How to paste without formatting on Mac
You copy a sentence from a web page, paste it into an email, and it arrives in the wrong font, size, and color. Here’s how to paste just the words.
The shortcut: press ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V (Option-Shift-Command-V) to paste without formatting. Apple calls this Paste and Match Style. In Chrome, Google Docs, and Slack, use ⇧ ⌘ V instead.
The shortcut in each app
| App | Paste without formatting |
|---|---|
| Notes, Mail, Pages, TextEdit, Keynote | ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V (Edit › Paste and Match Style) |
| Safari, including Gmail and other web apps | ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V |
| Chrome, including Gmail and Google Docs | ⇧ ⌘ V, or ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V |
| Slack | ⇧ ⌘ V |
| Microsoft Word | ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V (Edit › Paste and Match Formatting) |
If a shortcut does nothing, open the app’s Edit menu. The plain-text paste is listed there with its shortcut, when the app has one.
Make Command-V always paste plain text
If you almost never want formatting, give Paste and Match Style the regular paste shortcut:
- Open System Settings › Keyboard, and click Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Choose App Shortcuts, then click the add button.
- Leave Application set to All Applications. For Menu title, type Paste and Match Style exactly.
- Click Keyboard Shortcut, press ⌘ V, and click Done.
Now ⌘ V pastes plain text in every app with a Paste and Match Style menu item, including Safari and Chrome. Apps without that menu item keep their normal paste. To paste with formatting in Apple apps, use Edit › Paste.
Strip formatting from what you already copied
Open Terminal and run pbpaste | pbcopy. pbpaste prints only the plain text on the clipboard, and pbcopy copies it back, so the clipboard now holds the same words with no formatting. Paste normally after that.
In TextEdit, you can also paste the text into a new document, choose Format › Make Plain Text (⇧ ⌘ T), and copy it again.
With On Hand
On Hand, the free clipboard manager for Mac, saves rich text as plain text. When you copy a clip back from its history, it pastes without formatting in any app, with a regular ⌘ V. It also keeps everything else you copied, so you can find that sentence again later. See how clipboard history works on Mac.
Questions
What is the shortcut to paste without formatting on a Mac?
Option-Shift-Command-V, which is Paste and Match Style in Apple apps like Notes, Mail, Pages, and TextEdit, and in Safari. In Chrome, Google Docs, and Slack, use Shift-Command-V.
Can I make Command-V always paste without formatting?
Yes, in apps that have a Paste and Match Style menu item. In System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › App Shortcuts, add a shortcut for All Applications with the menu title Paste and Match Style and press Command-V as the shortcut.
Why does Paste and Match Style not work in some apps?
It only works in apps that offer it in their Edit menu. Microsoft Word calls it Paste and Match Formatting, and some apps, like Terminal, paste plain text anyway.
How do I remove formatting from text I already copied?
In Terminal, run pbpaste | pbcopy. pbpaste reads only the plain text, so copying it back replaces the clipboard with the same words and no formatting.