Copy cell formatting
Format cells quickly by using the format of other cells as a template.
This tip is perfect for when you need to quickly update formatting of a presentation or report, or change the look of a worksheet in a hurry.
The Quick Tip shows you how to quickly copy cell formats to other cells or any size range of cells, with two keyboard shortcuts to choose from.
The Bonus Tip lets you turn back time and make formatting decisions after you’ve already pasted the copied cells!
Extending this tip using the Expert Tip gives you a great way to copy formats to many different cells or ranges, again and again.
We hope you find these tips useful.
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How to copy cell formats
Make quick work of formatting your summary worksheets. Here’s how to quickly copy cell formats.
Copy cell formats using keyboard shortcuts
You can use these keyboard shortcuts to copy formatting from one cell to another:
| Step | Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select cells with chosen formatting | |
| 2 | Copy cells | Ctrl + C |
| 3 | Select cells to receive formatting | |
| 4 | Paste formatting | Ctrl + Alt + V then T then Enter |
| 5 | Clear the copy mode | Esc |
This tip also works on a range of cells; you can select more than one cell at once.
On a Mac, you can use ⌘ + Ctrl + V instead of Ctrl + Alt + V.
For example
Suppose you copy the range B3:F3 (1 row x 5 columns), in order to paste those formats in the destination range D8:H8 (also 1 row x 5 columns).
How to specify the destination cells
In step 3, you can copy formatting from one cell range to another in one of two ways:
Method 1: First cell in destination
After copying the formatted range of cells, select a single cell at the top left* of the destination range (in step 3). Formats will be pasted in the destination range using the same sized range as was copied.
In the above example, after copying B3:F5, just select D8 and then paste formatting*.
Method 2: Exact destination range
Instead of selecting a single cell, you can instead select the entire destination range (in step 3).
In the above example, after copying B3:F3, select D8:H8 and then paste formatting.
Use the cell context menu to paste formatting
In step 4, the shortcuts shown above use the “Paste special” function. An alternative is to use the selected destination cell’s context menu.
You can activate the cell’s context menu in any of the following ways:
- Press Shift + F10
- Right-click the mouse in the selected destination cell
- Press the Context menu key (if you have one; not all keyboards have them).
If you use the context menu method, you need to press R instead of T afterwards, and the Enter is not necessary.
With the modified step 4, the above sequence then becomes:
How to paste cell formatting using the context menu
| Step | Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select cells with chosen formatting | |
| 2 | Copy cells | Ctrl + C |
| 3 | Select cells to receive formatting | |
| 4 | Paste formatting | Shift + F10 then R |
| 5 | Clear the copy mode | Esc |
Fill and repeat cell formatting
This method is also useful if your destination range is larger than your source range and you want the formats to fill and repeat.
The chosen formats will repeat across the destination range.
For example
Suppose you have a source format range B4:C6, and want to copy the format to E4:H12.
Just select B4:C6, copy, then select E4:H12, then paste formats.
Voilà !
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* This tip is affected by the reading direction used, and can vary between different language installations.
It is written for languages that read left-to-right (in these installations, the row headings are on the left side of the screen or application window).
For languages that read right-to-left (installations where the row headings are on the right side of the screen or application window), make the appropriate inferences.
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