Formatting Issues

How to Remove All Formatting from Text in Microsoft Word

Partner Editor Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to efficiently remove existing character and paragraph formatting from text, as well as how to paste plain text without carrying over unwanted styles.

How to Remove All Formatting from Text in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Pasting text from external sources or cleaning up existing document styling to return the content to default formatting.
Observed behavior: The user needs to reset paragraph formatting to the applied style and clear character styling using built-in keyboard shortcuts.

Before you start

Ensure you select the specific text or paragraphs you want to modify, or press Ctrl+A to select the entire document before applying the formatting shortcuts.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Clear Existing Formatting

Use Word's built-in keyboard shortcuts to quickly clear character and paragraph formatting from existing text without using the ribbon.

Microsoft Word handles text styling in two layers: character formatting (fonts, bold, italics) and paragraph formatting (alignment, line spacing). You can clear them independently using distinct keyboard shortcuts.

Select the target text

Highlight the specific text you want to reset using your mouse, or press Ctrl+A to select all content in the document.

Clear character formatting

Press Ctrl + Spacebar to remove character-level styles such as bold, italics, underlining, and font colors. This returns the text to the default font for that style.

Clear paragraph formatting

Press Ctrl + Q to remove paragraph-level formatting like custom indents and line spacing, reverting the paragraph layout to its base applied style.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Clear Existing Formatting

Pro Tip: You can press Ctrl+Spacebar followed immediately by Ctrl+Q to completely reset any block of text to standard plain formatting in seconds.

Solution 2

Paste Text Without Formatting

Strip formatting immediately when pasting text from web browsers, PDFs, or other documents.

Solution 3

Use the Clear All Formatting Button

Use the visual ribbon menu button to clear all formatting in a single click.

Seamless Word Processing

Clear Text Formatting Easily in WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers full compatibility with Microsoft Word, allowing you to use the exact same shortcuts to clear formatting, paste plain text, and manage document styles effortlessly.

1. Open WPS Writer: Launch the application and open your text document.
2. Select your text: Highlight the text you want to strip formatting from.
3. Apply shortcut or button: Press Ctrl+Spacebar to instantly remove character formatting, or click the 'Clear Formatting' eraser icon in the Home tab.

100% compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats.Supports familiar keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Spacebar and Ctrl+Shift+V.Features a built-in 'Clear Formatting' eraser tool on a clean, intuitive ribbon interface.Free, lightweight, and lightning-fast office suite alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Ctrl+Spacebar remove highlighted text backgrounds?

Ctrl+Spacebar removes character formatting like font size and color, but Text Highlight Color is treated differently in Word. To remove highlights, select the text, go to the Home tab, click the Text Highlight Color dropdown arrow, and select 'No Color'.

Is there a single shortcut to clear all formatting at once in Word?

Word doesn't have one default shortcut to clear both character and paragraph formatting simultaneously. However, you can press Ctrl+Spacebar followed immediately by Ctrl+Q, or you can use the 'Clear All Formatting' button in the Home ribbon.

Does clearing formatting delete my text or hyperlinks?

Clearing formatting only removes the styling applied to the text (such as bold, fonts, colors, and line spacing) without deleting the text itself. However, using 'Clear All Formatting' will usually remove hyperlinks, converting them back to regular text.

How do I clear formatting from an entire document?

Press Ctrl + A to select all the text in your document, then use the 'Clear All Formatting' button in the Home ribbon or press Ctrl+Spacebar and Ctrl+Q to standardize the entire file.

Document & File Issues