Text Pasted From Word to Excel Truncated After 255 Characters

ID: Q118852

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

Page 49 of the "Getting Started" manual for Microsoft Office version 4.0 states that when you copy a paragraph from Microsoft Word for Windows and paste it to Microsoft Excel, the paragraph will be pasted into a single column with each line occupying its own cell. This statement is incorrect: Up to 255 characters from the paragraph will be pasted into the selected cell. If the paragraph is more than 255 characters long, it will be truncated.


WORKAROUND

To paste a paragraph from Word for Windows to Microsoft Excel such that each line of the paragraph occupies its own cell, use either of the following methods.

Method 1

Manually insert paragraph marks at the end of each line by placing your cursor at the end of each line and then pressing the ENTER key. Then, copy the text and paste it into Microsoft Excel.

Method 2

Do the following to save the file in the Text Only With Line Breaks file format:

  1. From the File menu, choose Save As.


  2. In the Save As dialog box, under Save File As Type, select the Text Only With Line Breaks file type.


  3. Close and reopen the file.


After you close and reopen the file, there will be a paragraph mark at the end of each line of the paragraph.


STATUS

This documentation error has been corrected in the "Getting Started" manuals for Microsoft Office versions 4.2 and 4.3.


REFERENCES

"Microsoft Office Getting Started," version 4.0, page 49

Additional query words: 4.00a 4.20 4.30 


Keywords          : 
Version           : 4.00
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: June 18, 1999