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Paste special options in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

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Concept Flow

Copy source cells (A1:B3) -> Choose Paste Special option -> Paste into target cells (C1:C3)

Paste Special lets you choose what to paste: values, formulas, or formatting separately.

Formula

1. Select cells A1:B3
2. Copy (Ctrl+C)
3. Select cells C1:C3
4. Right-click > Paste special > Paste values only

This copies only the numbers from A1:A3 into C1:C3 without formulas or formatting.

Step-by-Step Trace

Cell	Original Value	After Paste Values Only
A1	10	10
A2	20	20
A3	30	30
B1	5	5
B2	15	15
B3	25	25
C1		10
C2		20
C3		30

Values from A1:A3 pasted into C1:C3; B column values not pasted here.

Variable Tracker

Step	Action	Result
1	Copy cells A1:B3	Clipboard holds values and formulas
2	Paste special > values only into C1:C3	Only numbers pasted, no formulas or formatting
3	Paste special > formulas only	Formulas pasted without formatting
4	Paste special > format only	Only cell colors and fonts pasted

Key Moments

What does Paste Special > Paste values only do?

What happens if you use Paste Special > Paste formulas only?

How does Paste Special > Paste format only affect the target cells?

Sheet Trace Quiz - 1 Questions

Test your understanding

If you copy cell A1 with value 10 and formula =B1*2, then use Paste Special > Paste values only into C1, what will C1 show?

AThe number 10

BThe formula =B1*2

CAn error

DEmpty cell

Key Result

Paste Special options in Google Sheets let you control what part of copied cells you paste: values, formulas, or formatting separately.

Transcript

When you copy cells in Google Sheets, you can choose Paste Special to paste only values, formulas, or formatting. For example, copying a cell with a formula and pasting values only will paste the result number, not the formula itself. This helps when you want to keep results but not the underlying calculations or styles.