Why does text
change
format
when I copy it
into another document?
Quick Reference
Quick Reference: Format of
text
copied from another document
The issue here is about styles. You think you're copying Arial
10pt text.
Word
thinks you're copying text in,
say, Body Text
style.
When text is
copied from one document to another, it retains direct formatting,
but otherwise takes on the formatting of the style in the receiving
document.
Sometimes you copy
text from
one document to another, and the format of
the text
changes. This page explains why.
The formatting of all text in
your Microsoft Word
document depends on styles. All text has
an underlying style, even if you've never applied a style to any
text. The
default out-of-the-box style is Normal style. If you haven't done
anything to change
it, Normal style in Microsoft Word 2002
and Word 2003
is defined as Times New Roman, 12pt, aligned left, with single
spacing, and widow/orphan control set on.
When you copy
text, the
format of
the text can
change.
For example, you have some text in
Times New Roman 12pt, and you copy it
into another document. When it arrives in the recipient document,
the formatting changes. The text now
appears as, say, Arial 11pt.
Text
takes on the style of the recipient document
The issue is that Word
doesn't think the formatting is changing, because Word
doesn't think to itself "I'm copying some text in
Times New Roman 12pt." It thinks "I'm copying text in
style Normal" or "I'm copying text in
style Body Text" or
whatever.
Unless you've chosen otherwise, all your text is
in style Normal. So when you paste your text into
the other document, it takes on the formatting of Normal style in
that other document. If the Normal style in the other document is
Arial 11pt, then that's how your text will
appear.
Text
retains direct formatting when it's copied
The text
will, however, retain direct formatting. So if, in Document 1, you
have some text in
style Body Text and
you've applied direct formatting to make the text
orange, then, when you copy, the
formatting will retain the Orange, but lose the characteristics the
receiver document has defined as Body Text.
Tip
Tip! Think outside the square
If you're having trouble copying text from
Document 1 to Document 2, try doing it the other way round.
Copy from
Document 2 into Document 1. Depending on the work you're doing,
that might be easier to manage.
How to get text to
retain its formatting when copied to a new document
If the donor document has a style that does not exist in
the recipient document, then any text in
that style copied to the recipient document will retain its
formatting.
So, to avoid text
taking on the format of
the styles in the recipient document, use styles with different
names.
In Word 2002
and Word
2003, you also have the option of using the Paste
Options buttons, although using them is by no means straight
forward.
How to get text to
abandon its formatting when copied to a new document
In some cases, you want incoming text to
take on the styles in the recipient document. You want to abandon
all current formatting: you just want the text.
To achieve this, choose Edit > Copy in
the usual way. When you come to paste, choose Edit > Paste
Special then choose Unformatted text (or
Unformatted Unicode Text).
This will paste only the text into
your document. You will then have to format
the text in
the recipient document to suit your needs.
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