Forum Discussion
Unwanted pasting of data in new raw or column
There is a strange property of excel - when I have a range copied (a cell or more) and will like to add new columns or rows excel will add the with the copied rang pasted. It is awful, as it take time and sometimes leads to a crash. Is there a way to prevent excel from doing so?
By the way I wonder when Microsoft will produce excel that does not crash?
2 Replies
This happens because Excel is still in copy mode (you see the “marching ants” border) after you copy a range. While copy mode is active, Excel assumes that when you insert a row or column, you want to insert the copied cells as well, not just create blank space.
How to prevent it:
Before inserting rows or columns, simply press Esc to cancel copy mode (the marching ants disappear). Then insert the row/column normally — Excel will add only blank space.
Alternative:
You can also insert the row/column first and only then paste your data, which avoids the issue entirely.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
Hi Adam, that usually happens when Excel still has an active copied range. Before inserting rows or columns, press Esc once to clear the clipboard selection, then insert the row or column normally. If it keeps happening after Esc, I’d also test Excel in safe mode, because an add-in or macro can sometimes interfere with insert behavior.
