Here’s how to paste without formatting across the most common apps and devices, plus some quick “universal” tricks you can always fall back on.

The Super-Quick Idea

When you paste “normally,” the text brings its “clothes” with it: fonts, colors, links, sizes.
Pasting without formatting strips all that away so it matches the style where you’re pasting. Most of the time, you’ll either:

  • Use a special keyboard shortcut (like Ctrl + Shift + V or a variant).
  • Or paste into a plain text editor first (like Notepad) and then copy it back.

Desktop basics (Windows, Mac, Linux)

1. Common shortcut that often works

In many apps (browsers, chat apps, some editors):

  • Windows / Linux:
    • Paste without formatting: Ctrl + Shift + V (instead of Ctrl + V).
  • Mac:
    • Often: Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + Shift + V for “Paste and Match Style” or similar.

If nothing happens, the app may not support that combo; use a backup method below.

2. Microsoft Word (and similar word processors)

Word is a bit special: the generic “paste plain” shortcut doesn’t always work, so you use its own options. Quick methods in Word:

  • Paste, then click the small Paste Options icon that appears, and choose Keep Text Only.
  • Or use the ribbon:
    • Home → Paste dropdown → Keep Text Only.

You can also customize a keyboard shortcut (for recent versions):

  • Open Word → go to Options → Customize Ribbon → Customize… (keyboard shortcuts).
  • Find the PasteTextOnly command.
  • Assign it to a shortcut you like (for example, Ctrl + Shift + V).
  • From then on, that shortcut will paste as plain text in Word.

3. Google Docs & many web apps

In Google Docs, Gmail in browser, and many web tools:

  • Try Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows / Linux).
  • Try ⌘ + Shift + V or ⌘ + Option + Shift + V (Mac), depending on the app.

If it doesn’t work, you can:

  • Paste normally.
  • Immediately select the text and use a “Clear formatting” option (like Format → Clear formatting, or a toolbar eraser icon).

4. The “plain text editor” trick (works almost anywhere)

This is the most universal method and never really fails:

  1. Copy the text as usual.
  2. Open a plain text editor :
    • Windows: Notepad.
    • Mac: TextEdit set to plain text mode (Format → Make Plain Text).
    • Linux: Gedit or any simple text editor.
  3. Paste there.
  4. Select everything again and copy.
  5. Paste into your final destination.

Because plain text editors don’t store rich formatting, what you copy back will be clean.

On your phone (Android & iOS)

Mobile apps are less consistent with “paste without formatting” shortcuts, so the plain-text relay trick is your friend. Android:

  • Copy your formatted text.
  • Open a plain text notes app (or any app that clearly has no rich formatting).
  • Paste there.
  • Select and copy the cleaned text.
  • Paste into your target app (email, chat, document).

iOS (iPhone / iPad):

  • Copy the text.
  • Open Notes (or another plain text style note).
  • Paste, then select and copy again.
  • Paste into Mail, Messages, Docs, etc.

Some mobile apps increasingly add “Paste as plain text” in long-press menus, but it varies by app and version, so the notes-app reroute is the reliable fallback.

Mini “recipes” by scenario

Scenario 1: Pasting from a website into a document

  • Try Ctrl + Shift + V (Win/Linux) or the Mac variant directly into your document.
  • If that fails, paste into Notepad / TextEdit (plain), copy again, then paste into the document.

Scenario 2: Pasting into email (Gmail in browser)

  • Use Ctrl + Shift + V (Win/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + V (Mac) in the Gmail editor.
  • Or paste normally, then use Gmail’s “Remove formatting” button (looks like a T with a slash or similar) on the toolbar.

Scenario 3: Pasting code into a chat or forum

  • Many browsers and chat apps accept Ctrl + Shift + V for plain text.
  • If it still brings formatting, drop it into a plain text editor first, then copy and paste.

Why this matters (quick view)

Pasting without formatting helps when:

  • You want your document to stay visually consistent.
  • You’re mixing content from multiple sources (web, PDFs, other docs).
  • You’re writing in shared documents where stray fonts and colors annoy everyone.
  • You’re pasting code or logs and don’t want random font or background styles.

TL;DR

  • Try Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows / Linux) or ⌘ + Option + Shift + V / ⌘ + Shift + V (Mac) first.
  • If that fails, paste into a plain text editor, copy again, then paste where you need it.
  • In tools like Word, use Keep Text Only or customize a shortcut for a one-key “paste without formatting.”

If you tell me which app you use most (Word, Google Docs, Outlook, Gmail, Slack, etc.), I can give you a tiny, app-specific cheat list.