Why is pasting text into Excel splitting it into multiple cells?
When I am copying partial text from one cell and pasting into another what I am pasting is separating into multiple cells.
Example:
Copying "June 15th" from a cell containing "Little Timmy's Birthday is June 15th", it pastes into two cells "June" and "15th".
Could there be a setting I have inadvertently changed? I have used the text to columns feature this morning splitting by space in another workbook, but I don't know why that may have carried over to when I use a simple Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
Solution 1:
If you have a text string copied that you want to appear in a single cell, then select that cell and change to Edit mode, then paste your clipboard.
There are a few ways to enter Edit mode e.g. double click the cell, hit F2 key etc. It's described in detail here:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/excel-help/edit-cell-contents-HP001216389.aspx
Using that approach, there is no way for your paste to spread to another cell, regardless of Text to Columns settings.
Solution 2:
As noted in the comments by Nick Russo, the delimiter(s) used for Data > Text to Columns seem to be applied to pasting data as well. At least since Excel 2007.
The way fix this behavior is:
- Select a non-empty cell
- Do Data -> Text to Columns
- Make sure to choose Delimited
- Click Next >
- Enable the Tab delimiter, disable all the others
- Clear Treat consecutive delimiters as one
- Click Cancel
- Now try pasting your data again
Solution 3:
Highlight the cells you want to paste into (before you paste into them); Do Text to Column; untick all the options (spaces specifically by the sound of your question). Then when you paste your data into those cells, they won't automatically break out.