Microsoft Word Finally Allows Users to Paste Text Without Formatting
For years, Microsoft Word has been the go-to word processor for most people, thanks to its vast features. However, with the advent of Google Docs, Word faces competition from software packed with features that you cannot find in Microsoft’s word processor.
One of these features is the keyboard shortcut for pasting plain text. Previously, Microsoft Word did not allow this, but it is now catching up with Google Docs with Microsoft introducing new support for the handy keyboard shortcut.
After years of refusing to support the Ctrl + Shift + V shortcut, Microsoft has opened it up to users. You can now use this keyboard shortcut to paste text without source formatting by pressing those keys on Windows (Cmd + Shift + V on macOS).
It’s worth noting that you can already use this shortcut to paste plain text in Microsoft Word for the web and even on Microsoft Teams, on top of Google Docs and some of the best Docs alternatives like LibreOffice Writer and Collabora Office.
The lack of this feature has been frustrating for users, and Microsoft has acknowledged this. Therefore, it’s excellent news for many to know that the shortcut is now available.
To start using the shortcut, select your preferred text source, open your destination Word document, position the mouse cursor where you want the text to appear, and press Ctrl + Shift + V. However, this keyboard shortcut is only available to Microsoft 365 Home or Microsoft 365 Business Standard Beta Channel users.
Microsoft has tweaked a few existing keyboard shortcuts, such as the “Copy Format Painter,” which is now available by pressing Ctrl + Alt + C on Windows (Cmd + Option + C on macOS). You can find out more about the changes on the Microsoft 365 Insider blog post.
Since this keyboard shortcut is beloved by many typists worldwide, it’s expected that Microsoft will release it on the stable channel soon.
