What is the shortcut to paste without formatting on a Mac?

Option Shift Command V, which runs Paste and Match Style from the Edit menu. In Google Docs and Microsoft Word it is Command Shift V.

Why is paste without formatting not working on my Mac?

The app you are pasting into probably doesn't have a Paste and Match Style command. Check its Edit menu, use the app's own plain text paste if it has one, or paste into a plain TextEdit document first.

How do I paste without formatting in Word on a Mac?

In Microsoft 365, press Command Shift V for Paste Text Only. In older versions, paste, click the Paste Options button and choose Keep Text Only.

How do I paste without formatting in Google Docs on a Mac?

Press Command Shift V, or choose Edit, then Paste without formatting.

Can I make Command V always paste plain text on a Mac?

Yes. In System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Shortcuts, add a shortcut for All Applications with the menu title Paste and Match Style and the keys Command V. It applies in every app that has that command.

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How to paste without formatting on a Mac

By Aqib Javed · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Press Option Shift Command V to paste without formatting on a Mac. The command is called Paste and Match Style and sits in the Edit menu: it drops the copied fonts, sizes and colours, so the text takes on the style of where you paste it. Google Docs and Microsoft Word use Command Shift V instead. To make plain text the default, give Paste and Match Style the Command V shortcut in Keyboard settings. Notchet pastes any saved clip as plain text with Shift Return.

How to paste without formatting on a Mac

Copy the text as usual with Command C.
Click where you want it to go.
Press Option Shift Command V, or open the Edit menu and choose Paste and Match Style.

The text arrives in the font, size and colour of the paragraph around it. This works in Apple's own apps, such as Pages, Notes, Mail and TextEdit, and in Safari and Chrome, as long as you are typing into a text field.

A copy usually carries several versions of the same text at once, such as plain text and an HTML or rich text version with the formatting. A normal paste picks the formatted one; Paste and Match Style picks the plain one. The free Clipboard inspector on this site shows every version a copy holds.

Apps where the shortcut is different

Google Docs: press Command Shift V, or choose Edit, then Paste without formatting. This is Google's shortcut, so it works in any browser.
Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365): press Command Shift V for Paste Text Only. On older versions, paste normally, click the Paste Options button that appears, and choose Keep Text Only.
Terminal and code editors: these already paste plain text, so a normal Command V is enough.
Apps whose Edit menu has no Paste and Match Style: paste into a TextEdit window first, choose Format, then Make Plain Text, and copy it again from there.

If Option Shift Command V does nothing at all, check the app's Edit menu. When the command isn't listed there, the app doesn't offer it, and the shortcut can't work.

How to make plain text paste the default

Open System Settings, click Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts.
Select App Shortcuts and click the Add button.
Leave Application set to All Applications.
In Menu title, type Paste and Match Style exactly as it appears in the Edit menu.
Click Keyboard shortcut, press Command V, then click Done.

From then on, Command V pastes plain text in every app that has that menu command, and you can still paste with formatting from Edit, Paste. Apple notes that a shortcut already used by another command may not work, so try it in the apps you use most, and remove it from the same list if an app misbehaves.

For TextEdit only, open TextEdit, Settings, and under New Document choose Plain text. New documents then never hold formatting at all.

Paste plain text from your clipboard history with Notchet

Notchet is a clipboard manager that lives in the MacBook notch. Press Option Command V, pick a card, and press Shift Return to paste it as plain text, or Return to paste it with its formatting. Every card's right-click menu also has Paste as Plain Text. This works for anything you copied earlier, and you choose it each time you paste. Notchet is free for 7 days, then $9.99 once.

Questions

What is the shortcut to paste without formatting on a Mac?: Option Shift Command V, which runs Paste and Match Style from the Edit menu. In Google Docs and Microsoft Word it is Command Shift V.
Why is paste without formatting not working on my Mac?: The app you are pasting into probably doesn't have a Paste and Match Style command. Check its Edit menu, use the app's own plain text paste if it has one, or paste into a plain TextEdit document first.
How do I paste without formatting in Word on a Mac?: In Microsoft 365, press Command Shift V for Paste Text Only. In older versions, paste, click the Paste Options button and choose Keep Text Only.
How do I paste without formatting in Google Docs on a Mac?: Press Command Shift V, or choose Edit, then Paste without formatting.
Can I make Command V always paste plain text on a Mac?: Yes. In System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Shortcuts, add a shortcut for All Applications with the menu title Paste and Match Style and the keys Command V. It applies in every app that has that command.