Gail On Tech

How to clear formatting in Word

When blogging, I often need to cut and paste text from a press release or notes I’ve previously made in a text document.

However, this text more often than not has formatting applied, particularly if it’s been created in Microsoft Word, and I need it to be in ‘plain text’ without any of the bolding, italics and other extraneous enhancements.

I have been copying the text I want to extract, pasting it into a basic text program like Notepad, then copying it into my blog’s text editor — a real pain in the neck and a time waster.

Like most people, I’ve learned to use Word on a ‘needs to know basis’ over the years; it’s not usually until I strike a problem that I go looking for a shortcut or workaround to solve it. So, I thought I’d see if there was an easier way to strip formatting from Word.

Well, good old Google came through yet again. I found a simple video on the Woopid site that gave me the good oil on how to strip formatting in Word simply. (Check out some of the other videos while you’re there to pick up some handy shortcuts and tips.)

In Word 2007, all you need to do is make sure you’re on the Home tab, highlight the text you need, then click on the Clear Formatting button in the Font box (it appears in the top right-hand corner — hover your mouse over the icon for confirmation that you’ve got the right button).

In Windows 2003, click on Styles and Formatting on the Formatting toolbar, then click on Clear Formatting.

If you want to get up to speed with a whole range of features in Word that you may not already be aware of, I suggest you head to the Microsoft Office Online site and work your way through the free demos you’ll find there.