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Publisher - can't cut and paste

Jennifer Harriss 20 Reputation points
2026-05-18T13:21:09.4433333+00:00

Hi, I'm working on a yearbook and I'm really late, so I need to get it done right away. I looked up how to merge the names from an excel file, but when I tried it didn't do what I needed. I have canceled the merge, and everything else I can think of, but when i try to cut and paste the names into the space they go, I instead get a table in a random place on the page. It won't stop and I don't have the time to waste. I started a whole new file, from scratch, but it's still happening. What can I do?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Publisher | For education
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Answer accepted by question author

Henry-N 13,210 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-05-18T14:44:16.1366667+00:00

Hi @Jennifer Harriss, 

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

I understand that you're experiencing an issue where you’re unable to copy and paste content from Excel into Publisher. To better understand your situation and assist you effectively, I’d like to ask a few quick questions: 

  • Could you please describe the exact steps you follow when copying and pasting from Excel to Publisher? This will help me recreate the issue on my side. 
  • When you paste the data into Publisher, does it appear as shown in the image below? User's image
  • In Excel, is your data formatted as a table similar to the example below? If so, when pasting into Publisher, it may automatically be inserted as a table.  User's image User's image

As a potential workaround, you can try using Paste Special: 

  • You can apply this to the entire list you don’t need to paste cell by cell. 
  • Select Paste Special and choose “New text box” as the paste option.  User's image
  • This should display the content similarly to the example shown below.  User's image

If I’ve misunderstood any part of your issue, please feel free to clarify so I can assist you more accurately. 

Thank you for your time and patience. While this initial response may not immediately resolve the issue, collecting these details will help me investigate further and provide a more accurate solution. I look forward to your response!  

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".       

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  1. Jennifer Harriss 20 Reputation points
    2026-05-18T13:31:22.2233333+00:00

    Will I need to this forever? For every single cell in the whole yearbook?

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-18T13:21:21.2633333+00:00

    The behavior comes from the mail merge/table content still being treated as a table when pasted. To paste just the text into the correct spot, use Paste Special and choose the option that removes table formatting.

    Try this for each block of names being pasted:

    1. In Excel (or the source file), select the names and click Copy.
    2. In Publisher, click exactly inside the text box where the names should go.
    3. On the Home tab, click the arrow under Paste and choose Paste Special.
    4. In the As list, select Table Cells Without Cell Formatting, then click OK.

    If a full table is being copied instead of just the cells needed, first select only the cells with the names (not the entire table) before copying. If the entire table was copied by mistake, Publisher will insert it as a table object, which is why it appears in a random place on the page.

    If the table still appears away from the text box, delete that pasted table, click inside the correct text box again, and repeat the Paste Special steps so the content goes into the text frame rather than as a separate table object.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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