Excel copy and paste not working: 7 causes and fixes

1. "The copy area and paste area aren't the same size"

You copy A2:E9 (8 rows) and then select A20:E25 (6 rows) before pasting. Excel can't fit 8 rows into 6, so it refuses. The same happens when you copy a whole column or row and paste it anywhere but the first cell of a column or row: a column has 1,048,576 cells and there's no room below row 1 for all of them.

The fix is almost always to select just one cell, the top-left corner of where the data should go, and paste. Excel fills down and right from there.

1. Copy the range (Ctrl+C).
2. Click a single cell where the top-left corner should land.
3. Paste (Ctrl+V). To copy whole columns, click the first cell of the target column (row 1) or the column header.

2. Merged cells in the way

Merged cells can't take part of a paste. If the paste range includes a merged cell that doesn't line up exactly with what you copied, Excel stops with a message about merged cells.

Unmerge, paste, then use Center Across Selection if you only merged for looks: it centres a title over several columns without merging, and copying, sorting and pasting all keep working.

1. Select the paste range.
2. Go to Home > Merge & Center > Unmerge Cells.
3. Paste again.
4. To centre a heading without merging: select the cells, press Ctrl+1, go to Alignment and set Horizontal to Center Across Selection.

3. Pasting into a filtered list lands in hidden rows

Filter the list to North and you see three rows: Desk chair, Monitor arm and Cable tray. Paste three new prices into those three visible cells and Excel pastes them into three consecutive rows, hidden ones included. The South and East rows in between get changed too, and you won't see it until you clear the filter.

Excel has no command to paste a block into visible rows only. If every visible row needs the same value or formula, select the visible cells and use Fill: Ctrl+D fills only the visible rows of a filtered list. For different values per row, sort the rows you want together first, or put the new values in a separate list with the item names and pull them in with XLOOKUP.

1. Filter the list so only the rows to change are showing.
2. Type the value or formula in the first visible cell.
3. Select from that cell down to the last visible row.
4. Press Ctrl+D. Clear the filter and check the hidden rows weren't touched.

4. Hidden rows come along when you copy

When a list is filtered, copying it copies only the visible rows. When you hide rows yourself (right-click > Hide) or collapse a group, Excel copies the hidden rows too, and they reappear where you paste.

To copy only what you can see, select the range and press Alt+; (Alt and semicolon), which selects visible cells only. The marching ants then outline each visible block. Copy and paste as normal.

1. Select the range with hidden rows.
2. Press Alt+; or go to Home > Find & Select > Go To Special > Visible cells only > OK.
3. Copy (Ctrl+C) and paste where you need it.

5. "This action won't work on multiple selections"

You can Ctrl+click several ranges and copy them only if they line up: the same rows (like A2:A9 and E2:E9) or the same columns. Excel then pastes them side by side. Ranges with different rows, like A2:A5 and C7:C9, can't be copied together.

Copy them one at a time, or hide the rows or columns in between and copy the visible cells as in fix 4.

6. Pasted formulas show different numbers (or zeros)

Copy the totals in E2:E9 and paste them into H2, and every cell shows 0. The formula in E2 is =C2*D2, a relative reference meaning "the two cells to my left". Pasted in H2, it becomes =F2*G2, two empty cells. Pasted further up the sheet, references can fall off the top and show #REF!.

If you want the numbers, not the formulas, paste values: Paste Special > Values, or the Values button in the Paste Options that appear after you paste. If you want formulas that keep pointing at the same cells, lock those cells with $ before copying.

Pasting formulas into another workbook can also leave links back to the original file, which then asks to update links every time you open it. Paste values to avoid that.

1. Copy the cells (Ctrl+C).
2. Click where they should go.
3. Press Ctrl+Alt+V to open Paste Special, press V for Values, then Enter.

7. Paste is greyed out or does nothing

On a protected sheet you can't paste into locked cells: Excel says the cell is on a protected sheet. Go to Review > Unprotect Sheet if you have the password, or ask the owner which cells are meant to be filled in.

When you copy cells inside Excel, the paste only works while the moving dotted border is still there. Pressing Esc, or typing into a cell before you paste, ends the copy, and Paste goes grey. Copy again and paste straight away. Text copied from another app, like a web page or an email, isn't affected: it stays on the clipboard until you copy something else.