How to Copy And Paste Without Formatting on Mac OS X

When you want to copy and paste using Mac OS X, it will generally format the text to the format from the original location. But there is a shortcut to copy and paste without formatting the text based on the original format. We’ll help you learn how to modify the format when you copy and paste on Mac OS X.

It’s important to note that it’s standard that when you are copying and pasting text from one location to another, it will retain it’s original formatting. For some, being able to paste without formatting is a great Mac shortcut to save time from having to reformat the text. But for others, it can just take extra time having to make the changes . For other tips on better use of Mac, check out Best Mac OS X Tips and Tricks.

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A simply way that it’s possible to paste on a Mac without formatting to default content is to just copy the text that you want, and then go to the location you want to paste the original text like Pages, Notepad or Microsoft Word. Once you get to the location where you want to paste, select “Paste and Match Style” from the Edit Menu. This is a quick way to modify the formatting when you want to copy and paste on Mac OSX.
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var ARTICLE_URL = window.location.href;
var CONTENT_ID = 'everything';
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Note: In some apps you can hold down Shift+Option+Command+V will paste without formatting. This is a great as a copy and paste formatting keyboard shortcut.

When using Microsoft Office a great method to modify the text formatting is by selecting the edit feature. In older version of Microsoft Office, you can select Edit > Paste Special > Unformatted Text. That gets old in a hurry. In newer versions of Office you can choose Edit > Paste and Match Formatting.

Other options to use with Mac OS X when you want to paste without formatting default issues is to just copy everything, by selecting Command+A. This will select everything on the page at once and then you change anything you want like the font size and everything all at once, reducing a few steps. It’s important to note that this method won’t always work on every type of program,

An example of when this paste without formatting shortcut on Mac OS X won’t work is if you want just paste text, not images. Another time where paste without formatting default trick won’t always work is when you have to use the “Paste and Match Style” option.
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