Why Excel adds quotes when you copy a cell

Check the original value

A cell containing a line break may acquire surrounding double quotes when pasted into a text editor. They help represent the content as a single field. The same characters need not exist inside the original cell.

Cell value:
Tokyo office
Sales team

Possible pasted text:
"Tokyo office
Sales team"

Inspect the formula bar or enter edit mode to check whether the original text actually starts and ends with quote characters.

Copy the text of a single cell

1. Double-click the cell or press F2 to enter edit mode.
2. Select the text inside the cell and copy it.
3. Paste into your destination and inspect the result. This differs from copying a whole cell or range.

For a formula cell, edit mode contains the formula itself. If you need its calculated text, first use Paste Special → Values in a spare cell, then copy that cell’s text in edit mode.

Remove quotes only when they are real data

If you have confirmed that every double quote in the actual cell value should be removed, use:

=SUBSTITUTE(A1,CHAR(34),"")

Keep CSV and database imports intact

Quoted fields are normal in CSV when values contain commas, quotes, or line breaks. Removing every quote from a CSV file can corrupt its structure. Let a CSV parser interpret the format.

For database work, use the database’s parameterized queries or supported import tools instead of assembling SQL from pasted cell text. This also avoids treating embedded quotes as executable SQL syntax.

Download the example

UTF-8 CSV data. Import with Data → From Text/CSV. Set identifier columns to Text when leading zeros matter. Charts and formulas are added using the steps in this guide.