Setting Paste Default to Use Target Formatting

When Simon copies and pastes information, he almost always uses the option to paste with target formatting. However, the default seems to be to paste using source formatting. He wonders if there is a way to change the default paste method to match what he uses the most (paste using target formatting).

There are actually several ways you could approach this, but one of them seems to be the most comprehensive. Follow these steps to get to the proper dialog box:

1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
2. At the left side of the dialog box click Advanced.
3. Scroll through the available options until you get to the Cut, Copy, and Paste section. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Cut, Copy, and Paste section of the Word Options dialog box.

Notice at the top of the dialog box there are four options, each with a drop-down list. These options control the default pasting method that Word should use in the four scenarios described. The first three options control what happens when you copy from a Word document and paste into a Word document. The fourth option controls all other scenarios, such as when you are pasting information copied from a Web page or from some other program.

In the first, second, and fourth options, notice that the default pasting method is to use source formatting. Since Simon wants the default to be to use target formatting, all he needs to do is to change all three drop-down lists to Keep Text Only and he should be set.

There is a quick workaround that Simon could use, as well. If he relies on keyboard shortcuts—such as pressing Ctrl+V to do his pasting—then all that is needed is to change the pasting shortcut to Ctrl+Alt+V. The simple addition of the Alt key will inform Word to paste just the text, which uses the target formatting that Simon wants.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1456) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.