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Paste and Match Style

Command Option Shift v in many programs allows you to paste text from elsewhere while matching the style of the paragraph you’re pasting into.

Paste and Match Style
Mac Tip #333, 09 April 2008

Here’s an annoyance that often strikes me. While doing research I may copy text from a web page or other source. When I paste that text into Keynote or Pages, it arrives complete with whatever fonts, sizes and colours it had in the web page and no longer fits with my carefully designed presentation.

I simply pasted in text from another source. Font, size and colour do not fit the rest of my slide.

I simply pasted in text from another source. Font, size and colour do not fit the rest of my slide.

This affects other programs too, where you can ‘style’ text by changing fonts, colours, sizes, bold, italics, and other characteristics.

The screenshot shows what happened when I copied the word Petroglyphs from a web page and pasted in to a slide: the font and colour were totally wrong.

Don’t just Paste, Paste and Match Style

I chose Paste and Match Style. This time the text has picked up the characteristics of all the text on the slide.

I chose Paste and Match Style. This time the text has picked up the characteristics of all the text on the slide.

Many programs give you the option to Paste and Match Style, or Paste Special, or Paste With Current Style. When you choose that option (often the keyboard shortcut is Command Option Shift v) what you’re pasting loses its own formatting and picks up characteristics from the destination.

The second screenshot shows how my paste looked after choosing Paste and Match Style — the font, colour and size are a perfect match.

If this problem strikes you, look in the Edit menu of the program you’re pasting into and see if you can paste and match the style of the destination. It may save you a lot of hair pulling.

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* 2 comments… read them below and tell us what you think.

Noah 1 5 June 2008 at 07:55:09

I was looking for a way to make “Paste and Match Style” the default — and finally found it! Follow the instructions on this Macworld tip, substituting Mail for Finder and “Paste” and “Paste and Match Style” for “New Finder Window” and “New Folder”.

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Miraz Jordan 2 5 June 2008 at 08:13:54

Thanks Noah. That’s a great find.

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