Copycats rejoice! This week we have tons of tips for copying information in Smartsheet. Saving time and ensuring continuity are two of the biggest benefits to duplicating information in the app, and you have many options at your fingertips to do so. Whether you want to copy the big picture or just a small detail, we’ve got you covered with five different methods to copy information:
- Copy an entire sheet or its structure
- Copy a row to a new spot in the same sheet
- Copy a row from one sheet to another
- Copy cell data
- Copy between applications
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So many ways to copy data, how to choose? We’ve pulled together a few examples for you to help illustrate when you’d want to use each method, as well as the steps you’ll need to take.
1. Copy an entire sheet
Helpful when: you’ve got a sheet that’s really useful and want to duplicate to save time and maintain process continuity. You can copy your entire sheet, including the data, or just copy the structure of your sheet.
Some real world examples:
- Use your ‘October Sales’ sheet to create your ‘November Sales’ sheet.
- You’ve created a project management timeline that works really well for your team, and want to use it again on similar initiatives.
- You’ve got a killer sheet / web form combo that you’d like to use again – like a registration sheet for fall classes with a registration web form that you’d like to use with your students for the next semester of classes.
How to copy an entire sheet:
- Click the sheet actions icon in your left toolbar and select Save as New.
- Use the form that appears to decide what information you’d like to duplicate from your old sheet into your new one, things like:
- attachments
- discussions
- cell links
- web forms
- Make sure to set Alerts – these won’t copy over from one sheet to another.
- Learn more in the Smartsheet Help Center.
2. Copy a row to a new spot in the same sheet
Helpful when: you need to copy all of your data on a row – not just a few cells – from one row to another. Great to use when you have a formula that you’d like to use in many different places in your sheet – copying an entire row makes the formula relative to the new row number.
Some real world examples:
- You have a recurring ‘Board Meeting’ task from month to month, all tracked within the same sheet. Copy your entire ‘Board Meeting’ row to each new month and simply modify the start date for the new month.
- You have multiple formulas applied to one row and want to duplicate it elsewhere in your sheet. Copy the original row to a new spot in your sheet and update the non-formula cell information.
- You have basic instructions detailed in a few rows, like new employee onboarding details, and you want them to be available as reference points at multiple points in your sheet.
How to copy a row:
- Start by clicking your row’s number to highlight the entire row.
- Use either the keyboard shortcut to copy (Ctrl + C, command + C on a Mac), or right-click and select Copy.
- You can copy multiple rows at once, just make sure they’re all highlighted.
- Paste by right-clicking or using the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + V, command + V on a Mac).
- Attachments and Discussions won’t be copied
- If you have hierarchy built into your rows, remember to expand it to copy the indented data.
- Learn more in the Smartsheet Help Center.
3. Copy a row from one sheet to another
Helpful when: you need to quickly transfer some information from one sheet to another.
Some real world examples:
- You have a standard set of instructions for every new project, with a budget document saved as an Attachment and a Discussion comment with notes on how to complete the doc. Keep it simple by copying an entire row from one sheet to another.
- You’re planning multiple events with the same initial preparation steps. Copying rows from one sheet to another ensures consistency.
How to copy a row from one sheet to another:
- Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the row you’d like to copy and select Copy Row to Another Sheet.
- Copied rows will show up at the bottom of your new sheet.
- Be sure to select Attachments and Discussions if you’d like them copied with your row, they won’t automatically move from one sheet to another.
- Formulas won’t copy over from one sheet to another.
- Learn more in the Smartsheet Help Center.
4. Copy cell data
Helpful when: you need to copy either the data, formula or link in a cell / multiple highlighted cells.
Some real world examples:
- You have a number of tasks that are all ‘High’ priority and want to quickly mark them as such. Save time by copying priority value from one cell to the next.
- You have an ‘Assigned To’ column and want to quickly assign multiple project tasks to a member of your team. Copy and paste names and avoid re-selecting that name from the Contact List entry.
- You have a sheet with a column for tracking the cost of items, a column for number of items, and a formula that multiplies the two for Total Cost (a formula that is relative to the other cells on that particular row). Copy the your Total Dollars formula down to new rows so your formula increments to new rows.
- You have a value calculated by a formula, say the Total Sales on June 1st, and want to only the value (and not the formula so the amount won’t change later). In this instance, use Copy and Paste Special - Values.
Different ways to copy cell information:
- Single-click on the cell and copy with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C (Command + C on a Mac) or right-click and select copy.
- Fill down using Ctrl+D (Command + D on a Mac). When you’re using this method to copy information, be sure to include the cell with the data you’d like to copy as the first cell in your selection. In other words, click on your cell with the data first, then shift+click on the last cell you want your data copied to. This will fill the value down. If the cell contains a formula, this will copy down the formula instead of the value.
- If you’d like to copy the value from a cell with a formula applied, and not the formula, use Copy and Paste Special - Values.
- To drag-fill information from one cell to an adjacent cell(s), click on the cell you’d like to copy. Then mouse over the right, bottom corner of your cell. The cursor will change into a cross hair, click-and-drag bottom of the cell with that cross hair and drag to copy info.
- Learn more in the Smartsheet Help Center.
5. Copy between Smartsheet and other applications
Helpful when: you need to copy cell data from Smartsheet to another application or vice versa
Some real world examples:
- You’ve exported your sheet to work with it offline as an Excel file while you’re on a plane and need to update your sheet once you’re back online. While you’re updating your offline copy, change the text or background color in the cells you’re working on to quickly spot them when you’re back online and ready to copy and paste your updates into Smartsheet.
- You’ve corresponded about a project through email with a colleague and bit of information popped up that you’d like to save in a Discussion in your project sheet.
How to copy information from one application to another:
- Only use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V or Command + C and Command + V for Macs) -- the right click menu won’t necessarily work between different applications.
- Learn more in the Smartsheet Help Center.
Give each of these a try and see what works for you -- you’ll be an efficiency wizard before you know it!
Til next week, dig in and explore!
- Support Team