How I paste without formatting on Mac and save myself hours of cleanup
Copying and pasting, to my mind, should be a simple affair. Like a grilled cheese sandwich. No frills, no fuss, and it hits the spot when you’re hung…no, that’s lunch I’m thinking about.
But seriously, I was considering how much time I’ve wasted on this task in the past.
I’m sure anyone who writes for a living gets just how frustrating it can be to paste something into a document only to find all the formatting jumps out of place, or to spend precious minutes editing to get things into the right spaces.
There are ways to get a clean copy-and-paste, and I’ve been investigating how to save time with this. Here are my truly scientific results.
This is how to paste without formatting on a Mac
Here’s the thing. The clipboard and default copy-paste functions on Mac have always been a bit below par, to my mind.
They hang around long enough to copy something immediately, but are easily overwritten. If I copy something and then need to restart my Mac for whatever reason, it’s gone.
So I was considering when I need to use this function most as a content creator. Often it’s during these stages:
- Research
- Moving content between documents
- Final writing process
And I’ll need to get that copy-and-paste content from a variety of sources, like PDFs, websites, and Word and Google Docs that have been shared with me.
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On my Mac, there are two options:
- To paste text without formatting on a Mac, use the system-wide keyboard shortcut Command + Option + Shift + V. This strips away original fonts, colors, and links, matching the style of your document.
- To paste it with all the original formatting, use the standard Command + V.
If, say, I’m working in a Google Doc, then another way of doing it is to simply copy whatever is needed from the source, open up the doc, then right-click in the space I want it to go in and select ‘paste without formatting’. Then, I’ll get a clean paste to alter.
So, all that’s OK, but there’s a secondary issue: I might need to spend some time reformatting the plain-text paste to match exactly what I’m working on. Sometimes, it won’t take long. Other times it might be a bit more fiddly-diddly.
I like using other tools for pasting capabilities, too
I wanted to see what was out there in terms of tools that might be able to help make this extra step either unnecessary or take a lot less time.
I found Paste, which, as well as being a brilliant extra clipboard for my Mac’s lackluster native option, can hold an unlimited number of items and keep them all in memory at once.
I’m also able to quickly search all my past copied content, set custom shortcuts, share clipped content with others, and convert any copied material to plain text without complicated workarounds.
I simply paste from the clipboard directly as plain text, and I can do this with any copied files, .docx, HTML, code, or other formatted text to plain text within seconds.
I keep my Clipboard History and Pinboard securely stored in iCloud, so they’re accessible on all my devices.
Save time with my copy-and-paste hacks that actually work!
Finding the right paste and match style for Mac is going to be trial and error, and finding what works for you according to the programs you work in, and your needs.
As a content creator, I use the function a lot, so I need the speed and versatility I get from an app like Paste. But when I’m just performing a quick one- or two-sentence function, then the native tools on Google Docs or built into my Mac are great.
Hey, have you got any bright ideas to make the copy-and-paste function easier? I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments.
