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How to Stop Word from Changing Pasted Text to Times New Roman
Question details
The user needs to prevent pasted text from automatically changing its font to Times New Roman and adding unwanted paragraph spacing.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Pasting text from webpages, external sources, or other documents into an existing Word document.
- Observed behavior
- The pasted text automatically reverts to Times New Roman size 12 with extra paragraph spacing, ignoring the destination document's active formatting styles.
Before modifying your global paste settings, ensure that the default 'Normal' style in your current destination document is properly set to your desired font, such as Arial or Calibri.
Configure Default Paste Settings to Keep Text Only
Adjusting Word's advanced options ensures that all pasted text automatically strips the source formatting and adopts the font of your destination document.
By default, standard Ctrl+V preserves source paragraph styles. If the style exists in the destination document, its definition takes precedence, which often causes the text to revert to Times New Roman. Changing the default paste behavior overrides this.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of the Microsoft Word interface, and select 'Options' located at the bottom of the sidebar.
In the Word Options dialog box, click on 'Advanced' in the left-hand navigation pane.
Scroll down to the 'Cut, copy, and paste' section. Locate the dropdown menus for 'Pasting between documents' and 'Pasting from other programs', and change them to 'Keep Text Only'.
Click the 'OK' button at the bottom of the dialog box to save your changes. Future text pastes will now automatically conform to your document's current font and spacing.
Use the Paste Special Command
If you prefer to keep the default paste behavior most of the time but occasionally need to paste without formatting, use the Paste Special feature.
Easily Manage Paste Formatting with WPS Office
Avoid formatting frustrations with WPS Writer. WPS Office offers highly intuitive paste options that let you easily keep source formatting, merge formatting, or paste unformatted text without unexpected font changes.
- 1. Copy your text: Highlight and copy the text from your source document or webpage using the Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut.
- 2. Paste in WPS Writer: Right-click the location in your WPS Writer document where you want the text to appear, and select the 'Keep Text Only' icon from the Paste Options context menu.
- 3. Set Default Options: To make unformatted pasting your default, click 'Menu' > 'Options' > 'Edit', and set the default paste format to 'Unformatted text'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word default to Times New Roman when pasting?
Word often defaults to Times New Roman if the text being pasted carries style definitions that conflict with your document, or if the underlying 'Normal' style template in your destination document is still configured to Times New Roman.
What is the keyboard shortcut for Paste Without Formatting?
In newer versions of Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365), you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V to paste text as plain text, stripping away the original font and spacing.
Can I stop paragraph spacing from changing when I paste?
Yes. By selecting 'Keep Text Only' from the Paste Options menu, Word will discard both the source's font and its paragraph spacing, applying the current line spacing settings of your destination document instead.
