Excel like a finance pro.
Multiply a whole range in place with Paste Special
CtrlAltV, MEntry & fillRestate a column to thousands, or flip every sign, without a helper column.
Difficulty
1What it does
Paste Special can do arithmetic on the cells it lands on. Copy a cell holding 1000, select the range, paste with **Divide**, and the whole block is restated in thousands where it sits — no helper column, no formula to clean up after, and the formatting survives. It's the fastest fix for an export that arrived with every figure the wrong sign, which is most bank and payroll exports at some point.
2The shortcut
- 1Type the operand in a spare cell —
1000to rescale,-1to flip signs — and copy it withCtrl + C. - 2Select the range you want changed.
- 3
Ctrl + Alt + V, thenMfor Multiply orIfor Divide, thenEnter. Delete the operand cell afterwards.
3Before → after
Press the shortcut to play it on a sample sheet.
Before — as the export gave it to you
| A — Line | B — Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revenue | $486,000 |
| 2 | Operating expenses | -$164,000 |
| 3 | Gross profit | $204,900 |
| 4 | Depreciation | -$18,250 |
Type the operand in a spare cell, copy it, select the range, then Ctrl + Alt + V and pick the operation.
4When you use it
- Restate a schedule into thousands for a board pack.
- Flip the signs on an export that came through as negatives.
- Apply a flat uplift to a price list without rebuilding it.
Want these moves already done for you? Wauvel's free tools download as branded, formula-driven Excel models — Tables, named ranges, and all.
Learn the moves here — or let Wauvel run them on your numbers.
Meet your AI CFO →One CFO-grade Excel tip a week
A short, practical email for finance operators — functions, shortcuts, and the moves that save an afternoon. Free, unsubscribe anytime.