To copy formatting in Word, select text or a graphic that already looks the way you want, choose Home > Format Painter, then apply it to the target. To control how pasted text looks, use Word’s Paste Options: keep the source’s appearance, adapt it to the destination, or paste the words without source styling.
Copy formatting with Format Painter
- Select the text or graphic with the formatting you want to reuse.
- Open the Home tab and select Format Painter in the Clipboard group.
- Drag across the text you want to change, or select the target graphic.
- For one target, click Format Painter once. For several targets, double-click it, apply the formatting to each, then press Esc to stop.
What gets copied depends on your selection. Select part of a paragraph to copy its text formatting. Select the whole paragraph, including its paragraph mark, to copy both text and paragraph formatting, such as alignment and spacing. See Microsoft’s Format Painter instructions.
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Use keyboard shortcuts to copy formatting
Microsoft’s Format Painter guide documents Alt+Ctrl+C to copy a format and Alt+Ctrl+V to apply it. Microsoft’s Windows keyboard-shortcut reference separately lists Ctrl+Alt+C and Ctrl+Alt+V for selected text formatting. Shortcut behavior can depend on the Word platform, version, and context; if a combination does not work, use the Format Painter button.
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These are formatting shortcuts, not ordinary copy-and-paste commands. For regular content, use Word’s usual copy and paste controls, then choose the desired Paste Option.
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Choose what happens to formatting when you paste
In desktop Word, paste the content, select the Paste Options button that appears, and choose the result based on which document’s appearance should control:
| Option | Result | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Source Formatting | Retains formatting from the copied content. | You want the pasted text to keep its original appearance. |
| Merge Formatting | Adapts the pasted content to the destination’s formatting. | You want the pasted text to fit the surrounding document. |
| Keep Text Only | Keeps the words and uses the destination formatting, dropping source styling. | You want plain text that matches the document you are pasting into. |
Microsoft explains these choices and the paste settings in its guide to controlling formatting when you paste text.
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Set desktop Word’s default paste behavior
If you routinely want the same result, set Word’s default rather than choosing a Paste Option each time. In desktop Word, go to File > Options > Advanced, then find Cut, copy, and paste. The settings let you choose behavior separately for pasting within the same document, between documents, between documents with conflicting style definitions, and from other programs.
Microsoft’s instructions cover Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016. The options described here are for desktop Word; the web version’s controls can vary with the browser and paste method.
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Paste without formatting in Word for the web
In Word for the web, Microsoft documents Ctrl+Shift+V in Chrome, Firefox, and Chromium-based Edge to paste text only. On Mac, use ⌘+Shift+V. Paste controls can differ by browser and method, and formatting copied from some sources may not transfer as expected. If it does not, apply the desired appearance again with Word’s formatting tools. See Microsoft’s guidance on copying and pasting in Office for the web.
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