Copy Paste Without Formatting 8

Here is a shortcut to copy paste without formatting, a deceptively simple maneuver which I only learned recently after 34 years of using Command + C to copy and Command + V to paste (1). I am dismayed at how long it took me to discover this shortcut which I now use multiple times a day. I want to share this keyboard combination with you here and tell you why I love it.

Copy Paste Without Formatting

Copy Paste Without Formatting Shortcut

But first the shortcut itself

Copy Paste Without Formatting Shortcut Demonstration

On a Mac

Press these keys to copy:

Command + C

Press these keys to paste without formatting:

Shift + Option + Command + V

On Windows and Linux

Press these keys to copy:

Control + C

Press these keys to paste without formatting:

Control + Alt + V

then choose the option Paste without formatting.

Losing the Frou Frou

Pasting without formatting allows you to paste only the words and none of the embelishment you may or may not have noticed such as the type of font, the size of the text, (have you ever noticed that the default font size in Google Drive is different than the default font size in Google Mail – pure heresy), the color, underline, bold and italic attributes. You just paste the text, not the rest.

Trust me, try it, you won’t regret it.

Which shortcuts can you not live without? Tell us below in the comments.

Footnotes

(1)

Of course on my Windows machines, I do Control + C to copy and Control + V to paste.