Paste plain text into Word

Sometimes you don't want any fancy formatting when you paste text from somewhere else into your document in Microsoft Office Word 2007. For example, you want to copy information from your company's Web site into a memo that you are writing for your team. When you paste the Web page content into a new, blank Word document, you don't want the formatting that the Web site used for headings, fonts, and hyperlinks.

One solution is to paste the text into a file in Notepad, and then copy the text from Notepad and paste the result into Word. But there is a much easier way.

Use the Keep Text Only option

1. Select the text that you want to move or copy, and then press CTRL+X to move the text, or press CTRL+C to copy the text.

2. Click where you want to paste the text, and then press CTRL+V.

3. Click Paste Options , which appears after you paste the text.

   I don't see a Paste Options button when I paste text.

   If you don't see a Paste Options button when you paste text, turn on the option for displaying it.

   1. Press CTRL+Z to undo the paste.

   2. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.

   3. Click Advanced, and then scroll down to the Cut, copy, and paste section.

   4. Select the Show Paste Options buttons check box.

   5. Click OK.

   6. Press CTRL+V to paste the text.

4. Click Keep Text Only.

   Note: If your selection includes content that is not text, the Keep Text Only option discards the content or converts it to text. For example, if you use the Keep Text Only option to paste content that includes pictures and a table, the pictures are omitted from the pasted content, and the table is converted to a series of paragraphs.

Convert bulleted or numbered lists to plain text lists

If your selection includes a bulleted or numbered list, the Keep Text Only option may discard the bullets or numbering, depending on the default setting for pasting text in Word. To keep bullet or number characters when you paste the text, do the following:

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.

2. Click Advanced, and then scroll down to the Cut, copy, and paste section.

3. Select the Keep bullets and numbers when pasting text with Keep Text Only option check box.

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