Here is something annoying with Excel.
Open any Excel file with few columns of data. Hide some of those columns (select the columns and press CTRL+0). Now, copy a few rows of data. Paste it else where. Excel will paste the values in hidden columns too. We thought Excel would omit the values in hidden columns.
What the filter Excel?!? I thought we were friends, but you annoy me with some of these quirks.
How to copy and paste just visible cells only?
There are two ways to do this.
1. Select visible cells, Copy and Paste
- Select the entire range you need to copy.
- Press F5, this opens Go to dialog. Click on Special button.
- Now select visible cells option. You can use the short cut sequence – F5 ALT SY to do all this.
- Now press CTRL + C
- Then go to target sheet and press CTRL + V to paste.
While this method works, it is too long and if you need to copy and paste several times, then it can be annoying.
Related: More about Go to special
This is where the second trick comes handy.
2. Cheat Excel in to copying just visible cells
If your source data is filtered, then when you copy, Excel copies visible cells only. But how to filter when you need to see all the data. Simple, we cheat.
- Go the end of your data and type something like “X” in the blank cell beneath.
- Now apply filters to the data. Press CTRL+Shift+L to do this.
- Then filter the new value you added in step 1.
- Copy now.
- When you paste, Excel will paste just visible cells. Viola!!!
How do you copy paste visible cells?
We are almost at the end. Let me confess. I never had this problem. I know about Go to Special > Visible cells and use it if needed. But Jo (my wife) faced this issued yesterday and called me to ask how to copy visible cells. When I told her the option about visible cells thru Goto special, she is not all that thrilled, so I got thinking. I think the filter approach is better because you just do what you normally do – which is Ctrl C, Ctrl V.
What about you? Have you ever had to paste visible cells only? How did you deal with that? Share you tips and experience in comments section.
And oh yeah, Check out our quick tips section for some knock-your-socks-off level of awesomeness.
