# How to paste without formatting on a Mac > Press Option, Shift, Command and V to paste and match the style of the text around it. Apple's shortcut list, with a limit to know. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/paste-without-formatting-on-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. To paste without the original formatting on a Mac, press `Option-Shift-Command-V` instead of `Command-V`. Apple names this shortcut Paste and Match Style, and describes it as applying the style of the surrounding content to the item you paste. This is from Apple's Mac keyboard shortcuts article, checked on 4 November 2026. ## Steps 1. Copy the text as usual with `Command-C`. 2. Click where you want it. 3. Press `Option-Shift-Command-V`. The pasted text takes on the font and style of the place you pasted it, instead of bringing the source's font, size and color. ## What it does exactly Apple's wording is "Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content". That is not exactly the same as stripping everything to plain characters. In a document where the surrounding text is plain, the result looks plain. In a document with styled text, the pasted text matches that style. ## Other shortcuts Apple lists nearby - `Option-Command-C` is Copy Style: it copies the formatting settings of the selected item. - `Option-Command-V` is Paste Style: it applies the copied style to the selected item. In Finder the same keys have a different job: they move files from the clipboard to the current location. These help when you want to copy a look, not to remove one. More in [Mac copy and paste keyboard shortcuts](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/mac-copy-paste-keyboard-shortcuts/). ## If the shortcut does nothing Apple's page does not say that every app supports Paste and Match Style. Some apps may not offer it. If nothing happens, check the app's menus for a similar paste command, or paste into a plain text editor first and copy from there. That second step is a general workaround and not an Apple instruction. ## A related shortcut people mix up `Control-K` and `Control-Y` also cut and paste text, but Apple says that clipboard "is available only to the app from which it was cut", so it is not the normal clipboard. ## Why formatting travels with a copy When you copy from a web page or a styled document, the clipboard can carry the styling as well as the words. That is why a paste can bring in a different font or a colored background. NotchStar's [Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) keeps the 50 most recent copies in memory, so you can click an earlier one to copy it again. It stores copied text as plain text, so formatting is not kept in its list. It is not a replacement for the shortcut above. ## Quick answers. ### Is there a plain text paste on Mac? Apple lists Paste and Match Style, Option, Shift, Command and V, which applies the style of the surrounding content to what you paste. ## Keep reading. - [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again. - [Mac copy and paste keyboard shortcuts](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/mac-copy-paste-keyboard-shortcuts/): Command and C copies, Command and X cuts, Command and V pastes. Apple's list also covers paste and match style, copy style and moving files in Finder. - [How to clear the clipboard and clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/clear-clipboard-on-mac/): Copy something harmless to replace what is on the clipboard. On macOS 27 you can also clear Spotlight's clipboard history in System Settings. - [What is clipboard history?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/clipboard-history/): Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for. ## More in Screenshots. - [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sonoma](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sonoma/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Sonoma 14, with the Options menu, the floating thumbnail and how to copy to the clipboard. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Ventura](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-ventura/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Ventura 13, with Options, the floating thumbnail, copying to the clipboard and recordings. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there.