In Excel for Windows desktop: select the source range, choose Home > Find & Select > Go To Special > Visible cells only > OK, then copy. Paste into an empty, unfiltered sheet. For the example below, filter Region to North and manually hide sheet row 4 before selecting A1:C7; the pasted data must contain only R01 and R05, plus the header.
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Paste the six-record sample into A1 of a blank worksheet as an ordinary range, not an Excel table. The header is in row 1 and the data ends in row 7.
Select a cell in A1:C7 and choose Data > Filter. Open the Region header filter and show only North. R01, R03 and R05 are the matching records.
Right-click sheet row header 4 and choose Hide. This is R03 / North / 30, a matching record that must now be excluded separately from the Region filter.
Click the Name Box to the left of the formula bar, type A1:C7 and press Enter. This selects the complete source address, including the header and hidden final rows. Then choose Home > Find & Select > Go To Special > Visible cells only > OK.
Copy the restricted selection with Ctrl+C. On a new, empty sheet with all rows and columns visible and no active filter, select A1 and paste with Ctrl+V.
Inspect A1:C3 on the destination: the header followed by R01 / North / 10 and R05 / North / 50. Count two data rows; the header is additional. The original source records must remain in their original cells.
Copy two visible records from a six-record range
Paste the sample into A1 of a blank Windows desktop worksheet. Filter Region to North, manually hide sheet row 4 (R03), enter A1:C7 in the Name Box and press Enter. Choose Visible cells only before copying. Paste into A1 on a new empty, unfiltered sheet. Compare every pasted record with the expected two rows.
A1| Order | Region | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| R01 | North | 10 |
| R02 | South | 20 |
| R03 | North | 30 |
| R04 | West | 40 |
| R05 | North | 50 |
| R06 | East | 60 |
If columns are cut off, scroll the table sideways.
| Order | Region | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| R01 | North | 10 |
| R05 | North | 50 |
If columns are cut off, scroll the table sideways.
- Before manual hiding, the North filter matches R01, R03 and R05. R03 is on source sheet row 4 and must be hidden after filtering.
- Use the Name Box to select all of A1:C7 before choosing Visible cells only. The address includes the header and the filtered final rows, even though those rows are off-screen.
- Destination A2:C2 is R01 / North / 10; A3:C3 is R05 / North / 50. There are two data rows, plus the header, and the amount total is 60.
- R02, R03, R04 and R06 must not appear in the pasted output. No blank placeholder row is expected between R01 and R05.
- Check the source separately: the six original records and values remain in place, with their filter and hidden-row state.
- This ordinary-range fixture uses desktop visible-cell selection. Do not treat the web filtered-table exception as a test of manually hidden rows.
Documentation reviewed .
Microsoft: Copy visible cells and the web limitationMicrosoft: Excel keyboard shortcuts, including Mac visible cellsMicrosoft: Select a range using the Name BoxMicrosoft: Open Go To Special from the Mac Edit menuMicrosoft: Filter data in a range or tableMicrosoft: Hide or show rows or columns
Excel for Windows desktop: select the source range, then Home > Find & Select > Go To Special > Visible cells only before copying.Excel for Mac: select the source range, then Shift+⌘+* (asterisk) for visible cells. Microsoft lists US-layout keys; other layouts can differ. Menu alternative: Edit > Find > Go To > Special > Visible cells only > OK. Copy with ⌘+C and paste with ⌘+V into an empty, unfiltered sheet.
A filter and a manually hidden row exclude different records
The North filter leaves R01, R03 and R05. In the pasted input R03 is on sheet row 4, so hiding that row leaves R01 and R05 visible. This fixture checks both conditions together. Selecting visible cells only makes the requested selection explicit; do not assume every application and every filtered object treats an ordinary copy identically.
Check the compact destination, not the old row numbers
The destination should use consecutive rows: headers in row 1, R01 in row 2 and R05 in row 3. There should be no blank placeholder rows for R02, R03, R04 or R06. Compare the amounts as well as the IDs: 10 and 50, totaling 60. R03 must be absent even though its Region is North. The source data remains six records; copying does not reduce that source to two records.
Windows, Mac and Excel for the web
The numbered menu workflow is for Windows desktop. On Mac, Microsoft lists Shift+⌘+* (asterisk) to select only visible cells. Its shortcut table uses a US keyboard layout; keys on other layouts can differ. As a menu alternative, use Edit > Find > Go To > Special, choose Visible cells only and confirm OK. Apply the visible-cell selection to the source range before copying with ⌘+C and pasting with ⌘+V. Excel for the web cannot paste only the visible cells from an ordinary range using this command. Microsoft documents a filtered-table exception, but that statement does not establish that manually hiding R03 in a web table reproduces this fixture. Use desktop Excel for the combined filter-and-manual-hide exercise. Google Sheets behavior is not established here.
Check destination visibility separately
The source filter chooses the records to copy. A filter or hidden rows on the destination can instead conceal pasted records. Use a new empty sheet for this example so that A1:C3 is visible. If fewer records appear in an existing destination, inspect its filters and hidden rows before deciding that the source selection failed.
Common mistakes
- Hiding sheet row 3 instead of row 4: in this fixture
R03is on row 4 because row 1 contains headers. - Treating the three North records as the final output without excluding manually hidden
R03. - Counting the header as one of the two data records.
- Pasting into a filtered or partly hidden destination and checking only what remains on screen.
- Assuming the documented web filtered-table exception also proves every manually hidden-row case.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut on Mac?
Microsoft lists Shift+⌘+* (asterisk) for Select only visible cells in Excel for Mac. The table uses a US keyboard layout; keys on other layouts can differ. You can instead use Edit > Find > Go To > Special, choose Visible cells only and confirm OK. Apply either method to the selected source range, then use ⌘+C and ⌘+V. Check the expected IDs after pasting.
Should the pasted rows keep their original row numbers?
No. This example copies values into consecutive destination rows. R05 is originally on source row 6 and should be on destination row 3, below the header and R01.
Can I do the same thing in Excel for the web?
Microsoft documents no visible-only copy option for ordinary ranges on the web and an exception for filtered tables. The added manually hidden R03 case is not verified by that exception; use the desktop selection workflow for this fixture.
Why can I see fewer rows after pasting?
Inspect hidden rows, hidden columns and filters on the destination. In the blank destination used here, A1:C3 should show the header and both data records.