Quickly Remove Formatting when you Copy-Paste Text In Office

Software Tutorials, Microsoft Office, Note Taking

17 jun 2008

When you cut, copy & paste text from a web page into an email message or a Word document, the associated formatting styles also get copied along with the text. A keyboard shortcut can clear the formatting.

copy-paste-text Here’s a very useful keyboard shortcut for Microsoft programs like Word, Outlook, Windows Live Writer, etc.

When you cut, copy & paste text from a web page into an email message or a Word document, the associated formatting styles also get copied along with the text.

If you like to clear this formatting, just select the text again and press Ctrl key followed by space bar. The selection is converted into plain text without requiring any macros and no more hunting the paste special menu button.

http://www.techdreams.org Gopinath M

I tried with Windows Live Writer latest CTP, it did not work!!
http://www.practiproj.com efimor

This is nice, some of the formatting disappears, but still the font and the font size remain.
Many times I would copy to notepad and from there to office. This way there is no formatting at all.
Is there a short cut for that? That would be very useful.
Mehmet Yilmaz

Great tip. I’ve been the shortcut guy, but I didn’t know this before

Thanks
http://www.enidhi.net Shrinidhi Hande

simply paste in notepad first and copy again and paste in word…this also removes all formatting…
Adrian Leonard

Thanks for the tips Amit. It’s really helpful.
http://mygmails.blogspot.com Loganathan

Good! I am always trying to remove formatting at many ways. this will save more time for me. Thanks.
http://www.rohitblog.com Rohit

Atlas! A way to stop Word from using source formatting of copied text. I had to use the small arrow menu & then select “Use Destination Formatting” option. Thanks Amit.
http://yesterday1cemore.blogspot.com Ojas

I do Alt-E-S downarrow downarrow Enter. That’s paste special -> unformatted text (in general in MS Word). I guess its faster than re-selecting the pasted material and removing formatting.
http://www.zeo-tech.com Bryce

It doesn’t really remove all formatting (like bold, font sizes, images, etc). It kills hyperlinks and some other things…i will stick to Alt+E, S…
I wish Paste was ALWAYS paste special unformated text.
Eddie

I use PureText (http://www.stevemiller.net/puretext/) ALL the time for this. Works a treat, I just wish MS would provide an option to turn off format pasting.
Ted

In Word 2007 hit the Office button in the top left corner.
select “word options” (bottom right)
select the “advanced” menu option in the left column
there is a whole section “cut, copy, and paste”
make the changes to your desire
thumbs up and enjoy
you can also change your default file location here
Eric

I use PureText for this – it does the same thing as pasting into Notepad, but with fewer steps. PureText uses Windows-V instead of Ctrl-V. Easy to remember and easy to use!
Minna

I believe Ctrl + Space actually restores the underlying paragraph formatting; it doesn’t change text to plain. That is what happens in Word 2002/2003 at least.
For example, if you have a Heading 1 where you’ve changed it to red underlined italic for example (not in the styles but directly in the document) Ctrl + Space will reset to the heading 1 style.
Brian

I just use PureText:
http://www.stevemiller.net/puretext/

It runs quietly in the sys tray until I need it.
Jeff

Yeah, like the other poster I’m giong to stick with my [Alt-e], [s] to do unformatted pastes. I don’t currently use 2007, but if I remember correctly it wasn’t the actual shortcut path; however, Microsoft was kind enough to retain it from earlier versions.
Jason

You can also record a macro so you don’t have to go to the menu to past special with no formatting. Then give a keyboard shortcut (CTRL+SHIFT+V) and voila. One keystroke.
Anonymous

I have the source for this and other tips: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA102750211033.aspx?pid=CH102264241033 – see tip #8.

This office tip was in highlight these days at Microsoft.com… BE ETHIC! Publish your sources bloggers!!
Carolyn Vines

How do I remove addresses from messages that I want to forward BCC?
http://none Rosanne

How do I get rid of the formatting marks in an email I’m sending? I tried going to format and clicking the button to remove them but it doesn’t work. I use Outlook 2007.
I messed this up with the clipboard and now can’t get rid of it.
http://home.birzeit.edu/iws Al-Sa`ed

I tried to copy and past from a PDF file of a given article, pasted into word document, but I saw no regular text but lines and comas, how can solve this problem, I wanted to use a “reference” so I do not need to re-type it all new, so I can save me time!

NOTE: The Pdf file has no security, and free access!

Thanks for swift help

Dr. Rashed Al-Sa`ed
Lampan

This does not remove all formatting. Something somewhere still remains! Copying to NotePad is still the trustworthy option, although messy!

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Quickly Remove Formatting when you Copy-Paste Text In Office

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