Microsoft KB Archive/185943

= OLEXP: Columns Copied from Message Paste Incorrectly into Excel =

Article ID: 185943

Article Last Modified on 11/25/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01
 * Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0
 * Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01
 * Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0
 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q185943



For information about the differences between Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook e-mail clients, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257824 OL2000: Differences Between Outlook and Outlook Express



SYMPTOMS
When you copy columns from a Microsoft Outlook Express message, and then paste the columns into an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, any of the following may occur:
 * Multiple paragraphs may paste into a single row.
 * Multiple columns may paste into a single column.

When you attempt to use the Text to Columns command on a single cell or column, you may receive the following message:

Microsoft Excel can convert only one column at a time. The range can be many rows tall but no more than one column wide. Try again by selecting cells in one column only.



CAUSE
This behavior can occur when Outlook Express messages are displayed in HTML format.



RESOLUTION
To work around this issue, paste the information into the Excel spreadsheet as text. To do so, follow these steps:
 * 1) Copy text from the Outlook Express message that you want to paste into the spreadsheet.
 * 2) Start Excel, open the spreadsheet that you want to use, and then click to select the cell you want to paste the copied information into.
 * 3) On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
 * 4) In the Paste Special dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.

Multiple paragraphs will now paste into multiple rows and multiple columns can now be parsed using the Text to Columns command.



MORE INFORMATION
Multiple paragraphs that are pasted as a single row contain a line feed (SHIFT+ENTER) instead of a carriage return (ENTER) character. Text with line feeds paste into a single row. Text with carriage returns paste into multiple rows.

Columnar information may be pasted as merged cells. The Text to Columns command does not work with merged cells.

Keywords: kbinterop kbenv KB185943

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