Shortcut answer
How to Paste Without Formatting (Windows, Mac & Chrome)
Learn the keyboard shortcut to paste plain text without bringing fonts, colors, links, or other formatting into your document.
Quick answer
On Windows and ChromeOS, press Ctrl+Shift+V. On a Mac, press Command+Option+Shift+V in apps that support plain-text paste. In some Mac apps, Command+Shift+V is the equivalent, so check the app’s Edit menu if the first shortcut does nothing.
Shortcut reference
Windows
Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste as plain text in most modern apps.
ChromeOS
Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste without the source styling in Chrome and web apps.
macOS
⌘ + Option + Shift + V
Paste and match style in many Mac apps.
Google Docs
Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + V
Paste without formatting in a document.
How the shortcut works
A normal paste carries the formatting stored on the clipboard: typeface, size, color, links, and sometimes hidden document styles. Plain-text paste keeps only the characters, which makes it useful when moving text between websites, email, spreadsheets, and notes.
The exact Mac shortcut varies more than the Windows shortcut because apps use different names for the same action. Look for “Paste and Match Style,” “Paste without formatting,” or “Paste as plain text” in the Edit menu. The menu item’s displayed shortcut is the best authority for that app.
Helpful tips
- If the shortcut is unavailable, paste into a plain-text editor first, then copy the cleaned text into the destination.
- In a spreadsheet, plain-text paste can still split tab-separated content into multiple cells; it removes styling, not structure.