Are you tired of all the extra formatting that comes along with copying text from sites to your blog or email? I know how difficult it can be to remove all those unwanted spaces, line breaks, and tabs. And even if you do manage to delete them all, there are still sometimes unintended changes in fonts due to embedded style sheets.
If this sounds like you, fear not! There is a solution to help eliminate these issues by using the “Paste Special” option when pasting into your document. This will allow you to paste without formatting which will save time and provide peace of mind knowing that only the words are being transferred over. In this post, I will show you some different methods for copying text without formatting.
How to Paste as Plain Text in Windows 11/10 Without Formatting
Keyboard shortcuts are a quick, easy way to make the most of your time. They can save you minutes every day and help you do things faster.
Ctrl + Shift + V
The simplest method to paste simple text without formatting on your PC/Laptop is to use a keyboard shortcut. To remove formatting, rather than Ctrl+V on Windows 11, press Ctrl + Shift + V from your keyboard. This technique works in all popular web browsers when writing on WordPress, Joomla, Blogger, and other platforms.
Command + Option + Shift V
To ‘paste and match formatting’ a document on a Mac, hold down Command + Option + Shift + V. However, this technique does not work in Microsoft Word, which employs a native approach to insert ordinary text into the editor.
How to Copy/Paste Plain Text Without Formatting in Microsoft Word
You can paste unformatted text into MS Word by using a specific “Paste” button on the ribbon. When you’ve got the target text copied with formatting, press the Paste button on the Word ribbon. You have three choices: ‘Keep Source Formatting (K),’ ‘Merge Formatting (M),‘ and ‘Keep Text Only (T)’ like image below.
The first option preserves the document’s formatting including images, fonts links,… while the second just keeps its basic format, such as bold/italic type and bullet points. The font is altered to match your text in the second option. The third choice pastes unformatted plain text into Word.
How to Copy/Paste Plain Text Without Formatting on Browsers
What is Browser Extensions? Browser extensions are a software add-on that typically enhances the functionality of a web browser. Extensions provide features not offered by the base browser, such as a spell checker, a download manager, or advertisement blocking.
Copy As Plain Text by Yubi (Chrome)
Copy as Plain Text is a lightweight extension that allows you to quickly copy any text from the computer’s right-click context menu. You can also right-click on a web page and select – Copy as plain text – from the context menu to copy whatever is highlighted. The selected text will be copied to the clipboard without any formatting.
Copy PlainText by erosman (Firefox)
Copy PlainText is a tiny add-on that removes the formatting from whatever you select before copying or pasting to or from the Clipboard. It removes multiple spaces, tabs, line breaks, and other weird characters that may be lurking in your text. The keyboard shortcut can be customized.
Both of them work in essentially the same way: They add a ‘Copy PlainText by erosman (Firefox)’ or ‘Copy As Plain Text by Yubi (Chrome)’ option to the browser’s right-click context menu.
Installing and Using Third-Party Software on Windows 11
Windows 11 is the latest and greatest version of Windows. It has a new design with faster performance so you can get more done on your PC. You’ll find it easier than ever to multitask across your favorite apps, enjoy cross-device experiences, etc.
PurText is a tiny tray program that removes any text formatting from your clipboard and, if you choose, pastes the pure text to the active window with a single hotkey. The simplest method to employ PureText is to utilize its Hotkey rather than the standard CTRL + V Hotkey that most Windows applications have.
Right-click the tray icon of PureText and select “Options” from the menu that appears. You can change the Hotkey in PureText to anything you like. The default shortcut is Windows + V, but it may be changed. Each time Windows is started, PureText may be configured to run automatically.
How to Set Paste and Match Style as the Default on Macbook
Paste and Match Style is a feature that was introduced to Macs in the past few years. Paste and Match Style allows you to copy text without any formatting or paste with all formatting intact by pressing Command+V, respectively. If you’d like Paste and Match Style as your default function, follow these steps:
1. Open Keyboard preference window (Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard).
2. Select ‘Shortcuts’ tab and hoose “App Shortcuts” on left column.
3. Click “+” button
4. Fill out the Menu Title with “Paste and Match Style” and click the box from Keyboard Shortcut, just press Command (⌘) + V from your keyboard.
5. Click “Add”.
Paste and Match Style allows you to paste text without formatting, which can help you maintain consistency in your writing style.
Using Sublime Text on Mac or Windows 11
Sublime Text is a powerful text editor that you can use to write code, markup, and prose. It offers intelligent editing features for all your coding needs with an intuitive interface. You can customize it to suit your preferences without compromising any of the useful functionality. Sublime Text also supports plugins which are easy to install from its package control system or through the command line.
Copy and paste your text from anywhere into Sublime on your Windows 10/11 PC, and then copy that Sublime text and paste it in your document. All of the text formatting has been deleted, but it will take time.
Conclusion
For those of you who like to copy and paste in your Windows 11 operating system or macOS, we hope this article was helpful when it comes to how plain text is copied without formatting. Leave a comment below with any questions or comments that you might have!
If you’ve found any other ways of copying formatted content on Windows 11 or Mac, please share them below. Your input will help others avoid frustrations when trying out these tricks themselves. Thank you for reading!
Solomen is the founder of MrHow.io and is at his happiest when he's working with technology and is able to help others. In his free time, he often listens to Baroque music and goes swimming. Feel free to contact him on social media!
