A FAST New Way to Paste in Excel – Paste Buddy

 

How Do You Paste Values?

What method do you use to paste values in Excel?

I'm talking about copying a cell that contains a formula or number formatting, and pasting the values of that cell to another cell.

There Are A LOT of Ways to Paste Values

Did you know that there are at least eight different ways to perform the paste special commands in Excel?  Eight different ways!

That means that we spend a lot of time copying and pasting.  Since it's something we do so often, it's best to figure out which of these eight methods is the fastest.

Which Method is the Fastest?

If you are a reader of my blog, you probably know that I am constantly trying to find the fastest and most efficient ways to get things done in Excel.

One of the fastest ways I have found to paste values is to add the paste special buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) and then use the built-in Alt+# keyboard shortcuts.

Most Ways to Paste Values are Slow or Difficult

Most of the other built-in methods require multiple mouse clicks or key presses.  This makes them slow and/or difficult to perform.

Using the QAT is great, but many people find that to be quite a stretch with the fingers.  It also prevents you from using the QAT for other commands that do not have keyboard shortcuts.

So I have developed a solution that has saved me a lot of time and will hopefully do the same for you.

Paste Buddy will Save You Tons of Time

Paste Buddy is an Excel Add-in that allows you to create custom keyboard shortcuts for any of the paste special commands like paste values, formulas, formats, and more.

This means you can choose keyboard shortcuts for any of your favorite paste special commands.  And the keyboard shortcuts are fast and easy to perform in one step.

In the following example I am using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V to paste values in the the worksheet.

In the above video I use Ctrl+C to copy cell C8.  Then I use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V to paste the values in cells E6:E8.  I then undo my actions with Ctrl+Z to show that you can still use Undo with Paste Buddy.

It's a really fast way to paste values, and you can setup custom shortcuts for any of the paste special commands.

How Does Paste Buddy Work?

Paste Buddy is an Excel Add-in that will automatically load every time you open Excel.  It remembers your shortcuts and only needs to be setup once.

Once the add-in is installed, the Paste Buddy button will appear on the Add-Ins tab of the ribbon.  Clicking this button will open the Paste Buddy setup window.

The following is a screenshot of the Paste Buddy setup window where you can create keyboard shortcuts for any of the paste special commands.

This window is only used for setting up the shortcut keys.  The setup window is NOT open when you are working in Excel and copying & pasting in a worksheet.  Paste Buddy works in the background and you won't even know he's there.

The following image shows an example of how Paste Buddy works:

The built in keyboard shortcut in Excel to paste values is Alt+E+S+V+Enter.

Paste Buddy basically presses these keys for you when you press Ctrl+Shift+V. So all you have to do is press Ctrl+Shift+V on the keyboard, and Paste Buddy will press Alt+E+S+V+Enter for you.

This makes it very fast and easy to perform any of the paste special commands.  Paste Buddy really is your buddy, and his job is to help make your life easier.

Can I Undo?

YES!  Let's say you accidentally press one of your Paste Buddy shortcut keys and need to undo it.  Not a problem.  The full undo history is retained in Excel, so you can always press the Undo button (Ctrl+Z) if you make a mistake.

New Feature: Paste to the Visible Cells Only

If you have ever received the following error message in Excel, “The command cannot be used on multiple selections”, then you know that you cannot paste to the visible cells in range that contains hidden rows or columns.  This is a limitation of Excel, and it can be frustrating.

The video below explains two workarounds for this, including a new Paste Visible feature.

Paste Buddy has a new feature that allows you to do this with the click of a few buttons.

This feature allows you to quickly paste to the visible cells in a range that contains hidden rows or columns.  It also allows you to choose from any of the paste special commands like: paste values, paste formulas, and paste formatting when performing the paste.

What do Paste Buddy's Friends Think?

“Thanks for putting these tools together, they are a huge timesaver!  I have people ask me all the time “How did you do that so quickly?!?”, and besides being an Excel Guru, I usually tell them about the great addins that I have found.” –Peter R., Logistics Engineer

“The Paste Buddy add-in is very practical and can customize my paste actions easily. It works very well in my Excel 2010/2013 32 bits pt-BR.” -Felipe, Microsoft Excel MVP

“I like this version because it has the undo feature still available.  I liked how you can program it to do all of the paste special commands.” -Don H., Vice President, FP&A

“Paste Buddy is one of those tools you wonder how you managed without. I like how you can customise it to suit your needs and preferences, and it has certainly improved my efficiency. Thanks for filling this gap in Excel functionality.” -Mynda T., Microsoft Excel MVP

Paste Buddy Will Save You Time

Paste Buddy is one of those friends that you can depend on to make your life easier.  His main goal is to save you time.  He can help you in a lot of ways:

• Quickly perform any of the paste special commands with a custom keyboard shortcut.  You decide what keys you want to use, making the shortcuts easy to learn and remember.
• Make it comfortable for your hands to press the shortcuts.  If Ctrl+Shift+V is too much of a stretch for your fingers, then you can use keys that are closer to the left side like Z, X, C, A, etc.  If you are left handed, then you can use keys closer to the right side like ?, >, <, etc.
• Keeps your hands in the action by using the Ctrl+Shift+{letter} combination.  The fastest way to copy & paste in Excel is by using the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.  Paste Buddy's Ctrl+Shift+{letter} shortcuts are a natural extension of this.  Once you press Ctrl+C to copy, your fingers will already be in right place to perform the paste or paste special command.  This makes it very, very fast to paste.
• Change your shortcut keys for different tasks at any time.  Let's say you're working on a task that requires you to perform a paste special command like transpose over and over again.  You can quickly change one of your favorite Paste Buddy key combinations to perform the transpose.  Then change it back when you are done with the task.
• Become a keyboard ninja in Excel.  If you don't know a lot of keyboard shortcuts yet, don't worry.  The best way to learn is to start with the basics.  As you start using the Paste Buddy shortcuts to paste values, you will want to learn more keyboard to keep your hands on the keys.  Over time you will become much more productive and save lots of time with your every day tasks.
• Easily remember you shortcut keys with the printable Key List.  Once you setup all your shortcut keys, Paste Buddy will give you a list of them to print out for reference.  This makes it easy to learn and remember them.  I have my list taped to the side of my monitor.
• Undo your actions with Excel's Undo button (Ctrl+Z).  Paste Buddy is there when you need him, but doesn't get mad if you accidentally call him.

A Friend With Many Great Features

So what else do you get with Paste Buddy?

• 12 Keyboard Shortcuts – Create up to 12 custom keyboard shortcuts for any of paste special commands.  This includes the Operation commands like Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide, Transpose, and Skip Blanks.
• Adapts to Change – Nothing is permanent with Paste Buddy.  You can change the shortcut keys and their associated paste special commands at any time.  You can setup Ctrl+Shift+V to paste values.  If you don't like it, then you can easily change it to Ctrl+Shift+X.  Try different keys until you find the one that works the best for you.
• Combine Commands – You can setup keyboard shortcuts that combine the paste commands and operations.  For example, you can have a shortcut that pastes Formulas and Adds at the same time.  Or you could have a shortcut that paste values and transposes at the same time.  The possibilities are endless.
• Set It and Forget It – Paste Buddy remembers your shortcut keys.  So next time you open Excel, your shortcut keys will be enabled.  You don't have to do anything to activate Paste Buddy.  He is there waiting for your call.
• Printable Key List – Pressing the “Key List” button in the Paste Buddy window will automatically create a list of your shortcut keys in a new Excel workbook.  It is formatted for printing, so you can print your list and put it on your desk for reference.  This helps you learn and remember your new shortcuts.
• Compatibility – Paste Buddy works with Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, & 2016 for Windows.
• Improved by You – Have a suggestion to make Paste Buddy better?  Let me know and I will do my best to update Paste Buddy with your requests.
• Support – Paste Buddy comes with a user guide and instructional video to help get you started.  It is very easy to use.
• Still have Questions? – I respond to your questions within 2 business days (usually faster).  So you can rest assured that you and Paste Buddy are not alone.

Ok, Ok, How Do I Get Paste Buddy?

I hope you've learned that Paste Buddy will save you a lot of time with the pasting data. That's his only job, and he does it well.

You can download a free trial version of the Paste Buddy Excel Add-in below. This is a 14 day free trial, and it will give you a chance to see what a great friend Paste Buddy can be.

Download The Paste Buddy Trial

The download includes: Paste Buddy Excel Add-in File and Installation Instructions.

Compatibility: Paste Buddy works with Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, & 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 Desktop versions for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit).

If you have already tried Paste Buddy, or just want to jump right in, the full version is now part of our Hero Tools Add-in. Hero Tools includes ALL of the Excel Campus add-ins with over 100 time saving features.

Additional Resources:

• Paste Buddy Help Page
• Contact Us
• Get Email Updates