Easy Methods to ‘Edit the format of a copied text from Internet’

A lot of times, the need to copy text from the internet arises, whether you are a student or a working person. And the reasons for this could be research purposes, you need to make someone read it, you need someone to analyze the text as it is present on the internet or maybe you need to quote someone in your piece of research. Either way, the formatting of the website that you have taken this piece of writing from, might not be matching with the rest of the formatting of your document, or, you might not like the formatting of the text on the website and want to change it. Here are a few ways in which you can change the formatting of the copied text.

Using Microsoft Word Tools to Paste Copied ‘Text Only’

Microsoft Word is one of the most commonly used programs for documents. And because the demand for MS Word is so high, it offers its customers one of the best features which could help them edit and format their work to the highest quality possible. If you have copied text from the internet, and when you paste it on Microsoft Word and notice that the formatting has not been changed, this is what you can do to change or remove the original formatting for that specific copied text.

1. As an example, I opened a random website for Quotes (I love collecting quotes), and copied the text.

   

    

2. Now, Open Microsoft Word to an empty document and paste the copied text there. You will notice that the formatting is the same as it was on the website.

   

    

3. Notice the ‘paste’ icon that appears right under the pasted text on Microsoft Word as soon as you paste your copied text. Clicking on the downward facing arrow here will show you three more tabs which are options for you to choose from when pasting text from somewhere else.

   

    

4. The first tab in the dropdown list is for ‘Keep Source Formatting’. This should be clicked when you don’t want the formatting of the copied text to change and should remain the way you saw it on the internet. It will keep the formatting of the copied text the same as it was on the internet. Look at the image in the previous step to see that the formatting has not changed.
5. The second tab is for ‘Merge Formatting’. Using this tab will merge both the formatting, of the original text from the internet, and the formatting set by default on the program. And give you something that looks like this.

   

6. The third tab is for ‘Keep Text Only’. This is the tab which must be used to remove all sorts of formatting from a copied text. This will remove the text style, spacing and everything related to formatting on the copied text, and paste it just as text which will look something like this.

   

    

   In case you are using another software to make a document, and don’t have Microsoft word to remove the formatting of the copied content, here is what you can do.

Use Notepad

Notepad is a built-in application on your windows laptop which is used to make notes or even make documents with not as many options for formatting like Microsoft Word. However, if the document making program you are using does not help you get rid of the formatting of the copied text, then just follow the steps as mentioned below.

Now, assuming you couldn’t find notepad, did not have Microsoft Word installed in your laptop, and in dire need of removing formatting from the copied text. This is what you can do.

Download the Extension for Copy Plain Text

Downloading this extension will help you copy content from the internet, without copying its formatting simply through choosing this option.

1. Add the Extension to Chrome

   

    

2. Press ‘Add Extension’

   

    

3. It has successfully been added to your Google Chrome. Now to test this, you can copy content from any website, and paste it on any document making forum without copying the formatting.