Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Quickly Copying Styles.

Quickly Copying Styles

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 3, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


2

You can quickly copy styles from one document to another by the following technique:

  1. Open both documents and make them visible on the screen at the same time.
  2. Select a paragraph containing the style you want to copy. (Make sure you select the entire paragraph, including the carriage return at the end of it.)
  3. Copy the paragraph to the Clipboard. (The easiest way to do this is to just press Ctrl+C.)
  4. Move the insertion point to the other document.
  5. Paste the paragraph from the Clipboard into the document. (A quick way is to just press Ctrl+V.) The style is automatically copied to the style list.

You should note that this technique assumes the style is not already defined in both documents. If it is, the style will not be copied into the second document, but the paragraph, when pasted, assumes the attributes of the style already defined in the second document.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13215) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Quickly Copying Styles.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Printing Style Sheets

Want to see what styles are defined in your document? Let Word print out a simplistic style sheet for you.

Discover More

Errors When Subtracting

When you subtract two numbers from each other, you have a certain expectation of what Excel should deliver. What if you ...

Discover More

Protecting Tracked Changes

Track Changes is a great tool for editors and collaborators to use when creating documents. An author, seeking changes ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Pasted Text Not Formatted as Expected

Copying and pasting information is a common practice in Word. How the program should handle formatting (especially styled ...

Discover More

Inserting a Cross-Reference to the First Style on a Page

A common way to set up a header is to have it refer to the first occurrence of a heading on the page. (Think how the ...

Discover More

Putting Style Names Next to Paragraphs on a Printout

If you use styles to format your document, you might want a way to print the document and show, to the left of each ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight minus 3?

2021-04-05 10:46:55

Andrew

"You should note that this technique assumes the style is not already defined in both documents. If it is, the style will not be copied into the second document, but the paragraph, when pasted, assumes the attributes of the style already defined in the second document."

It should be noted that there are options for how styles are handled when pasting text between documents where the style name is the same (i.e., it "conflicts"). These settings are in the "Cut, copy, and paste" section of Word Options->Advanced. You can keep the source's or target's formatting, merge the formatting (whatever that means), or keep only the text.

Andy.


2021-04-03 11:39:43

Philip Reinemann

On my Mac, I made a 'Normal' style paragraph and then changed the font to something else, making it ab'Normal'.

In a second document I made a couple of 'Normal' paragraphs.

Back in the first document I selected the ab'Normal' paragraph and used the format painting brush and clicked on the 'Normal' paragraph in the second document, and the format copied.

Granted, I didn't confirm that with a new style, just a modified style, but it' something to consider using.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.