How to Use the Paste Options Button in Word

Copying text from one document and pasting it into another document can result in a formatting issue if the fonts were not the same in both documents. By using the Paste Options Button, you can quickly fix the formatting to match.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Microsoft Word

1. Options Box Check to make sure that the Paste Options button is set to show. To do that:
   
   • Click on Tools in the top menu bar
   • Click on Options
   • On the Options dialogue box, click the Edit tab
   • On the Edit tab, make sure there is a checkmark in the box next to “Show Paste Options Buttons.” If the box isn’t check, click on it.
   • Click OK to exit the Options box.
2. Have the documents open that you want to copy information from and to.
3. Copy From To start the process, have displaying the document that you want to copy text from. Notice is our example at left the font setting is Monotype Corsiva.
4. Source Text Selected Select the text (triple click within the text is an easy method to highlight all of it).
5. With the source text selected, display the document you want to paste the text into. To do that:
   
   • Click on Windows in the top menu bar
   • Click on the name of the document you want to paste text into
6. The document that you will be pasting the text into is called the destination document. With that source document now displayed, click at the location where you want to paste the text.
7. Paste Button To paste the text, either click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar or RIGHT click your mouse and click on Paste or use the paste shortcut of CTRL V.
8. Paste Options Button After you paste the text, you will see the Paste Options button. By clicking on the down arrow of the Paste Options button, you will see the options for formatting the text now that it is in your destination document.
   
   • Keep Source Formatting means the formatting that was in the document from which you copied the text. In our example, that formatting was Monotype Corsiva.
   • Match Destination Formatting means to match the formatting of the document into which we pasted the text (destination document).
   • Keep Text Only will clear all formatting so the text will match the default setting of Word.
   • Apply Style or Formatting, when clicked, will produce the Styles and Formatting Task Pane so you can choose a different formatting.
9. View of Pasted Text Copied directly from our source document into our destination document, at left is what the text looks like. Our destination document is using Times New Roman font with the source document is using Monotype Corsiva. We want the font setting to be all Times New Roman.
10. Destination Formatting Because we want our copied text to match the destination text, we will click on the option to “Match Destination Formatting.” At left, you can see the results. All the text is now Times New Roman.
11. If there is no change in formatting (meaning you don’t need the Paste Options button on that particular copy/paste task) you can close the Paste Options button by pressing the Escape button or by starting to type.