For as long as I can remember, going back to the dark ages of the 286, one of
the "features" of Excel has been that it doesn't leave data on the clipboard
after any operation. For example, you choose "copy," the marquee lights up
around the cell...but then you realize you need to insert a row at the
destination, and by the time you've inserted it, Excel has cancelled your
"copy" and you have to "copy" again. Almost any operation will cancel the
"copy" state, so one could make up almost infinitely many examples of cases
where this behavior interferes with the user's intentions.

This is, of course, highly idiosyncratic behavior. Any other program on any
other platform - whether Word, or Notepad, or MSVC++, or Adobe Photoshop, or
text boxes in the Windows shell, or whatever, and whether or Windows or Mac
- leaves the last cut or copy on the clipboard indefinitely, or at least
until you close the application. This is no doubt because the standard
behavior is very useful. A common work pattern, for example, is to copy
something and paste it many times. This does not work in Excel, however, if
you have to carry out any kind of operation to prepare for each paste.

I realize that Excel's odd practice is well established by now, but even
today when we are all used to it, it still regularly leads to wasted time.
And it serves no purpose whatsoever. Obviously you shouldn't keep the
flashing marquee going forever, but why not leave the data up?

I would love for Microsoft and the Office team to rethink this.

Thanks.

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