Copy and Paste in New Lists Reference

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.affinity.co/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

Copy and paste in New Lists provides a spreadsheet-like experience for efficiently replicating and moving data across cells, rows, and lists. Use keyboard shortcuts to copy values and paste them into compatible fields without manual re-entry. What it does: Enables fast data replication, bulk updates, and cross-list data transfer using familiar Cmd+C/Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V (Windows) shortcuts. Who it’s for: All New Lists users, especially valuable for data entry, pipeline management, and bulk updates. Where to use: Any editable field in New Lists (sheet view)

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How Copy and Paste Works

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Basic Copy and Paste

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Cmd+C (Mac) / Ctrl+C (Windows) — Copy
• Cmd+V (Mac) / Ctrl+V (Windows) — Paste
• Backspace or Delete — Clear focused cell

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Steps

1. Focus on a cell (click it or navigate with keyboard)
2. Copy: Press Cmd+C or Ctrl+C
3. Dotted outline appears around copied cell(s)
4. Navigate to target (click or use Tab/Enter/Arrow keys)
5. Paste: Press Cmd+V or Ctrl+V
6. Value appears immediately Important: Copy from the focused cell, NOT from within the cell editor. Click the cell to focus it, then copy.

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Bulk Copy and Paste (Up to 100 Cells)

Select multiple cells:

• Shift+Click: Click first cell, hold Shift, click last cell
• Click+Drag: Click and drag across cells

Visual feedback:

• Blue background on selected cells
• Focus remains on first cell
• Dotted outline appears after copying

How bulk paste works:

• Copy 3 cells → Paste into 3 cells = (A, B, C)
• Copy 2 cells → Paste into 6 cells = (A, B, A, B, A, B) — pattern repeats
• Copy 2 cells → Paste into 4 cells = (A, B, A, B) — fills available cells Limit: 100 cells maximum

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Visual Indicators

Dotted outline (shows what’s copied):

• Appears immediately after Cmd+C or Ctrl+C
• Persists until you paste, cell data changes, columns reorder, or filters/sorts applied
• Use to verify what’s in your clipboard

Blue background (shows selection):

• Appears during Shift+Click or Click+Drag
• Shows selected range for bulk operations
• Focus stays on first cell

Override styling (shows manual edits):

• Yellow highlight (Minimal style) or black text (Classic style)
• Indicates you’ve overridden enriched data via paste

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What You Can Copy and Paste

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Single Cell Operations

✅ Works for all these:

• Copy/paste within same list
• Copy/paste across different lists
• Copy/paste across browser tabs
• Copy from enriched fields (paste creates override in target)
• Copy from empty cells (paste clears target)
• Copy/paste long text (1000+ characters)
• Preserves text formatting and special characters

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Bulk Operations (Up to 100 Cells)

✅ Works for:

• Select up to 100 contiguous cells in same column
• Copy and paste entire range
• Paste creates repeating pattern if target larger than source
• Shift+Click or Click+Drag selection

❌ Limitations:

• Cannot select 101+ cells (blocked)
• Horizontal selection not supported (same column only)
• Non-contiguous selection not supported (must be continuous)

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Multi-Value Fields

✅ Works for:

• People fields, Company fields, Multi-select dropdowns
• Up to 100 values per field
• All values preserved in order

❌ Limitation:

• Fields with 100+ values cannot be copied (error appears)

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Cell Clearing

✅ Works for:

• Press Backspace or Delete on focused cell
• Cells with ≤10 values: Clear immediately
• Cells with 10+ values: Confirmation modal appears first

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Supported Field Types

• Text: Single-line text, Multi-line text, URLs, Email addresses, Phone numbers
• Selection: Single-select dropdowns, Multi-select dropdowns (up to 100), Ranked dropdowns, Status fields
• Relational: People fields (up to 100), Company/Organization fields (up to 100)
• Numbers & Dates: Date fields, Number fields, Currency fields
• Other: Checkbox fields, Location fields

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Unsupported Field Types

❌ Cannot copy/paste:

• Activity fields (Last Contact, First Email, etc.)
• Connection fields
• Formula fields (calculated values)
• Read-only Affinity Data Growth fields
• LinkedIn Profile fields ❌ Other limitations:
• Cannot copy from within cell editor (only from focused cell)
• Cannot paste into Profiles or Notes
• Cannot copy/paste between different dropdown fields
• Cannot copy from external apps (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.)

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Important Behaviors

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Triggers and Automations

Single cell paste:

• ✅ All triggers fire: Status Triggers, Opportunity Triggers, Reminder Triggers
• ✅ All field automations run
• ✅ Close date automation fires (Opportunities)
• ✅ Real-time updates work

Bulk paste:

• ✅ Field automations fire per cell
• ✅ Reminder Triggers fire per cell
• ❌ Status Triggers do NOT fire
• ❌ Opportunity Triggers do NOT fire

Decision: Need triggers? Use single cell paste. Need speed? Use bulk paste.

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Paste Validation

When paste fails (target cell unchanged): Incompatible field types:

• Pasting text into number, multi-select into single-select, etc.
• Error toast appears Read-only fields:
• Cannot paste into locked fields (lock icon) or formula fields
• Error message appears Required fields:
• Pasting empty value → Required Field modal appears (same as manual edit)
• Bulk paste of empty values into required fields → Not supported

Cells with 10+ values:

• Pasting into or clearing cells with 10+ values → Confirmation modal appears
• Prevents accidental data loss

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Enriched Field Behavior

Copying from enriched:

• ✅ Works normally
• Source stays enriched, continues auto-updating
• Source unaffected by paste operation Pasting into enriched:
• Pasted value becomes override
• Target shows override styling (yellow or black depending on style setting)
• Target stops auto-updating from enrichment
• To restore: Clear the cell, wait 24 hours for re-enrichment

Consider before pasting: Only override if your data is more accurate than enrichment will be going forward

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Best Practices

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Planning Your Workflow

Before copying:

• Verify field types match (text to text, number to number)
• Decide: single paste (triggers fire) or bulk paste (faster)

Efficient selection:

• Shift+Click: Best for 20+ cells
• Click+Drag: Best for 3-10 cells
• Work column-by-column (no horizontal selection)

After pasting:

• Scan for expected values
• Check for error toasts (failed pastes)
• Verify triggers fired if expected
• Look for override indicators if pasted into enriched fields

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Keyboard Navigation Tips

Stay in keyboard mode:

• Copy (Cmd+C) → Tab → Paste (Cmd+V) → Tab → Repeat
• Copy (Cmd+C) → Enter (down) → Paste (Cmd+V) → Enter → Repeat
• Tab = right, Shift+Tab = left, Enter = down, Shift+Enter = up

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Common mistake

• ❌ Clicking INTO cell to edit → Cmd+C copies text cursor
• ✅ Click cell to FOCUS it → Cmd+C copies cell value

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Single vs Bulk Paste Decision

Use single cell paste when:

• Need Status/Opportunity Triggers to fire
• Want Required Fields modal validation
• Pasting into <10 cells (bulk not worth it)

Use bulk paste when:

• Pasting into 10+ cells
• Speed matters more than triggers
• Filling standard fields (Owner, Source, Stage)

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Common Use Cases

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Use Case 1: Standardize Values Across New Entries

Scenario: Added 10 new companies, all from same conference source. Workflow:

1. Fill Lead Source for first company: “Conference - TechCrunch Disrupt”
2. Focus cell, copy (Cmd+C)
3. Select 9 other rows (Shift+Click on last)
4. Paste (Cmd+V)
5. All 10 now have same Lead Source Time saved: 30 seconds vs typing 9 times

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Use Case 2: Bulk Owner Assignment

Scenario: 25 new inbound leads to distribute across team. Workflow:

1. Assign first lead to Sarah
2. Copy Sarah’s owner cell
3. Select next 4 cells (Shift+Click)
4. Paste - fills 5 cells
5. Repeat for each team member
6. Done in <2 minutes Time saved: 5 minutes vs 25 dropdown selections

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Use Case 3: Cross-List Data Transfer

Scenario: Moving closed deal amounts from pipeline to portfolio tracking. Workflow:

1. In Pipeline list, copy Investment Amount
2. Navigate to Portfolio list (Cmd+K, search)
3. Find same company, paste into Investment Size field
4. Use Tab to move to next field
5. Repeat for other financial fields Time saved: 2-3 minutes per deal vs manual re-entry

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Use Case 4: Status Updates With or Without Triggers

Scenario: 8 deals advanced to “Partner Approved” after meeting. Option A - Single paste (triggers fire):

1. Update first deal to “Partner Approved”
2. Copy Status cell
3. Paste into each of 7 remaining deals individually
4. Status Trigger fires for each (Required Fields modal if configured)

Option B - Bulk paste (no triggers):

1. Update first deal
2. Copy Status cell
3. Select all 7 remaining cells
4. Paste once - all update instantly
5. No Status Trigger (faster if you don’t need validation) Choose based on: Whether you need triggers to fire

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if I paste into wrong field type? Error appears, paste blocked, target unchanged. Match types: text to text, number to number. Can I paste into multiple columns at once? No. Paste one column at a time, use Tab to move between columns. What happens when I paste into enriched fields? Value becomes override with yellow highlight (Minimal) or black text (Classic). Field stops auto-updating. To restore: Clear cell, wait 24 hours. Do triggers fire when I paste? Single paste: All triggers fire. Bulk paste: Only field automations and Reminder Triggers fire. Status and Opportunity Triggers do NOT fire. Maximum cells I can paste? 100 cells. For more, break into multiple operations. Why does confirmation modal appear? Appears when pasting into or clearing cells with 10+ values (prevents data loss). Does copy/paste work with real-time updates? Yes. If teammate edits a copied cell, dotted outline disappears. Copy again to get updated value.