What Is the Difference Between “paste” and “paste Special”?

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Paste is a feature that lets users cut or copy items from a document and transfer them to another. Paste Special allows the items being transferred to be formatted in several different ways. Paste Special is a feature found in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice.

Pasting text from a Web page often retains the HTML formatting of the original, while using Paste Special lets users change the font, use different links or adjust the size and color of the text. Paste Special also allows users to paste data into cells by copying formulas and calculations, which is unavailable when using Paste.