How to Copy Formatting in Microsoft Word

The Format Painter will allow the formatting of Example 1 to be easily applied to the other examples.

The Format Painter in Microsoft Word allows users to quickly and easily copy formatting from one section of text to another without altering the content. Rather than manually having to change font attributes, the Format Painter will do all the steps for you.

Instructions

Using the Format Painter in Microsoft Word

1. 

   Select the text that has the attributes you would like to apply to other text in your document. In this example we will select the text "Example One," which has a large font size and color and is bold.

2. 

   Click on the icon for "Format Painter." It looks like a paint brush. In Word 2007 it is located on the Home Tab. In older versions of Word it is located on the Formatting Toolbar.

3. 

   Now select the text you want to apply the formatting to. When you release the mouse the formatting will be applied.

4. If you would like to apply the formatting to more than one location, double-click on the Format Painter and any text you select will have the formatting applied to it. To turn the Format Painter off, hit the "Escape" key on your computer keyboard.

Tips & Warnings

• If you accidentally click on some text that you did not want to have the formatting applied to, simply hit "Ctrl" and "Z" on your computer keyboard to undo your last action.