Ctrl+Shift+V Not Working? Fixes for Word, Excel, Browsers

Ctrl+Shift+V isn't a Windows shortcut. Each app decides what it does, so it pastes plain text in browsers, Google Docs, Teams and Microsoft 365 Word, but pastes formatting in PowerPoint, isn't a plain-text paste in desktop Excel, and opens Markdown preview in VS Code. The fix is to use the app's own text-only command, or install Microsoft PowerToys and use Win+Ctrl+Alt+V, which pastes plain text in any app.

What Ctrl+Shift+V does in each app

Word: Ctrl+Shift+V pastes formatting or does nothing

Word used Ctrl+Shift+V for Paste Formatting (paired with Ctrl+Shift+C) for decades. Microsoft 365 reassigned it to Paste Text Only, and moved copy and paste formatting to Ctrl+Alt+C and Ctrl+Alt+V. If your copy of Word still pastes formatting, it's an older version or a build that hasn't received the change. To copy a whole paragraph with its look intact, duplicate it with its paragraph mark instead.

To use Keep Text Only without the shortcut, paste with Ctrl+V, press Ctrl, then press T. Or press Alt, H, V, T one key at a time.

Assign Ctrl+Shift+V to Paste Text Only yourself

1. In Word, select File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
2. Next to Keyboard shortcuts, select Customize.
3. Under Categories, choose All Commands. Under Commands, choose PasteTextOnly.
4. Click in Press new shortcut key, press Ctrl+Shift+V, and select Assign.
5. Close the dialogs. If Word asks to save changes to the Normal template when you quit, choose Save.

If PasteTextOnly isn't in the list, your version doesn't have the command; use the Paste Options method instead.

If it worked before and stopped

An add-in can claim the same shortcut. Start Word in safe mode, which loads it without add-ins: hold Ctrl while you open Word, or press Win+R, type winword /safe and select OK. If Ctrl+Shift+V works there, turn off add-ins one at a time under File > Options > Add-ins to find the one taking it. If even plain Ctrl+V types a "v" instead of pasting, Windows isn't seeing the Ctrl key; see Ctrl+V types v instead of pasting.

Excel: use Paste Special instead

Desktop Excel doesn't treat Ctrl+Shift+V as a plain-text paste. Press Ctrl+Alt+V to open Paste Special, then choose Values to paste results without formulas or formatting. In Excel for the web, Ctrl+Shift+V pastes formatting only.

Copying Excel formulas vs values explains what each Paste Special option keeps.

PowerPoint: it's the format painter shortcut

In PowerPoint, Ctrl+Shift+C copies formatting and Ctrl+Shift+V pastes that formatting onto the selected object or text. That's working as designed. For plain text, paste with Ctrl+V and press Ctrl, T, or use Alt, H, V, T.

Outlook: it depends where you press it

In classic Outlook's message list, Ctrl+Shift+V moves the selected message to a folder. Inside a message you're writing, use the Paste Options button after Ctrl+V and choose Keep Text Only.

Browsers: an extension may have taken the shortcut

Edge, Chrome and Firefox all paste plain text with Ctrl+Shift+V in text boxes and web apps such as Google Docs. If it stops working on every site:

1. Open edge://extensions/shortcuts in Edge or chrome://extensions/shortcuts in Chrome.
2. Look for an extension assigned to Ctrl+Shift+V and remove or change its shortcut.
3. Test again in an InPrivate or Incognito window, where extensions are off unless you've allowed them.

If it fails on one site only, that site's editor is handling paste itself. Paste into the browser's address bar or Notepad first, then copy the plain text from there.

VS Code and terminals

In VS Code, Ctrl+Shift+V opens the Markdown preview when a Markdown file is active. You don't need a plain-text paste in the editor: Ctrl+V already pastes plain text. Does VS Code have clipboard history? covers the shortcut conflict with clipboard extensions.

In Windows Terminal, both Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Shift+V paste, and terminals only accept plain text anyway. If pasted commands break, the cause is usually smart quotes or hidden characters, not formatting; see why pasting into terminals strips formatting.

One shortcut that works in every app

Microsoft PowerToys includes Advanced Paste, whose Paste as plain text action pastes the clipboard without formatting in any app.

1. Install PowerToys and open PowerToys Settings > Advanced Paste.
2. Turn Advanced Paste on.
3. Press Win+Ctrl+Alt+V wherever you want to paste.

It runs locally and doesn't use AI. You can change the shortcut on the same settings page if another app already uses it. How to paste without formatting on Windows lists every other method.

FAQ

Why did Ctrl+Shift+V stop copying formatting in Word?

Microsoft 365 Word moved Paste Formatting to Ctrl+Alt+V and Copy Formatting to Ctrl+Alt+C, freeing Ctrl+Shift+V for Paste Text Only. To swap them back, assign the PasteFormat and CopyFormat commands in Customize Keyboard as shown above.

Does Ctrl+Shift+V work in File Explorer?

No. Explorer pastes files, not text, and has no plain-text paste.

Related reading

• How to Paste Without Formatting on Windows
• Why Pasted Text Changes Font in Word (and How to Fix It)
• Copy and Paste Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 11 and 10
• Can't Paste in Word but Notepad Works? 8 Fixes

Sources

• Keyboard shortcuts in Word (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl+Shift+V pastes text only; Ctrl+Alt+C and Ctrl+Alt+V copy and paste formatting.
• Paste Text Only shortcut in Word (Microsoft 365 Insider) — the Ctrl+Shift+V change in Word.
• Ctrl+Shift+V in Microsoft 365 (Office Watch) — app-by-app behaviour, the PasteTextOnly command and the old Paste Formatting shortcut.
• Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl+Shift+V pastes copied formatting.
• Keyboard shortcuts in Excel (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl+Alt+V opens Paste Special; Ctrl+Shift+V pastes formatting in Excel for the web.
• Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl+Shift+V moves a message to a folder in classic Outlook.
• Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl at launch and winword /safe.
• Commonly-supported Windows shortcuts for pasting without formatting (The Old New Thing) — Edge, Chrome and Firefox support Ctrl+Shift+V.
• Markdown and Visual Studio Code (VS Code docs) — Ctrl+Shift+V opens Markdown preview.
• Windows Terminal actions (Microsoft Learn) — Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Shift+V both paste by default.
• Advanced Paste (Microsoft Learn) — Paste as plain text with Win+Ctrl+Alt+V.

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