Copy and paste is the most fundamental Excel operation. You use it constantly to duplicate data, replicate formulas, move information, or back up important content.

The basic operation is simple: press Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste. However, Excel offers far more than this. Understanding different paste options turns copy and paste into a powerful data manipulation technique.

The standard copy/paste operation is straightforward: select cells, press Ctrl+C to copy, navigate to the destination, press Ctrl+V to paste. The cells replicate at the new location. If you’re copying formulas, Excel adjusts cell references automatically (relative references shift; absolute references stay the same). If you’re copying values, the exact numbers or text appears at the destination. This basic operation handles 80% of copy/paste needs, but the remaining 20% requires understanding paste options.

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Every Excel spreadsheet is a grid made up of cells organized into rows and columns. This grid structure is so fundamental that understanding it is prerequisite to everything else you’ll do in Excel. You can’t enter data without knowing which cell you’re in. You can’t write formulas without understanding how cells are addressed. You can’t select ranges without grasping rows and columns.
Get this right at the start and every subsequent skill becomes intuitive. Misunderstand it and confusion compounds as you learn more.

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Need to perform exclusive OR operations on binary numbers in Excel? The BITXOR function lets you compare two numbers at the bit level and return 1 only where the bits differ, without needing to manually convert to binary. This guide shows you how, step-by-step.

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Need to calculate accrued interest on a bond or security in Excel? The ACCRINT function lets you compute the interest that has accumulated between coupon payment dates without manually calculating daily rates. This guide shows you how, step-by-step.

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The TAKE and DROP functions are complementary array slicing tools that work from either end of a dataset. TAKE extracts what you want; DROP removes what you don’t want. Master both, and you unlock powerful data subsetting capabilities – from extracting top performers to removing headers, from isolating recent transactions to trimming excess data.

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The TOCOL function converts any multi-dimensional array into a single vertical column. Whether you’re consolidating scattered data, preparing arrays for processing, or creating clean lists from complex structures, TOCOL transforms any layout into a linear vertical sequence with one simple formula.

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Need to calculate accrued interest on a security that pays interest at maturity in Excel? The ACCRINTM function lets you compute the interest that has accumulated from the issue date to the maturity date without manually calculating daily rates. This guide shows you how, step-by-step.

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