Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 24, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
I paste a lot of text. (I mean a LOT of text.) When I am copying and pasting text within the same document, it is no problem. When I am copying text from other places, however, pasting that text into a Word document can have strange effects. This isn't a Word problem; it is something about the text I am copying and pasting that causes funky appearance of the text.
To get around this, I normally choose Edit | Paste Special and make sure that the text I am about to paste will be added to the document as unformatted text. Of course, since I paste so much text, continually choosing Edit | Paste Special can be bothersome.
The solution, for me, was to create a very short macro that does the pasting I want—as unformatted text. The following macro, PasteClean, does just that:
Sub PasteClean() Selection.PasteSpecial Link:=False, _ DataType:=wdPasteText, _ Placement:= wdInLine, _ DisplayAsIcon:=False End Sub
To make this macro an even more valuable editing tool, I assigned it to a custom tool on the toolbar. Now, when I want to paste a clean copy of what text is in the Clipboard, I simply click the tool and the macro does the rest.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1310) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Pasting Clean Text.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
The first-person, singular pronoun "I" should always be capitalized, unless you are exercising poetic license. Word may ...
Discover MoreWhen creating tracking documents in Word, you may need to come up with a series of dates in the document. You can type ...
Discover MorePaste information into a document and you'll immediately see a small icon next to the pasted information. This icon ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-07-27 00:51:32
Hereward Dundas-Taylor
Thank you! I have been chasing such a macro for about 10 years! Woppeeee!
2019-12-12 10:19:01
Michel Phillips
A text expander called FastKeys has paste-unformatted built in, using Alt+V. Both its text expansion and its paste-unformatted function work in Word, and in all other programs. I have no relationship with, and receive nothing from FastKeys; I'm just a satisfied customer. Unfortunately it is Windows-only; no Mac version.
2019-09-23 13:39:08
Vasile Bujder
To make this macro an even more valuable editing tool, you can assign a keyboard shortcut to it. I use Alt+V (similar to Ctrl+V).
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments