The simplest way: paste special, then choose format

When you paste text into Word, it usually keeps the formatting from wherever you copied it — bold, colors, fonts, spacing, everything. If you want to strip all that away and match Word's default style instead, use Paste Special instead of a regular paste.

On Windows, copy your text, then in Word press Ctrl + Shift + V. On Mac, press Cmd + Shift + V. A dialog box opens. Choose Unformatted Text (Windows) or Unformatted (Mac). The text lands in your document with no formatting at all — it takes on whatever style the paragraph already has.

If you want to keep some formatting but not all of it, Paste Special gives you middle-ground options too. You can paste as "Keep Text Only" or "Match Destination Formatting" depending on what you're trying to preserve.

Key Takeaways

  • Paste Special (Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows, Cmd+Shift+V on Mac) lets you choose whether to keep or remove formatting when you paste.
  • Unformatted Text strips everything and lets the destination document's style take over.
  • If you paste normally and regret it, Word shows a small clipboard icon you can click to choose a different paste option right away.
  • Copying from web pages, PDFs, and emails often brings unwanted formatting — Paste Special solves this without retyping.
  • You can set Word to always paste as unformatted text by default if you find yourself using Paste Special constantly.

Why formatting gets copied in the first place

Every piece of text on the internet, in an email, or in a PDF carries invisible instructions about how it should look — font name, size, color, bold, italics, line spacing. When you copy that text, you copy those instructions too. Word sees them and follows them.

This is usually helpful. If you copy a heading from a website, you probably want it to look like a heading. But if you copy from a poorly formatted email or a PDF that was scanned and converted to text, you get all the mess along with the words. Paste Special lets you say "I want the words, not the instructions."

Using the clipboard icon for quick fixes

After you paste something into Word, a small clipboard icon appears near the pasted text. Click it and you see a menu with paste options. This is faster than undoing and using Paste Special if you realize right away that the formatting is wrong.

The menu shows options like Keep Source Formatting (what you just did), Merge Formatting (keep some formatting but blend it with Word's styles), and Keep Text Only (strip everything). You can change your mind when ready without retyping or using keyboard shortcuts.

Pasting from web pages and PDFs

Web pages are the most common source of unwanted formatting. A paragraph from a website might arrive in Word with the website's font, color, and spacing, which looks wrong in your document. Use Paste Special and choose Unformatted Text to get just the words.

PDFs are trickier. If the PDF is a scanned image, you cannot copy text from it at all — you would need to retype or use optical character recognition (OCR) software. If the PDF is text-based, copying works, but the formatting is often broken or strange. Again, Paste Special with Unformatted Text is your best move.

Emails are somewhere in between. Copying from an email client like Outlook or Gmail usually brings formatting, sometimes too much. Paste Special strips it cleanly.

Setting Word to paste as unformatted by default

If you find yourself using Paste Special every single time, you can change Word's default behavior. On Windows, go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll down to the Cut, copy, and paste section. Find the dropdown that says Pasting from other programs and change it from Keep Source Formatting to Keep Text Only.

On Mac, the setting is in Word > Preferences > Edit. Look for Pasting options and set Paste from other programs to Unformatted text.

Once you change this, every paste will be unformatted unless you specifically choose otherwise. This is useful if most of your copying comes from messy sources, but it means you have to work harder if you want to keep formatting — you would use Paste Special and choose Keep Source Formatting instead.

Keeping formatting when you want it

Sometimes you do want the formatting. If you copy a table from a website or a styled list from an email, stripping the formatting defeats the purpose. In those cases, use a normal paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) and let Word keep what it copied.

If the formatting is close but not quite right, use Merge Formatting from the Paste Special menu. This keeps the bold, italics, and colors but adjusts fonts and spacing to match your document's style. It is a good middle ground when you want some visual distinction but not a jarring clash.

Troubleshooting when Paste Special does not appear

On older versions of Word or in some web-based versions, Paste Special might not work the same way. If Ctrl+Shift+V does not open a dialog, try right-clicking where you want to paste and looking for Paste Special in the context menu.

In Word Online (the free version in your browser), Paste Special is limited. You may only see Keep Source Formatting and Keep Text Only options. If you need more control, read the desktop version of Word instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Paste and Paste Special?

Paste (Ctrl+V) copies everything — text and all its formatting instructions. Paste Special (Ctrl+Shift+V) opens a menu where you choose what to keep. You can strip formatting, keep only text, merge styles, or keep everything, depending on what you pick.

If I paste unformatted text, can I add formatting back later?

Yes. Unformatted text is just plain text. Once it is in Word, you can select it and explore bold, italics, colors, or any other formatting you want. You are starting from a clean slate instead of fighting against formatting that came with the copy.

Does Paste Special work the same way in Google Docs?

Google Docs has a similar feature called Paste without formatting, accessed with Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac). It works the same way — strips formatting and leaves plain text. The menu is simpler than Word's, with fewer options.

Why does my pasted text sometimes look different from the original?

Word applies its own styles to pasted text. If you paste into a paragraph that uses a specific font or size, Word may adjust the pasted text to match. This is Merge Formatting happening automatically. Use Keep Text Only if you want complete control over how it looks.

Can I undo a paste if I chose the wrong option?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo. The text disappears and you can paste again, this time choosing a different option from the clipboard menu or using Paste Special.