Novice user needs elementary help with cut and paste operations

geobar

New Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
3
I am repeatedly finding that efforts to cut and then paste are being thwarted with the appearance of one or another error alert messages. I will describe these messages because it appears I cannot attach images of them to this message:

The first states "That command cannot be used on multiple selections"--"that command" referring to the command to PASTE.

The second error message is a little longer but comparable: "The information cannot be pasted because the Copy area and the Paste area are not the same size and shape."

From the first, this has been puzzling because I have received these messages even when I have tried to copy and paste a selection of cells to... THEMSELVES and I would think this would mean the source and destination cells would be exactly the same in size and shape???

I tried to deal with this problem by attempting to format all of the source cells to exactly the same height and width as the destination cells---> still got error messages and a failure to paste.

One thing I do notice worth mentioning: When I select a large block of cells in rectangular shape and then hit "Copy" or "CTRL-C" instead of getting a single rectangle made up of small dashes blinking around the enclosed selection, I get two or three or more smaller rectangles all together adding up to the intended selection. In this sense the error messages are correct: It is indeed as if I tried to copy multiple selections at once, and they are different in size and shape from the intended destination.

If can't cut and paste efficiently, almost no more sophisticated operations are possible.

1. ANY HELP WTH THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

2. THIS IS MY FIRST POSTING-- AM I THE ONLY MEMBER WHO FINDS IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TYPE MY COMMENTS? VERY HARD TO GET THE TYPED CHARACTERS TO APPEAR AS INTENDED. LOTS OF RE-TYPING NEEDED. RESPONSE TO KEYSTROKES VERY POOR. WHAT GIVES HERE?
 

Excel Facts

Repeat Last Command
Pressing F4 adds dollar signs when editing a formula. When not editing, F4 repeats last command.
My guess is you have hidden rows or columns. If this is true after you make the selection. Hit F5 Special visible cells only
 
Upvote 0
OR
you are copying a range, then highlighting a range of cells to paste it in.
Try copying the range THEN select only ONE cell and PASTE
 
Upvote 0

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