Copying text with MS Word--want to copy to new style, not keeping old style

[Frylock]

One feature of MS Word which I do find annoying (I think this has been going on all along, not just in Word 2007) is the fact that if I try to copy text that has style characteristics attached to it, when I copy it into the new document, it brings the old style characteristics along. Often, I’d prefer to copy the text into the new style, rather than dragging the old style along.

So for example, it might keep some unusual margin settings from the old document, when I’d rather it just paste in the text using the new document’s margin settings. (Making sense here?)

Is there a way to have Word use the new document’s style features by default, or at least, certain features or kinds of features?

[Leaffan]

Paste special -> Unformatted Text.

Maybe?

[Giles]

@Leaffan

Paste special -> Unformatted Text

Yes, that’s the way to do it each time. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there’s no way to do it as a default, and there’s no keyboard short-cut for the command.

[Frylock]

@Giles

Yes, that’s the way to do it each time. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there’s no way to do it as a default, and there’s no keyboard short-cut for the command.

Well, ctrl-alt-v gets you halfway there, and that’ll do.

Thanks for the quick responses!

[ZipperJJ]

You can try PureText which is a small exe that allows you to paste completely stripped text using start-v.

[CookingWithGas]

This threadfrom a couple of months ago might have an answer for you. Of particular interest is:

@Roland Orzabal

1. If you’re using Word 2007, you can do this by clicking Office (circular button in upper left) -> Word Options -> Advanced, then under “Cut, copy, and paste”, selecting “Keep Text Only” from each of the drop-downs. If you’re using 2003, the only way I know of to do this is to create a macro and assign it to Ctrl + V; if this is the case, let me know and I’ll post detailed instructions.

[MrSquishy]

@CookingWithGas

This threadfrom a couple of months ago might have an answer for you. Of particular interest is:

I think you’re close:

Office Button -> Word Options -> Advanced -> Cut, copy, and paste -> Pasting between documents -> Match Destination Formatting.

[Leaffan]

@MrSquishy

I think you’re close:

Office Button -> Word Options -> Advanced -> Cut, copy, and paste -> Pasting between documents -> Match Destination Formatting.

Eureka! I just upgraded to Office 2007 at work last week. I’ve been looking for that option forever!

[Magiver]

I always add a “Paste Special” button just for that reason.

[Swallowed_My_Cellphone]

@MrSquishy

I think you’re close:

Office Button -> Word Options -> Advanced -> Cut, copy, and paste -> Pasting between documents -> Match Destination Formatting.

I get a button that pops up every time I paste and every time I have to choose between “Match Destination Formatting” and “Keep Original Formatting” (or something like that).

I. HATE. THIS.

WTF is wrong with those losers at Microsoft? It’s a huge pet-peeve of mine. That should totally be an option under preferences somewhere so I can choose to “ALWAYS use destination formatting.” My job requires me to collect information from several different documents submitted by different people, it’s the most freaking annoying inconvenience to have that extra step every tiime.

I also hate how hard it it to get rid of hyperlinks when I just want the text.

[Rhythmdvl]

I have a very simple macro set up for pasting unformatted text. It’s tied to alt-v and one of my mouse buttons (it has 12 — very useful for working with Word). I have no idea if this is overkill or not, but:

 Sub PasteUnformat()
' PasteUnformat Macro
'
       Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, DataType:=wdPasteText, Placement:= _
        wdInLine, DisplayAsIcon:=False
End Sub

You could obviously record that on the fly as well.

If you’re on a Mac, Office disabled the creation of new macros, but getting Applescript to do the same is fairly easy. If anyone’s interested, let me know.

[Shoeless]

I guess I’m doing it the hard way, but I use a two-step process with Notepad in the middle when I want to lose the original formatting:
(1) Copy from source doc and paste into Notepad
(2) Copy from Notepad and paste into destination doc.

Copying into Notepad causes the text to lose all formatting, so when you copy it out of Notepad and into your destination doc you are only pasting “pure text” and it takes on the style of the surrounding text.

[Napier]

Shoeless, have you met ZipperJJ?

PureText is an excellent little program. There’s a little “PT” logo now in my tool tray (I mean the bottom right corner of my screen, if I’m not calling it right). I copy something into the clipboard, then click that PT logo - nothing appears to happen except the logo throbs a little - and then paste into the destination. It comes across as ordinary text, like what Notepad uses.

I used Shoeless’s method (but with my favorite editor) until somebody here told me about PT. Now I only write ransome notes if I am actually kidnapping somebody - which isn’t often…

[Magiver]

@Rhythmdvl

I have a very simple macro set up for pasting unformatted text. It’s tied to alt-v and one of my mouse buttons (it has 12 — very useful for working with Word). I have no idea if this is overkill or not, but:

 Sub PasteUnformat()
' PasteUnformat Macro
'
       Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, DataType:=wdPasteText, Placement:= _
        wdInLine, DisplayAsIcon:=False
End Sub

You could obviously record that on the fly as well.

If you’re on a Mac, Office disabled the creation of new macros, but getting Applescript to do the same is fairly easy. If anyone’s interested, let me know.

You could make the macro a button or assign it Ctr Shift V so it maintains the same paste logic. Just did this with my older version of Word and it works nicely both ways except now that I named the Macro I can’t rename it or link it to a symbol.

[Rhythmdvl]

@Magiver

You could make the macro a button or assign it Ctr Shift V so it maintains the same paste logic. Just did this with my older version of Word and it works nicely both ways except now that I named the Macro I can’t rename it or link it to a symbol.

Exactly – I used alt-V to keep as much muscle memory as possible. I’m gearing up to post my omnibus Word 2007 GQ thread, but in the meantime, do you know any way to edit the button images? Word used to have this rudimentary pixel editor for changing things.

[Magiver]

@Rhythmdvl

Exactly – I used alt-V to keep as much muscle memory as possible. I’m gearing up to post my omnibus Word 2007 GQ thread, but in the meantime, do you know any way to edit the button images? Word used to have this rudimentary pixel editor for changing things.

No, I have 97 and the new version. Spent 45 minutes on 97 with no luck. And it just doesn’t name the button what you give it, it shows Normal.dotname. It’s not like I need the real estate but it looks tacky. I know I’ve done this before but it was probably Excel.

[Skald_the_Rhymer]

@Swallowed_My_Cellphone

I get a button that pops up every time I paste and every time I have to choose between “Match Destination Formatting” and “Keep Original Formatting” (or something like that).

I. HATE. THIS.

WTF is wrong with those losers at Microsoft? It’s a huge pet-peeve of mine. That should totally be an option under preferences somewhere so I can choose to “ALWAYS use destination formatting.” My job requires me to collect information from several different documents submitted by different people, it’s the most freaking annoying inconvenience to have that extra step every tiime.

I also hate how hard it it to get rid of hyperlinks when I just want the text.

While I usually love to join in on a Microsoft hating, I can’t quite agree with this one. There are times that I want to copy & paste so that the text copied retains its original formatting; there are other times when I want it to match the destination formatting. It’s about 66%-34% in my case, so I figured out how to set the options as I need it; but I also know what when I want it the other way I can use the pop-up mini-menu that appears whenever I paste something.

[Rhythmdvl]

@Magiver

No, I have 97 and the new version. Spent 45 minutes on 97 with no luck. And it just doesn’t name the button what you give it, it shows Normal.dotname. It’s not like I need the real estate but it looks tacky. I know I’ve done this before but it was probably Excel.

Heh… I just did a build and started with Office 2K and this time told the 2007 installation to save my previous version. When I get to feeling nostalgic I open it up and stare at the toolbars, the glorious, customizable and floatable toolbars. Ahhh.

If it helps, once you’re in the customization menu (ah, customization) you can right-click a button and select “edit.”

[Morbo]

@Swallowed_My_Cellphone

I get a button that pops up every time I paste and every time I have to choose between “Match Destination Formatting” and “Keep Original Formatting” (or something like that).

I. HATE. THIS.

WTF is wrong with those losers at Microsoft? It’s a huge pet-peeve of mine. That should totally be an option under preferences somewhere so I can choose to “ALWAYS use destination formatting.”

Office Button | Word Options | Advanced | Cut, copy, and paste | disable “Show Paste Options buttons”

Sincerely, loser at Microsoft.

[ZipperJJ]

@Napier

Shoeless, have you met ZipperJJ?

PureText is an excellent little program. There’s a little “PT” logo now in my tool tray (I mean the bottom right corner of my screen, if I’m not calling it right). I copy something into the clipboard, then click that PT logo - nothing appears to happen except the logo throbs a little - and then paste into the destination. It comes across as ordinary text, like what Notepad uses.

I used Shoeless’s method (but with my favorite editor) until somebody here told me about PT. Now I only write ransome notes if I am actually kidnapping somebody - which isn’t often…

Just to close this loop, I did the exact same thing Always went from app -> notepad -> app until someone here linked to PureText and now my life is wonderful!