Because of the limitations of web browser technology, copying and pasting text in Microsoft Microsoft 365 for the web differs from copying and pasting text in the Office desktop applications. This article gives you steps for copying and pasting in each of the Microsoft 365 for the web programs.
Which program are you using?
Word for the web
Copy and paste behavior differs according to whether you are viewing, reviewing, or editing a Word document in the browser, and whether you are pasting content from outside Word for the web.
Viewing in browser
When you open a document in Reading view, you can select text a line at a time by dragging the mouse (not double-clicking). Then, press Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘+C (Mac) to copy text. You can paste the contents of the clipboard outside the document. When you do, the text is inserted into the new location without its formatting such as bold, italics, or a particular color. You can reapply these in the new location.
Note: When viewing a document in Reading view, you can select a minimum of a line of text. To be able to select words or phrases, click Edit in browser.
If you want to paste within the document, click Edit in Browser.
Reviewing or editing in browser
In Editing view you can cut, copy, and paste text and pictures within the document by selecting text or a picture just as you do in the Word desktop application. Press Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+X to cut, or Ctrl+V to paste the text or picture (Windows); or press ⌘+C, ⌘+X, or ⌘+V (Mac). On Chrome, Firefox, and Chromium-based Edge, you can also use Ctrl+Shift+V and ⌘+Shift+V to paste text only (pastes text without source formatting).
Notes:
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If you are using Firefox and you want to use the Copy, Cut, and Paste commands on the Word for the web ribbon, you need to allow JavaScript to use the clipboard. If you don’t want to do this, use the -C, -X, and -V keyboard commands.
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On Chrome, you can install the Office - Enable Copy and Paste Extension, which will allows you to cut, copy, and paste with your mouse on all the Office Online apps.
Pasting from outside Word for the web
When you paste text from outside Word for the web, you have 2 options for how to paste the text: keep source formatting, and paste text only. For the default paste (keep source), the text is inserted into the document with as many of the original formatting properties that can be copied. Characteristics of the text, such as bold, italics, or a particular size or color, are preserved whenever possible. Depending on the source of your copied content, specific formatting aspects might not paste as expected. In this case, you can use the formatting tools in Word for the web to reapply these formatting properties.
For paste text only, the text and words are preserved, but the formatting will match the line of your document where you paste the content. Paste text only can be accessed via the ribbon and context menu (when you're using any version of Edge, or Chrome with the Office - Enable Copy and Paste Extension), via Ctrl+Shift+V (Chrome, Firefox, and Chromium-based Edge), or by clicking the paste floatie after standard paste and selecting the "paste text only" option.
Pictures you copy from the web can be pasted in the document, but sometimes Word for the web doesn’t support pasting pictures that are copied from other documents or programs. If there’s a picture in another document or program that doesn't paste successfully into Word for the web, save the picture on your computer, then go to Insert > Picture in Word for the web.
Tables and lists should paste as close to their original formatting as possible, unless pasted as text only. Sometimes, table properties such as border style and cell shading will not paste correctly, especially if the colors and styles are not available in Word for the web. For these cases, you can insert a picture of your table via screen capture, or edit the pasted table and choose other colors/styles. Sometimes lists will paste with altered indentation. You can correct this by using the Numbering and Increase Indent buttons (Home tab) to achieve the desired result.
Hyperlinks Hyperlinks should be pasted as links by default. If you paste a link and it pastes as plain text, you can reconstruct the link by doing the following:
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Select the text.
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On the Insert tab, click Link.
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In the Address box, type the web address (URL) of the link.
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Leave text in the Display text box as it is, and then click Insert.
PowerPoint for the web
You can cut, copy, and paste text, pictures, or slides within the presentation. Select the object just as you do in the PowerPoint desktop application. Press Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+X to cut, or Ctrl+V (Windows), or press ⌘+C, ⌘+X, or ⌘+V (Mac).
|
Option |
Keyboard shortcut (Windows) |
Keyboard shortcut (macOS) |
|---|---|---|
|
Copy |
Ctrl+C |
⌘+C |
|
Cut |
Ctrl+X |
⌘+X |
|
Paste |
Ctrl+V |
⌘+V |
Notes:
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If you are using Firefox and you want to use the Copy, Cut, and Paste commands on the PowerPoint for the web ribbon, you need to allow JavaScript to use the clipboard. If you don’t want to do this, use the -C, -X, and -V keyboard commands.
OneNote for the web
Copy and paste behavior differs according to whether you are viewing or editing in the browser, and whether you are pasting text from outside Microsoft OneNote for the web.
Viewing in browser
When you open a notebook in Reading view you can select text just as you do in the OneNote desktop application. Then, press Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘+C (Mac) to copy text. You can paste the contents of the clipboard outside the notebook. When you do, the text is inserted into the new location without its formatting such as bold, italics, or a particular color. You can reapply these in the new location.
If you want to paste within the notebook, click Edit in Browser.
Editing in browser
In Editing view you can cut, copy, and paste text and pictures within the notebook by selecting text or picture just as you do in the OneNote desktop application. Press Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+X to cut, or Ctrl+V to paste the text or picture (Windows); or press ⌘+C, ⌘+X, or ⌘+V (Mac).
Note: If you are using the Firefox browser and you want to use the Copy, Cut, and Paste commands on the OneNote for the web ribbon, you need to allow JavaScript to use the clipboard. If you don’t want to do this, use the -C, -X, and -V keyboard commands.
Pasting from outside OneNote for the web
When you paste text from outside OneNote for the web the text is inserted into the notebook as plain text. In other words, characteristics of the text, such as bold, italics, or a particular size or color, are not preserved and you must reapply them in OneNote for the web.
Pictures you copy from the web can be pasted in the notebook, but OneNote for the web doesn’t support pasting pictures that are copied from other notebooks or programs. If there’s a picture in another notebook or program that you want to use in OneNote for the web, save the picture on your computer, then go to Insert > Picture in OneNote for the web.
Tables and lists When you paste text that is formatted outside OneNote for the web as rows and columns or as sub-items in a list, the table or hierarchical structure does not appear in the pasted text. The best practice is to paste such items one cell or level at a time. Or, when pasting a list, remove the number formatting and then reapply it in OneNote for the web, using the Numbering and Increase Indent buttons (Home tab) to achieve the desired result.
Hyperlinks Hyperlinks are pasted as static text. To reconstruct the link, do the following after pasting it:
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Select the text.
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On the Insert tab, click Link.
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In the Address box, type the web address (URL) of the link.
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Leave text in the Display text box as it is, and then click Insert.
Excel for the web
Copy and paste behavior differs according to whether you are viewing or editing in the browser, and whether you are pasting text from outside Excel for the web.
Viewing in browser
When you first open a workbook in the browser you can select cells just as you do in the Excel desktop application. To copy cell contents, you can right-click and select Copy, click Home > Clipboard > Copy, or press Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘+C (Mac). You can paste the contents of the clipboard outside the workbook. If you want to paste within the workbook, click Edit in Browser.
Editing in browser
Excel for the web supports copy and paste by using mouse and keyboard shortcuts and the ribbon commands. The content that you can copy and paste depends on the paste destination.
Within one workbook open in the browser, you can copy and paste anything except for the following unsupported content:
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Slicers
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Pivot Tables
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Pivot Charts
Between different workbooks open in the browser, the following content is unsupported:
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Charts
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Mixed ranges (shapes and text)
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Named ranges
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Sparklines
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Slicers
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Pivot Tables
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Pivot Charts
When you paste tabular data, the row-and-column structure of the cells is preserved in Excel for the web.
When you copy Excel for the web content and paste it into another app, formatting is retained if supported by the other app.
Pasting from outside Excel for the web
Using Edge or Chrome, when you paste text from outside Excel for the web the text retains its formatting and hyperlinks retain their functionality, unless you press Ctrl+SHIFT+V to paste as plain text.
If your browser is not Edge or Chrome, when you paste text from outside Excel for the web it is always pasted as plain text. In such browsers, hyperlinks are pasted as static text. To reconstruct the link do the following after pasting it:
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Select the text.
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Press Ctrl+K.
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In the Address box type the web address (URL) of the link
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In the Display text box, type the link text, and then click Insert.
