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When I paste a character sting into an Excel cell, the sting is duplicated within the cell (Example "ABC" is pasted as "ABCABC"

84315488 20 Reputation points
2025-11-17T18:29:26.3766667+00:00

Pasting a character string into a cell in Excel sometimes (not always) ends up duplicating the character string within the single cell.

Example: I copy a character string: Spaghetti 123

When i paste to a cell in Excel, it pastes a duplicated string: Spaghetti 123Spaghetti 123

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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  1. Hendrix-C 15,095 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-11-17T19:22:29.8033333+00:00

    Hi @84315488,

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Based on your sharing, the behavior that Excel duplicates the string when pasting into Excel cell is unusual and I've attempted to reproduce the situation but failed. Since you mentioned that this issue appears occasionally but not persistently, the problems is highly due to the string source or clipboard issue:

    • If the copied string includes hidden formatting (like copying from a web page, HTML files, etc.), Excel may paste twice as both plain text and rich text.
    • If you use a third-party clipboard like ClipMate, etc., there's a possibility that it may mismanage the copied data or insert the string multiple times.

    For further assistance, can you share more details about when/from where that the copied string will be duplicated when pasting into Excel cells? If it happens, please try using Ctrl + Shift + V instead of Ctrl + V to see if the issue persists.

    Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

    Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.  

    I'm looking forward to your reply.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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  1. Dana 10 Reputation points
    2025-11-17T19:43:18.6133333+00:00

    Hi. Make sure you cell is not custom formatted as "**"

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  2. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-17T18:29:49.3366667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The issue of a character string being duplicated when pasted into an Excel cell could be caused by several factors. Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve this problem:

    1. Check Clipboard Behavior: Sometimes, clipboard managers or third-party applications can interfere with how data is copied and pasted. Ensure that no such application is causing the duplication.
    2. Excel Settings: Check if there are any settings in Excel that might affect pasting behavior. Resetting Excel settings to default may help.
    3. Excel Add-ins: Disable any add-ins that might be affecting the functionality of Excel. Sometimes, add-ins can cause unexpected behavior.
    4. Update Excel: Ensure that you are using the latest version of Excel, as updates often fix bugs and improve performance.
    5. Try Safe Mode: Start Excel in Safe Mode to see if the issue persists. This can help determine if the problem is caused by Excel itself or by other software.

    If the issue continues after trying these steps, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

    References:

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