to convert (here: A7).
3. The heading cell of your single column, which is supposed to contain all the data from the table (here: A9)

Now you just have to replace the cell links in the following formula with your cells. Don’t forget to fix the references with the $-signs as shown in the formula below.

=OFFSET($A$1,(ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)-(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1)*ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)/(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1),0),ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW($A$9)-1)/(ROW($A$7)-ROW($A$1)+1),0))

In order to make it easier for you to use the formula, you can use the version below. All you have to do is to give names to the three main cell as shown in the image on the right-hand side. In order to achieve this, select the top left cell of your original table (here: A1) and click into the name field. Type “TopLeftCell” and press Enter on the keyboard. Repeat this with the bottom left cell (name “BottomLeftCell”) as well as the heading cell of your new table (name “HeadingCell”).

Once done, copy and paste the following formula it the first cell (here: A10). Now just copy and paste this cell down until all columns from your original table are covered.

=OFFSET(TopLeftCell,(ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)-(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1)*ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)/(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1),0),ROUNDDOWN((ROW()-ROW(HeadingCell)-1)/(ROW(BottomLeftCell)-ROW(TopLeftCell)+1),0))

Method 4: Professor Excel Tools

You want to use the most convenient way? Try the Excel add-in “Professor Excel Tools”. The steps are shown in the screenshot below.

1. Select the table you want to transform into a single column.
2. Click on Copy on the left-hand side of the “Professor Excel”-ribbon.
3. Select the first cell from which Professor Excel should paste the columns underneath.
4. Click on “Paste to Single Column” on the “Professor Excel” ribbon.
5. Now you can finetune the copy-and-paste-format. Do you which to copy the formulas without changing cell references, do you which to copy them as values or do you want to insert links to the original table? Then press Start.

That’s it. Do you want to try “Professor Excel” for free? Then just follow this link for more information or start the download right away.

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This function is included in our Excel Add-In ‘Professor Excel Tools’

(No sign-up, download starts directly)

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Download

 Please feel free to download all examples shown above in one comprehensive Excel file. Just click on this link and the download starts right away.

You can use following code. It will paste all values to the column A:

Sub test()
    Dim lastCol As Long, lastRowA As Long, lastRow As Long, i As Long

    'find last non empty column number'
    lastCol = Cells(1, Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column

    'loop through all columns, starting from column B'
    For i = 2 To lastCol
        'find last non empty row number in column A'
        lastRowA = Cells(Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
        'find last non empty row number in another column'
        lastRow = Cells(Rows.Count, i).End(xlUp).Row

        'copy data from another column'
        Range(Cells(1, i), Cells(lastRow, i)).Copy
        'paste data to column A'
        Range("A" & lastRowA + 1).PasteSpecial xlPasteValues

        'Clear content from another column. if you don't want to clear content from column, remove next line'
        Range(Cells(1, i), Cells(lastRow, i)).ClearContents
    Next i

    Application.CutCopyMode = False
End Sub

Copying and Pasting a cell or a range of cells is one of the most common tasks users do in Excel.

A proper understanding of how to copy-paste multiple cells (that are adjacent or non-adjacent) would really help you be a lot more efficient while working with Microsoft Excel.

In this tutorial, I will show you different scenarios where you can copy and paste multiple cells in Excel.

If you have been using Excel for some time now, I’m quite sure you would know some of these already, but there’s a good chance you’d end up learning something new.

So let’s get started!

Copy and Paste Multiple Adjacent Cells

Let’s start with the easy scenario.

Suppose you have a range of cells (that are adjacent) as shown below and you want to copy it to some other location in the same worksheet or some other worksheet/workbook.

Below are the steps to do this:

1. Select the range of cells that you want to copy

1. Right-click on the selection
2. Click on Copy

1. Right-click on the destination cell (E1 in this example)
2. Click on the Paste icon

The above steps would copy all the cells in the selected range and paste them into the destination range.

In case you already have something in the destination range, it would be overwritten.

Excel also gives you the flexibility to choose what you want to paste. For example, you can choose to only copy and paste the values, or the formatting, or the formulas, etc.

These options are available to you when you right-click on the destination cell (the icons below the paste special option).

Or you can click on the Paste Special option and then choose what you want to paste using the options in the dialog box.

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Copy Paste

In case you prefer using the keyboard while working with Excel, you can use the below shortcut:

• Control + C (Windows) or Command + C (Mac) – to copy range of cells
• Control + V (Windows) or Command + V (Mac) – to paste in the destination cells

And below are some advanced copy-paste shortcuts (using the paste special dialog box).

To use this, first copy the cells, then select the destination cell, and then use the below keyboard shortcuts.

• To paste only the Values – Control + E + S + V + Enter
• To paste only the Formulas – Control + E + S + F + Enter
• To paste only the Formatting – Control + E + S + T + Enter
• To paste only the Column Width – Control + E + S + W + Enter
• To paste only the Comments and notes – Control + E + S + C + Enter

In case you’re using Mac, use Command instead of Control.

Also read: How to Cut a Cell Value in Excel (Keyboard Shortcuts)

Mouse Shortcut for Copy Paste

If you prefer using the mouse instead of the keyboard shortcuts, here is another way you can quickly copy and paste multiple cells in Excel.

1. Select the cells that you want to copy
2. Hold the Control key
3. Place the mouse cursor at the edge of the selection (you will notice that the cursor changes into an arrow with a plus sign)
4. Left-click and then drag the selection where you want the cells to be pasted

This method is also quite fast but is only useful in case you want to copy and paste the range of cells in the same worksheet somewhere nearby.

If the destination cell is a little far off, you’re better off using the keyboard shortcuts.

Copy and Paste Multiple Non-Adjacent Cells

Copy-pasting multiple cells that are nonadjacent is a bit tricky.

If you select multiple cells that are not adjacent to each other, and you copy these cells, you’ll see a prompt as shown below.

This is Excel’s way of telling you that you cannot copy multiple cells that are non-adjacent.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that you can do about it.

There’s no hack or a workaround, and if you want to copy and paste these nonadjacent cells, you will have to do this one by one.

But there are a few scenarios where you can actually copy and paste non-adjacent cells in Excel.

Let’s have a look at these.

Copy and Paste Multiple Non-Adjacent Cells (that are in the same row/column)

While you can not copy non-adjacent cells in different rows and columns, if you have non-adjacent cells in the same row or column, Excel allows you to copy these.

For example, you can copy cells in the same row (even if these are non-adjacent). Just select the cells and then use Control + C (or Command + C for Mac). You will see the outline (the dancing ants outline).

Once you have copied these cells, go to the destination cell and paste these (Control + V or Command + V)

Excel will paste all the copied cells in the destination cell but make these adjacents.

Similarly, you can select multiple nonadjacent cells in one column, copy them, and then paste it into the destination cells.

Copy and Paste Multiple Non-Adjacent Rows/Columns (but adjacent cells)

Another thing Excel allows is to select non-adjacent rows or non-adjacent columns and then copy them.

Now when you paste these in the destination cell, these would be pasted as adjacent rows or columns.

Below is an example where I copied multiple non-adjacent rows from the dataset and pasted these in a different location.

Copy Value From Above in Non-Adjacent Cells

One practical scenario where you may have to copy and paste multiple cells would be when you have gaps in a data set and you want to copy the value from the cell above.

Below I have some dates in column A, and there are some blank cells as well. I want to fill these blank cells with the date in the last filed cell above them.

To do this, I would need to do two things:

• Select all the blank cells
• Copy the date from the above-filled cell and paste it into these blank cells

Let me show you how to do this.

Select All Blank Cells in the Dataset

Below are the steps to select all the blank cells in column A:

1. Select the dates in column A, including the blank ones that you want to fill

1. Press the F5 key on your keyboard. This will open the Go To dialog box.
2. Click the Special button. This will open the Go To Special dialog box.

1. In the Go To Special dialog box, select Blanks

1. Click OK

The above steps would select all the blank cells in column A.

Now, we want to somehow copy the value in the above field cell in these blank cells. This cannot be done using any copy-paste method so we will have to use a formula (a very simple one).

Fill Blank Cells with Value Above

This part is really easy.

1. With the blank cell selected, first hit the equal to key on your keyboard

1. Now hit the Up arrow key. This will automatically enter the cell reference of the cell that is above the active cell.

1. Hold the Control key and press the Enter key

The above steps would enter the same formula in all the selected blank cells – which is to refer to the cell above it.

While this is a formula, the end result is that you have the blank cells filled with the above-filled date in the data set.

Once you have the desired result, you can convert the formula into values if you want (so that the formula doesn’t update the cells in case you change any value in a cell that is being referenced in the formula).

So these are a couple of methods you can use to copy and paste multiple cells (adjacent and non-adjacent cells) in Excel. I am sure using these methods will help you save tons of time in your day-to-day work.

I hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Excel tutorials you may also like:

• How to Copy and Paste Column in Excel? 3 Easy Ways!
• How to Copy Excel Table to MS Word (4 Easy Ways)
• How to Copy Conditional Formatting to Another Cell in Excel
• How to Copy and Paste Formulas in Excel without Changing Cell References
• How to Edit Cells in Excel?

Paste menu options (on the ribbon)

Select Home, select the clipboard icon (Paste) and pick the specific paste option you want. For example, to paste only formatting from the copied cell, select Formatting . This table shows the options available in the Paste menu:

Paste Special

To use options from the Paste Special box, select Home, select the clipboard icon (Paste), and select Paste Special.

Keyboard Shortcut: Press Ctrl+Alt+V.

In the Paste Special box, pick the attribute you want to paste.

Note: Depending on the type of data you copied and the Paste option you picked, some other options might be grayed out.

You can also specify a mathematical operation to apply to the copied data.

When you copy in Excel for the web, you can pick paste options in the destination cells.

Select Home, select the clipboard icon, select Paste, and pick the specific paste option you want. For example, to paste only formatting from the copied cell, select Paste Formatting . This table shows the options available in the Paste menu:

Copying and pasting is a very frequently performed action when working on a computer. This is also true in Excel.

It’s so common that almost everyone knows the keyboard shortcuts to copy Ctrl + C and paste Ctrl + V.

When using this in Excel, it will copy everything including values, formulas, formatting, comments/notes, and data validation.

This can be frustrating as sometimes you’ll only want the values to copy and not any of the other stuff in the cells.

In this post, you’ll learn all the ways to copy and paste only the values from your Excel data.

Example Data

The example data used in this post contains various formatting.

1. Cell formatting such as font color, fill color, number formatting, and borders.
2. Notes.
3. SUM formula.
4. A data validation dropdown list.

Paste Special Keyboard Shortcut

If you want to copy and paste anything other than an exact copy, then you’re going to need to become familiar with paste special.

A favorite method to use this is with a keyboard shortcut.

To use the paste special keyboard shortcut.

1. Copy the data you want to paste as values into your clipboard.
2. Choose a new location in your workbook to paste the values into.
3. Press Ctrl + Alt + V on your keyboard to open up the Paste Special menu.
4. Select Values from the Paste option or press V on your keyboard.
5. Press the OK button.

This will paste your data without any formatting, formulas, comments/notes, or data validation. Nothing but the values will be there.

Paste Special Legacy Keyboard Shortcut

This keyboard shortcut is a legacy shortcut from before the Excel ribbon command existed and it’s still usable.

In fact, when you try and use this you’ll be greeted with the above warning to let you know this is from an earlier version of Microsoft Office.

When you have a range of data copied to your clipboard, you can open up the Paste Special menu by pressing Alt + E + S on your keyboard.

Once the Paste Special menu is open you can then press V for Values.

One advantage the legacy shortcut has is it can easily be performed with one hand!

Paste Special Values Keyboard Shortcut

Pasting as values is a very common activity in Excel. Because of this, a new keyboard shortcut was introduced to Microsoft 365 users for this exact purpose.

Press Ctrl + Shift + V on your keyboard to paste the last item in your clipboard as values.

This is the most useful new shortcut as it bypasses the paste special menu entirely.

Paste Special from the Home Tab

If you’re not a keyboard person and prefer using the mouse, then you can access the Paste Values command from the ribbon commands.

Here’s how to use Paste Values from the ribbon.

1. Select and copy the data you want to paste into your clipboard.
2. Select the cell you want to copy the values into.
3. Go to the Home tab.
4. Click on the lower part of the Paste button in the clipboard section.
5. Select the Values clipboard icon from the paste options.

The cool thing about this menu is before you click on any of the commands you will see a preview of the data you’re about to paste. This makes it easy to ensure you’re selecting the right option.

Paste Values with Hotkey Shortcuts

Since the paste values command is in the ribbon, that also means you can access it with the Alt hotkeys.

Notice when you press the Alt key, the ribbon lights up with all the accelerator keys available.

Pressing Alt ➜ H ➜ V ➜ V will activate the paste values command.

Paste Values from Right Click Menu

Paste Values is also available from the right-click menu.

Copy the range of cells you want to paste as values ➜ right click ➜ select the paste values clipboard icon.

Paste Values with Quick Access Toolbar Command

If it’s a command you use quite frequently, then why not put it in the quick access toolbar?

This way it’s only a click away at all times!

Depending on where in the quick access toolbar you place it, it will also get its own easy to use Alt hotkey shortcut too.

Check out this post for details on how to add commands to the quick access toolbar, or this post on other interesting commands you can add to the quick access toolbar.

You can add the paste values command from the Excel Options screen.

1. Select All Commands from the dropdown list.
2. Locate and select Paste Values from the options. You can press P on your keyboard to quickly navigate to commands starting with P.
3. Press the Add button.
4. Use the Up and Down arrows to change the ordering of commands in your toolbar.
5. Press the OK button.

The command will now be in your quick access toolbar!

If you place it in the 4th position like in this Example, then you can you Alt + 4 to access it with a keyboard shortcut.

Paste Values Mouse Trick

There’s a mouse option you can use to copy as values which most people don’t know about.

1. Select the range of cells to copy.
2. Hover the mouse over the active range border until the cursor turns into a four directional arrow.
3. Right-click and drag the range to a new location.
4. When you release the right click, a menu will pop up.
5. Select Copy Here as Values Only from the menu.

This is such a neat way, and there are a few other options in this hidden menu that are worth exploring.

Paste Values with Paste Options

There’s another sneaky method to paste values.

When you do a regular copy and paste, a small icon will appear in the bottom right corner of the pasted range. It will remain there until you interact with something else in your spreadsheet.

These are the paste options and you can click on it or press Ctrl to expand the options menu.

When you open the menu, you can then either click on the Values icon or press V to change the range into values only.

Paste Values and Formulas with Text to Columns

I don’t really recommend using this method, but I’m going to add it just for fun.

A few caveats with this method.

• You can only copy and paste one column of data.
• It will keep any formulas.
• It will remove the formatting, comments, notes, and data validation.

If that’s exactly what you’re looking for, then this method might be of interest.

Select a single column of data ➜ go to the Data tab ➜ select the Text to Column command.

This will open up the Convert Text to Column Wizard. In the first step, you can select Delimited and press the Next button.

You can also select Fixed width as we won’t be using the text to column functionality it doesn’t really matter.

In the next step, remove any selected delimiters and press the Next button.

In the last step, select the destination cell for the output and press the Finish button.

You can see the results have all the formatting gone but any formulas still remain.

Paste Values with Advanced Filters

This one is another not-quite paste values option and is listed for fun as well.

It will remove any formulas, comments, notes, and data validation but will leave all cell formatting.

With your data selected go to the Data tab then select the Advanced command in the Sort and Filter section.

From the Advanced Filter Menu.

1. Select Copy to another location.
2. Leave the Criteria range empty.
3. Select a location to place the copied data.
4. Press the OK button.

This will create a copy of the data as values and remove any formulas, comments, notes, and data validation.

You can then remove the cell formatting that’s left by going to the Home tab ➜ Clear ➜ and selecting the Clear Formats option.

Conclusions

Wow! That’s a lot of different ways to paste data as values in Excel.

It’s understandable there are so many options given it’s an essential action to avoid carrying over unwanted formatting.

You’re eventually going to need to do this and there are quite a few ways to get this done.

What’s your favorite way? Did I miss any methods you use? Let me know in the comments!

08-17-2005, 12:05 PM

#2

Excel is trying to «remember» your last Text to Columns setting, and switching computers or filenames might make it forget.

The Word Rich Text file is probably Tab Delimited (tab’s separating each column). Quick fix:

• Paste in your data (so it’s all in one column like you described)
• Go to the Data menu and choose Text to Columns
• Click Next -> Next -> Finish

Is your data split into columns properly now? If so, Excel should remember this choice, so next time you just need to paste it in.

If it’s still all one column then it is delimited a different way. Is there a comma (or different symbol) between each column? If so, you can go back to Text to Columns and on ‘Step 2’, choose the correct symbol. Again, it should remember your choice next time.

If it’s not a symbol then the data is probably has «Fixed Width» columns. Choose that from «Step 1» and then «Step 2» allows you to click on your data to specify where the columns begin.