Microsoft Knowledge Base

Excel: Insert Paste Does Not Display Prompt to Shift Data
Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
Article ID: Q100414
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a
  • Microsoft Excel for OS/2, versions 3.0
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 3.0, 4.0

SUMMARY

In some cases, the Insert Paste dialog box will not be displayed if only a few cells are selected. When this occurs you will not be prompted for a direction in which to shift cells.

This behavior occurs both when you choose the Insert Paste command from the Edit menu, when you use the key combinations (shortcut keys), and when you use the INSERT?() macro function.

Workaround

If you do not want to shift cells in the direction that Microsoft Excel chooses, do one of the following:

  • Select the cells to shift, choose Insert from the Edit menu, and select the desired type of shift.

    -or-

  • Cut and paste the appropriate data to the newly created cells.

    -or-

  • Create a macro that uses the INSERT() function. In the macro, you can specify exactly which direction you want to shift the cells.

MORE INFORMATION

Page 180 of the "Microsoft Excel User's Guide 1," version 4.0, states that the Insert Paste dialog box will not be displayed if an entire column or row is selected. This section of the documentation should also mention that this dialog box may not be displayed if only a small number of cells are selected.

menu.

REFERENCES

"User's Guide 1," version 4.0, pages 180, 184-185 "Function Reference," version 4.0, page 243 "User's Guide," version 3.0, page 150 "Function Reference," version 3.0, page 133

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:

Additional reference words: 4.00 3.00 4.00a



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Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
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