Rich Text vs Plain Text on the Windows Clipboard
By Khushi Yadav
When you copy formatted text on Windows, the app you copy from usually puts several versions of it on the clipboard at once: plain Unicode text plus one or more rich versions such as HTML or RTF. The app you paste into picks the richest format it understands. That is why the same copy pastes with bold and links in Word but as bare words in Notepad or a terminal. To get plain text on purpose, use a plain-text paste command: Ctrl+Shift+V where an app supports it, Keep Text Only in Word, or PowerToys Paste as plain text.
One copy, several formats
Microsoft's clipboard documentation says a window can place the same information on the clipboard in more than one format, and should put the most descriptive format first. The pasting app then takes the first format it recognizes. These are the formats you meet most often with text:
| Format | Name on the clipboard | What it carries | Typical source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain text | CF_UNICODETEXT (and the older ANSI CF_TEXT) | Characters only, lines ending in CR-LF. No font, colour or links. | Almost every app |
| HTML | "HTML Format" (often called CF_HTML) | A UTF-8 HTML fragment with a short header of byte offsets | Browsers, Outlook, Office apps |
| RTF | A registered format, Rich Text Format | Word-style formatted text | Word and other rich-text editors |
HTML and RTF are not built into Windows the way plain text is. They are *registered* formats that apps agree on by name. Microsoft's own example of a registered format is RTF: a word processor registers it because plain text would lose the formatting.
Windows converts automatically between its plain-text formats (for example CF_TEXT to CF_UNICODETEXT). It does not convert HTML into RTF or the reverse. If the source app only offered HTML, an app that only reads RTF falls back to plain text.
Why the same copy pastes differently
The destination decides, not Windows. Some common cases:
| Paste into | What it usually takes | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Notepad, address bars, most terminals | Plain text | Words only |
| Word (default Ctrl+V) | The richest format offered | Microsoft says Word keeps source formatting by default |
| Excel, from a browser | HTML | Tables can land as rows and columns |
| Chat and email apps | HTML or plain text, depending on the app | Varies |
Terminals are a common surprise. They read plain text only, so nothing rich ever arrives; why pasting into terminals strips formatting explains the details.
HTML also carries things you can't see: link targets with tracking parameters, inline styles and font names. Those are what bring mystery fonts into a pasted paragraph, and the reason a copied link can be longer than it looks. To strip the extras from links, see how to copy a clean link without tracking parameters.
How to paste plain text instead
Pick whichever matches the app you are in. Step-by-step instructions for each app are in how to paste without formatting on Windows.
- Ctrl+Shift+V. Microsoft's Windows shortcut list gives it as "Paste as plain text", but only apps that implement it respond. Ctrl+Shift+V does not work everywhere lists the alternatives.
- Word's Keep Text Only. Paste, select the Paste Options button (or press Ctrl), then Keep Text Only. Microsoft notes this discards all formatting and non-text elements such as pictures and tables. Current Word for Microsoft 365 also maps Ctrl+Shift+V to Paste Text Only; older versions used that shortcut for pasting formatting.
- Make plain text Word's default. Go to File > Options > Advanced, find Cut, copy, and paste, and set Pasting from other programs to Keep Text Only.
- PowerToys Advanced Paste. With the free Microsoft PowerToys installed and Advanced Paste turned on, Win+Ctrl+Alt+V pastes the clipboard as plain text in any app. Microsoft says this action runs locally and doesn't use AI.
What clipboard history keeps
Windows clipboard history (Win+V) supports text, HTML and bitmap items, up to 4 MB each. A copy from a web page therefore keeps its HTML in history, and pasting it from Win+V into Word can bring the formatting back even if the preview card looks plain. What Microsoft Edge puts on the clipboard walks through a browser example, including why a copied address pastes as a page title. RTF isn't on Microsoft's list of history formats, so don't count on history to return Word's own rich format.
Clipboard sync between PCs is narrower still: Microsoft documents it for text. For what each layer keeps, see what the Windows clipboard can and cannot store.
Clipboard managers and formatting
Clipboard managers decide for themselves which formats to save, so check before relying on one for rich paste. [Edge Drop](/), the free clipboard shelf made by the team behind this site, saves a text item's HTML alongside the text when the HTML is 32,768 characters or fewer, so clicking the item pastes it with its formatting. It has no paste-as-plain-text option, so pair it with one of the methods above when you want bare text.
FAQ
Is rich text the same as RTF?
Not quite. "Rich text" is any text with formatting. RTF is one specific format for it. On the clipboard, browsers usually supply rich text as HTML, while Word can offer RTF and HTML.
Does plain text keep line breaks?
Yes. Plain text keeps characters, including line breaks (stored as CR-LF on the Windows clipboard) and tabs. It drops fonts, colours, links and table structure.
Why did Ctrl+Shift+V paste formatting instead of removing it in Word?
Older versions of Word use Ctrl+Shift+V to paste formatting copied with the Format Painter. Use Paste Options > Keep Text Only there instead.
Related reading
- How to Paste Without Formatting on Windows
- Ctrl+Shift+V Not Working? Fixes for Word, Excel, Browsers
- How the Windows Clipboard Works: What Happens on Copy
- Why Pasted Text Changes Font in Word (and How to Fix It)
Sources
- Clipboard Formats (Microsoft Learn) — multiple formats per copy, most descriptive first, registered formats such as RTF, automatic text conversions.
- Standard Clipboard Formats (Microsoft Learn) — CF_TEXT and CF_UNICODETEXT with CR-LF line ends.
- HTML Clipboard Format (Microsoft Learn) — the "HTML Format" name, UTF-8 encoding and offset header.
- Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — history supports text, HTML and bitmap, 4 MB per item.
- Keyboard shortcuts in Windows (Microsoft Support) — Ctrl+Shift+V, paste as plain text.
- Control the formatting when you paste text (Microsoft Support) — Word's default paste, Keep Text Only and default paste settings.
- Paste Text Only shortcut in Word (Microsoft 365 Insider blog) — Ctrl+Shift+V for Paste Text Only in Word.
- Advanced Paste (Microsoft Learn) — Paste as plain text, Win+Ctrl+Alt+V, runs locally.
Khushi Yadav writes Edge Drop's workflow and design guides and is a B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student. Khushi's posts are checked against Microsoft's documentation and the Edge Drop fact sheet.
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