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How to Stop Word from Adding Bullets or Numbers When Pasting Text Only
Question details
The user wants to prevent Microsoft Word from automatically pasting unwanted numbered lists or bullet points when using the Keep Text Only option.
- Product
- Microsoft Word 2019
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Copying text from an RTF source, such as an Outlook email containing numbered lists, and pasting it as plain text into a Word document.
- Observed behavior
- Word incorrectly pastes the numbered-list value and a tab character, even when the number was not selected and the Keep Text Only option is actively applied.
Verify your default paste settings in Word by navigating to File > Options > Advanced, and ensure you have actively disabled the option to keep bullets and numbers when pasting text with Keep Text Only.
Use Notepad as an Intermediate Plain-Text Editor
Pasting your content into a plain-text editor like Notepad completely strips away all hidden RTF metadata, ensuring a clean text-only paste into Word.
Because Word 2019 sometimes retains list-formatting metadata from RTF sources (like Outlook emails) despite the Keep Text Only command, passing the text through an application that does not support rich formatting will force the text to drop all hidden list data.
Select and copy the desired text from your Outlook email or RTF document.
Open Notepad (or any plain-text editor) on your computer and paste the copied text into it.
Select the newly pasted text inside Notepad and copy it again.
Return to your Microsoft Word document and paste the text. The unwanted numbers or bullets will no longer appear.
Remove List Formatting in the Source Application Before Copying
Removing the bullet or number formatting from the source text prevents Word from picking up any hidden list metadata in the first place.
Manually Select 'Keep Text Only' from the Paste Options Menu
Instead of relying on Ctrl+V default behavior, use the Paste Options floating button to explicitly command a text-only drop.
Switch to WPS Office for Clean Document Formatting
If Microsoft Word's persistent RTF pasting bugs disrupt your workflow, WPS Office offers a free, lightweight, and highly reliable alternative. It seamlessly handles plain-text pasting without inheriting unwanted list metadata, ensuring you have total control over your document formatting without the need for complex workarounds.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Microsoft Word (.docx) documents seamlessly.
- 3. Paste Without Formatting: Copy your text from any source and use the native Keep Text Only paste option to ensure perfectly clean text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word keep my bullets even when I select Keep Text Only?
This happens because the source text (especially from Outlook RTF formats) retains hidden list-formatting metadata that Word 2019 sometimes misinterprets or fails to strip out automatically during the paste process.
Can I change Word's default paste settings to always keep plain text?
Yes. Go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll down to the 'Cut, copy, and paste' section, and change the default behavior for pasting between documents or from other programs to 'Keep Text Only'. However, known RTF bugs might still bypass this occasionally.
Does updating Microsoft Office fix the plain-text pasting bug?
Updating Office to the latest version may resolve certain bugs, but some versions like Word 2019 have known persistent limitations with RTF lists. If an update doesn't work, using a plain-text intermediate tool like Notepad is highly recommended.
