Paste values only in Google Sheets: shortcut and menu

To paste only the values in Google Sheets, copy the cells as usual with Ctrl + C and paste with Ctrl + Shift + V instead of Ctrl + V. On a Mac it is Cmd + Shift + V. You get the numbers and text you see on screen, without the formulas behind them and without the source formatting.

Quick reference

When you need it

Keeping the result of a formula. A cell with =SUM(B2:B20) shows a total. Paste it normally somewhere else and Sheets adjusts the formula to the new position, which often gives a wrong number or an error. Paste values only, and you get the total as a plain number that will not change.

Freezing numbers that would otherwise update. Formulas like =TODAY(), =NOW() or =RAND() recalculate. Copy the cell and paste values only on top of itself to turn the current result into a fixed value.

Cleaning text copied from a website or an email. Pasted text often brings its own font, colour and background. Values only drops all of that and the text takes the formatting of the cell you paste into.

Copying between files. Formulas that point to other tabs or use IMPORTRANGE can break in a different file. Values only copies what you see.

Paste values with the menu

1. Copy the cells.
2. Click where you want to paste.
3. Open Edit, then Paste special, then Values only.

The same Paste special submenu also appears when you right-click a cell. In the right-click menu it is under Paste special.

The other Paste special options

Transposed is the one people search for most after values only. Copy a row, choose Paste special, Transposed, and it lands as a column.

Turn formulas into values in place

To replace a column of formulas with their results, without moving anything:

1. Select the cells with formulas.
2. Press Ctrl + C.
3. Without clicking anywhere else, press Ctrl + Shift + V.

The formulas are gone and the values stay. Do this on a copy of the sheet first if other formulas depend on these cells.

Why Ctrl + Shift + V does not work

• You copied from outside Sheets. When you copy from a website or another program, Sheets receives the text from your system clipboard. Ctrl + Shift + V still pastes plain text, but there is no formula to drop, so it looks the same as a normal paste.
• The browser blocks clipboard access. If you use the Edit menu instead of the keyboard, Chrome may ask for permission to see the clipboard. Allow it once and the menu works; the keyboard shortcuts work without this permission.
• An extension uses the same keys. Some clipboard managers take over Ctrl + Shift + V. Test in an Incognito window to check.

The same shortcut in other apps

Ctrl + Shift + V means "paste without formatting" in many apps: Google Docs, Gmail, Chrome text boxes and recent versions of Microsoft Word. In Excel on Windows it is different: paste values there with Ctrl + Alt + V, then V and Enter. Our Word shortcuts guide covers pasting plain text in Word.

Common questions

Does paste values keep number formats like currency or dates?

No. Values only drops all formatting, including number formats, so a date can show as a number such as 46335. Use Format, Number to set it back, or paste the format separately with Ctrl + Alt + V.

Can I undo a paste values?

Yes, Ctrl + Z undoes it like any other change, and File, Version history keeps older versions if you notice later.

Is there a paste values button in the Sheets app on my phone?

Yes. Copy the cells, tap the cell where you want them, tap it again to open the menu, and choose Paste special, then Values only.

More Sheets time-savers, including fill range with Ctrl + Enter, are in our Google Sheets shortcuts cheat sheet.