I often have occasion to copy and paste text from other documents or applications into a Word document. I then format it to match the document I’m working on, either by using the Format Painter or by changing the style to Normal. The problem with either of these methods is that it makes the text LOOK the same, but the underlying code is still there, sometimes causing the original formatting to annoyingly reappear later on. I’ve been getting around this by instead using Styles – Clear All, but this week I discovered the Paste Special function, which allows you to paste text from your clipboard without the formatting. This feature is not new to Word 2007, but for some reason, it wasn’t covered in any of the courses I’ve taken, and it’s never occurred to me to look for it.
I am reminded of something I said to a colleague over 10 years ago:
If you’re doing something on your computer, and it seems cumbersome, there is a better way to do it.
Keep that in mind as you carry out your day-to-day computer activities! It may be worth investing in a good reference book – I personally recommend the The Missing Manual
Just yesterday, a friend who just switched from PC to Mac complained that a task that was always easy was now so hard and I said “Oh, no, if it’s on the Mac, there’s always a faster, easier way”. Quick Googling found a few options, and I also recommended he read The Missing Manual series. We’re on the same wavelength, for sure.
And thank you for this reminder, because I use “Paste Special” in Excel and almost never remember to use it in Word, also. Excellent!
Julie, I’m happy to have helped!
It’s one thing to learn these things, but remembering to use them can be another story altogether!