XL2000: Second Paste from Office Clipboard Clears Bounding Outline and May Change Value

When you paste any item a second time from the Clipboard toolbar, the bounding outline in the cell being copied vanishes, indicating the Microsoft Windows Clipboard has been cleared. Also, when you paste a formula a second time from the Clipboard toolbar, Excel pastes the calculated results of the formula, rather than the original formula.

These problems occur when you use the Clipboard toolbar to paste the same item multiple times.

To work around these problems, do not use the Clipboard toolbar to paste items multiple times. For the second and all subsequent consecutive paste operations of the same item, use any of the following methods:

• Press CTRL+V on the keyboard.
  
  -or-
  
  
• Click Paste on the Edit menu.
  
  -or-
  
  
• Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Use any of the following methods to copy and perform consecutive paste operations in Excel without using the Clipboard toolbar.

Note that if you use any of these methods, the bounding outline still remains, indicating that the item is still in the Windows Clipboard. If you copied a formula, the formula will not change when pasted the second time.

The Copy and Paste Shortcut Keys

1. Select the cell that contains the item you want to copy.
2. Press CTRL+C to copy the item.
3. Select the cell where you want to paste the item.
4. Press CTRL+V to paste the item.
5. Select another cell and press CTRL+V to paste the item.

For more information about using keyboard shortcuts in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type keyboard shortcuts in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

The Copy and Paste Commands on the Edit Menu

1. Select the cell that contains the item you want to copy.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
3. Select the cell where you want to paste the item.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
5. Select another cell and click Paste on the Edit menu.

The Copy and Paste Buttons on the Standard Toolbar

1. Select the cell that contains the item you want to copy.
2. Click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar.
3. Select the cell where you want to paste the item.
4. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.
5. Select another cell and click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.