Windows

Use A Keyboard Shortcut Instead Of The Format Painter In Word 2007

Posted by on Aug 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

Microsoft Word makes it very easy to copy text formatting with the Format Painter button. As the name implies, you can paint specific text formatting to other areas of your document. To use it, select the text containing the formatting you want to copy, click the Format Painter button, and the select the text in which you want to apply the formatting.

As you can see, the method above requires you to switch between the keyboard and the mouse. Since many people prefer to use the keyboard for completing all their tasks, Word provides a keyboard shortcut for copying and pasting formatting. The keyboard shortcut for copying formatting in Word 2007 is Ctrl+Shift+C.

  • Borat

    That is not a shortcut for Format Painter it is a shortcut for copying with retaining the format. What if you want to change the format on existing text in the document.

  • Ed Bradburn

    Very good.

    But one should also note that the equivalent command to paste is Ctrl-Shift-V, i.e.:

    1. Go to the text with the format you want
    2. Mark something
    3. Press Ctrl-Shift-C
    4. Go to the text that should receive the formatting
    5. Mark it
    6. Press Ctrl-Shift-V
    7. You’re done!

    But thanks for getting me started: I now have a neat little macro for copying the format from one text block to another (I use translation software that uses double text blocks, and the formatting is not always initially the same).