# Another Excel Question! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962 "2012-02-15T20:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/1 "2012-02-15T20:05:26Z")
I have used Excel 2003 ever since it came out, and thought I had most of the basics mastered. However, there is a very minor but quite frustating problem that has shown up recently, as follows. Whenever I paste a the contents of a cell into another cell, Excel will automatically overlay some of the cell with an icon that, if clicked on, gives one various options for formating. This, to me, is useless, and often interferes with the visibility of the cell. It looks like this: [http://imageshack.us/f/189/excel.gif/](http://imageshack.us/f/189/excel.gif/) The 45995 has just been pasted in, and the bottom cell of the group, showing 12.9, is partically obscured by the icon with the little briefcase in it. I would like to prevent that little icon from ever showing up again, under any circumstances. Is there some way to do this? I know, Excel 2003 is obsolete, and superceded by new and better things. However, 2003 suits me perfectly, and I have no interest in any of the new whizbang changes in Excel 2010, so please don’t suggest that I use the new program. Please. And thanks for any help you can give on this icon thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Disgscen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f05b48/32.png) [@Disgscen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgscen)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/2 "2012-02-15T20:37:37Z")
Options/Advanced/Show paste options buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/3 "2012-02-15T21:46:04Z")
Thanks a bunch. That little button is now defunct! You know, I find this board a lot better source of Excel information than the formal Excel boards that are available. The problem there is when one goes back after asking a question, your thread is buried so deep within the message board that it is basically impossible to find again. Reading that again sort of reminds of Yogi Berra’s comment about a restaurant. _“It’s so busy that nobody goes there any more.”_ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/4 "2012-02-15T21:52:53Z")
That little icon is sooooooo annoying. Nice to see there is a way to get rid of it. I think I used to double click on a cell to make it go away, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/5 "2012-02-15T22:43:06Z")
Killing that gorram “feature” is at the top of my list for almost every PC I use. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/6 "2012-02-15T23:03:38Z")
When I clicked your link I got Imageshack’s(?) VERY LARGE rotate/zoom controls. I thought I never saw anything like that and that it was horrible. I then realized that you were talking about the clipboard (conveniently hidden under). ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/7 "2012-02-16T01:49:36Z")
I think I did something weird when linking to the image. Have to be more careful the next time! Glad you were able to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Steele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecae2f/32.png) [@Lance\_Steele](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Steele)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/8 "2012-02-16T01:53:42Z")
Sorry for somewhat hijacking this thread. I hate the paste options button too, but even more hateful to me is that it automatically turns on text wrap when you paste text into a cell. Even if neither the source nor destination cells are formatted that way. Grr. I’ve tried to find a way to permanently disable this online, but to no avail. Anyone? I’ll do your math homework for a year. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-excel-question/612962/9 "2012-02-16T02:56:30Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > You know, I find this board a lot better source of Excel information than the formal Excel boards that are available. The problem there is when one goes back after asking a question, your thread is buried so deep within the message board that it is basically impossible to find again. I frequent [http://www.excelforum.com](http://www.excelforum.com) and find the participants to be excellent (though the maintenance of the infrastructure so-so). Good questions get quick, good answers. The other benefit to that board that prevents this one from being a decent tech support board is the ability to post sample files. Another good one is [http://www.thecodecage.com/](http://www.thecodecage.com/). And for both, just as on this board, if you go to your Control Panel you see your subscribed threads, which include any that you started. Very easy to find them again.