Pasting data copied from MS Word

[WJSwanepoel]

I am copying a table from MS Word 2007 to Excel. Some of the cells contain text such as 4:10. When I paste it in Excel it is automatically formatted as a time (10 past 4).

How do I stop Excel from automatically formatting when I paste? I have tried pre-formatting the cells as "text" but it does not help.

[macropod]

Edit the text by inserting a ' character before those strings. This can be done before copying, or after pasting.

[p45cal]

Format the cells you're going to paste to as Text before pasting.

[macropod]

Originally Posted by p45cal

Format the cells you're going to paste to as Text before pasting.

That's what the OP says he's already doing:

Originally Posted by WJSwanepoel

I have tried pre-formatting the cells as "text" but it does not help.

[p45cal]

Well, I missed that, but I had tried it anyway and it did work here!
Perhaps attach the Word document with the table and perhaps even the worrkbook here.

[WJSwanepoel]

Originally Posted by p45cal

Well, I missed that, but I had tried it anyway and it did work here!
Perhaps attach the Word document with the table and perhaps even the worrkbook here.

Attached is a small sample.
I 1) pre-formatted the area to "Text", 2) also tried Alt-F9

[WJSwanepoel]

If I copy the table from MS Word, paste it into Notepadd++ and then copy from there and paste into Excel the problem does not arise.

Bit of a round-about, but it works.

Thank you to everybody who tried to help.

[p45cal]

Have you tried:

Box


or:
Box


?
Worked here.
Sorry the images are only links, couldn't upload images here.

[WJSwanepoel]

Originally Posted by p45cal

Have you tried:

Box


or:
Box


?
Worked here.
Sorry the images are only links, couldn't upload images here.

Yes, made no difference...

[p45cal]

Still preformatting the receiving cells to Text…

[WJSwanepoel]

I have tried preformatting receiving cells to text, ALT-F9 in MS Word, Paste special, etc..... none of it works.

[p45cal]

Very surprised!

[WJSwanepoel]

I am thinking something went wrong with my MS Word installation. Perhaps I should reinstall.

[WJSwanepoel]

I ran die MS Office diagnostics which picked up one problem which it corrected. When I now use Paste Special...Text it works fine. But the cells must also be preformatted as text.

[p45cal]

Great!
Which app was at fault?