Microsoft Word users can finally get the long-awaited keyboard shortcut to paste plaintext is finally here. This highly requested feature is currently being rolled out to those using the Word beta on both Mac and Windows, according to Microsoft’s Jennifer Gentleman. The new shortcut, Control + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V on Mac), is a common shortcut used in many other applications such as Chrome, Slack, and Teams.
For years, users have had to rely on Word’s formatting options to remove formatting after pasting. While this option still exists, some people may find the new shortcut more convenient, especially those who are already used to it in other apps. It cuts out the extra step of having to remove formatting manually, making it a faster and more efficient process.
Interestingly, the Control + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V on Mac) shortcut may not be intuitive for everyone, as one of my colleagues from the UK pointed out. On ISO keyboard layouts, the left shift key is smaller, which can make it difficult to use the shortcut. However, for those with ANSI-layout keyboards, this new feature will undoubtedly be a welcome addition.
For those who want to use the plaintext paste shortcut system-wide, Microsoft is working on making it available through its PowerToys program. However, users should be cautious, as enabling this feature may break copy and paste on some computers.
Mac users who want this functionality can also use a third-party app like Pure Paste. This app lets users set plaintext paste as the default option, with formatting requiring an extra step.
