What is paste special in Google Sheets?
Paste Special is part of copy, paste, fill, or find/replace workflows in Google Sheets. Paste special and the fill handle are the fastest ways to move formulas, values, or formats without retyping.
When to use it
Use paste and fill tools when you are duplicating patterns, fixing bulk typos, or jumping to a named range fast.
When to skip it
Skip manual paste chains when ARRAYFORMULA, QUERY, or a single fill-down formula can populate the range.
Better Sheets resources
Related Tutorials
Watch how paste special works
Google Sheets Easter Eggs Beyond PRIDE
The First Thing I Do When Starting a Google Sheet
3 Free Tools to Make Your Google Sheets Better
Scrape Google Maps
MAKE Your Google Sheets Add-on USABLE
Creating a Custom URL Link for Your Spreadsheet
Related blog posts
Guides that explain paste special in more depth.
Google Sheets Green Color Hex Code
Google Sheets Green Color Hex Code! Dive into #0F9D58, Google's vibrant shade of Green. The green color code you'll want to use in all your designs if you're google sheets adjacent.
Read post →Quick Google Sheets Tips
Boost productivity and streamline your workflow in Google Sheets with our quick tips and free tools. Breathe new life into your spreadsheets today.
Read post →No More Google Sheet Tricks
No more Google Sheet tricks. This is it folks. A new day has dawned. I have a new product to launch and I'm so nervous! Free Template: https://bettersheets.co/visicalc
Read post →Related glossary terms
Autofill
Autofill copies a cell or selection downward or sideways using the small blue square fill handle. Sheets detects simple series like 1,2,3 or Mon,Tue,Wed and continues the pattern. Formulas copy with relative references adjusting per row unless you locked absolute refs. Autofill is the fastest way to propagate a working formula across hundreds of rows when ARRAYFORMULA is not needed.
Read guide →Paint format
Paint format is the format painter tool that copies display styling from one cell to others without copying values or formulas. Click the paint roller icon, then click or drag across destination cells. It copies number format, font, fill, borders, alignment, and wrap settings. Essential for making imported CSVs match your template look in minutes.
Read guide →Smart fill
Smart Fill watches columns next to your edit and suggests completing a pattern when it recognizes one. Type a couple examples in a new column beside source data and Sheets may offer to fill the rest with names, emails split from full text, or formatted dates. It is Google's answer to flash fill for quick cleanup without formulas.
Read guide →paste values
Paste Values is part of copy, paste, fill, or find/replace workflows in Google Sheets. Paste special and the fill handle are the fastest ways to move formulas, values, or formats without retyping.
Read guide →paste formulas
Paste Formulas is part of copy, paste, fill, or find/replace workflows in Google Sheets. Paste special and the fill handle are the fastest ways to move formulas, values, or formats without retyping.
Read guide →paste format
Paste Format is part of copy, paste, fill, or find/replace workflows in Google Sheets. Paste special and the fill handle are the fastest ways to move formulas, values, or formats without retyping.
Read guide →Done reading about paste special?
Membership unlocks 637+ tutorials, unlimited generators, and every template. Practical lessons. Zero fluff.
Need this once
Jump to a free tool or a single tutorial for this topic.
Learning Sheets for real
Unlock the full library, generators, and templates with membership.