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If you want to paste a format, you can copy and use the keyboard shortcut to paste special (Ctrl + Alt + V). MS Excel also has a useful format painter tool. You can select it using a keyboard shortcut (Using the hotkeys for the ribbon tools and then hitting the keys F, P).

However, what happens next is that the moment you move to a different cell using the arrow keys, it gets copied to that cell. With a mouse you can select any cell you want, but obviously with a keyboard it's going to be pasted onto one of the neighbouring cells:

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How do I do this properly with just the keyboard? (I'm using Excel 2016)

WorldGov
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7 Answers7

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Press F5 or Ctrl+G (Go To), and type in the address of your destination cell. You can F5 around and when you are done press ESC to get out of format painter.

WireGuy
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Update (November 2020): This Method does not work in the current version of Excel, as it will copy both format and content of the origin cell. Unless you are formatting empty cells, I recommend using the method of WireGuy instead: Use F5 or Ctrl+G to navigate to the target cell.

Original Answer: It is quite cumbersome, but after you undo (Ctrl + z) formatting the neighbouring cell, you can move around the cursor with the keyboard arrows and press enter finally to paint the correct cell.

If you hold down shift while navigating (before pressing enter) you can paint multiple (adjacent) cells at once.

Vincent
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I use two options:

1 (For Office 365):

1- Select your desired cell to copy you format from.

2- Press Alt + H, then press F & P keys, (you just copied your last selected cell format).

3- just click with your mouse where do you want to paste the format.

2 (For older versions):

1- Press Ctrl + C on your desired cell to copy you format from.

2- Select your desired Cells you where you want to paste the format.

3- Press Alt + E, then S & T Keys, and Enter.

Community
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Laeark
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None of the above worked for me, but @Vincent's answer gave me a clue. As per my comment above to Vincent, that technique actually copied the entire cell value, format and all. Sorry mate but I found another way:

  1. Just select the cell(s) you want to copy Conditional Formatting from. Use the keyboard or mouse here. It doesn't matter.
  2. Do what Vincent said using the CTRL-Z bit
  3. Shift-Select and move the cursor over the cell(s)/range you want to copy the conditional formatting to (this was handy as I had over 12,000 rows and 150 colunms! No way I was going to do this with a mouse).
  4. Instead of hitting ENTER, as Vincent suggested, go to Paste Special.
  5. Select Paste --> Formats
  6. Now press ENTER.

Voila!

Fandango68
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I use this method: First you have to prepare excel

  1. You add "Paste formatting" to the quick access toolbar /customize quick access toolbar - more commands - choose commands from: all commands/
  2. you need to know the number it has now (depending on the position you moved it) - it's 8 by me

After that you can use it like

  1. copy the part you want to use the format from
  2. navigate to the cells you want to use the format, press CTRL+Alt twice and after that the number

In my case this is: Ctrl+Alt , Alt , 8

It sounds complicated but it's pretty easy after repeating a couple of times

Peter
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Just to be more explicit on Fandango68's answer, which worked for me, the process is:

  1. Select cell / range with format to be copied
  2. CTRL + C
  3. Select cell / range where format is to be pasted
  4. Alt > H Home on the ribbon
  5. V > S Paste drop down, then Special
  6. T > Enter selects Formats in the Paste Special menu and applies it.

So the full sequence is to copy the cell whose format you want to paste with standard copy shortcut, move to the target cell, followed by the sequence:

Alt > H > V > S > T > Enter

DarkDiamond
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joe
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Keyboard method to Copy and Paste Formatting in Excel 365:

  1. Go to the cell whose format you want to copy.
  2. Ctrl+C
  3. Go to the cell or range where you want to paste only the format.
  4. Shift+F10, R

Explanation of 4: Shift+F10 opens the contextual menu. R activates Paste Formating.

Alternative: External full keyboards have a special key to activate the contextual menu, which is located to the left of right Ctrl key. This key has the same effect as Shift+F10.

Rodolfo Oviedo
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Rodolfo Oviedo
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