How to Paste Text Without Formatting

Have you ever copied text from a website or document, only to have it paste with unwanted formatting into your email or another application? Let's explore the quick and easy solution to this common problem.

The Hidden Formatting Problem

Many websites and online tools have their own hidden formats used to make text look a certain way. Word processors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs also contain hidden formatting. The problem is that these different formatting systems often don't work well together.

When you copy and paste from one application to another, you might end up with text that:

• Looks completely different from the rest of your document
• Has inconsistent fonts, sizes, or colors
• Contains unwanted hyperlinks
• Breaks the style of your website or application
• Includes invisible formatting that causes problems later

The solution is simple: paste your text without its formatting.

How to Paste Without Formatting

Application-Specific Notes

While the keyboard shortcuts above work in most modern applications, there are some exceptions:

Microsoft Word

In Microsoft Word, you can access more paste options by right-clicking and selecting "Paste Special" or "Keep Text Only". Alternatively, after pasting, you can click the small paste options button that appears and select "Keep Text Only".

Gmail

Gmail uses the standard Ctrl+Shift+V (or Cmd+Shift+V on Mac) to paste without formatting. It also has a dedicated "Remove formatting" button in its toolbar (the icon looks like "Tx").

Slack

Slack uses Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) to paste without formatting. You can also paste normally and then select the text and use the "Remove Formatting" option in the formatting toolbar.

When Standard Shortcuts Don't Work

If the standard shortcuts don't work in your application, you have a few alternatives:

1. Use a text editor as an intermediary: Paste your text into a plain text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac, make sure it's in plain text mode), then copy it again and paste it into your final destination.
2. Use our Formatnest tool: Paste your text into our online text formatter, then copy the plain text version.
3. Look for application-specific options: Many applications have their own methods for pasting without formatting, often found in the Edit menu or right-click context menu.

Benefits of Pasting Without Formatting

• Consistency: Your document maintains a uniform appearance.
• Cleaner code: When working with HTML or other code, unformatted text avoids introducing unwanted markup.
• Smaller file sizes: Removing hidden formatting can significantly reduce document size.
• Fewer errors: Many application errors occur due to incompatible formatting.
• Time savings: No need to manually reformat text after pasting.

Conclusion

Pasting without formatting is a simple skill that can save you significant time and frustration. By using the keyboard shortcuts Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows), you can ensure your text maintains the formatting of its destination rather than bringing unwanted styling with it.

For more complex text formatting needs, try our Formatnest tool, which offers additional features like removing extra spaces, line breaks, and special characters.