"Insert text only" - there is an (almost) new shortcut in Word
Employees who work with Word can soon rejoice. There is a new function that is not actually new, but should finally really work: "Paste text only" - i.e. copy text parts without formatting into Word.
Microsoft Word has been around for 40 years. And the problems with it have been just as long. The software company now wants to fix a complication in the word processing programme: You should now be able to insert a text without the source formatting coming with it - in other words, without the whole document having a new layout, four new colours and six different fonts afterwards. Finally. Office workers all over the world can breathe a sigh of relief. The revolutionary shortcut that leads you to new Word happiness: Ctrl + Shift + V for Windows and Cmd + Shift + V for Mac.
And now I can already hear you shouting: "Yes, but surely none of this is new at all?"
Not new, but better
The copy shortcut with Shift is actually nothing new. And it is also not new that you can transfer text - via various detours - into Word without formatting. What is new is that Ctrl + Shift + V now also works in Word. This wasn't the case before; the key combination didn't work in the word processing programme of all things.
If you didn't want to copy unwanted formatting, you previously had to remove it in a second step with a mouse click. Or call up the paste options. Or work with the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + V - which then usually opened a new window in which you had to choose between HTML format or unformatted Unicode text. Despite a 50:50 chance, I always chose the wrong one, of course.
Microsoft must have been aware of the problem all these years - in the blog post, the company itself shows just how complicated it was to paste without formatting. (Apparently this gif is not displayed correctly in all browsers. We are working on it.)
In response, Microsoft writes a bit guiltily: "Users do indeed expect Ctrl + Shift + V to insert plain text, and when that doesn't work, it can be frustrating. The Word team has heard about this issue, and we're updating the keyboard shortcuts in direct response to your feedback." Thanks Microsoft! Better late than never. The realisation is only coming now because "Microsoft doesn't always have the opportunity to revise existing behaviour." A to-do list that is too full, even at Microsoft.
More new shortcuts
In addition to "Paste text only", Microsoft is showing other new shortcuts, for example for pasting the format. As well as - in line with the copy changeover - the shortcut for the copyright symbol.
| function | New Windows shortcut | New shortcut Mac
|
|---|---|---|
| Insert text only | Ctrl + Shift + V | Cmd + Shift + V
|
| Copy format | Ctrl + Alt + C | Cmd + Option + C |
| Insert format | Ctrl + Alt + V | Cmd + Option + V |
| Paste special (opens options when pasting) | Alt + H + V + S | Not available |
| Copyright symbol | ( + C + ) or > Ω symbol > © | ( + C + ) or > Ω symbol > © |
And don't worry if this is all too much of an innovation for you: Microsoft also writes in the blog post that the shortcuts can be undone manually in the Word options.
Availability: You are (for once) not the problem
Microsoft is only gradually releasing the new shortcuts. The new keyboard shortcuts are available under Windows in Word from version 16.0.15831.20174, on Mac from version 16.67.1113.0 - but not immediately for everyone. This is because, according to the company, the features are being implemented slowly so that everything works smoothly. So far, the function is therefore only available for M365 Home or M365 Business Standard in the Beta Channel.
Microsoft writes: "You don't have it yet? Then we are probably the problem, not you." For once, no Layer 8 problem.
Cover picture: Livia Gamper
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.