Remove Formatting in Microsoft Word: Step-by-Step

To remove formatting in Microsoft Word, select the text, then choose Home > Clear All Formatting in the Font group. This removes appearance changes such as font, size, color, and emphasis, while keeping the words. You can apply it to a selection or, with care, to most of a document. The steps below are for Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the ribbon command is also available on Mac.

Formatting can include direct changes like bold text, paragraph spacing, and highlighting, as well as styles such as Heading 1. Clearing it gives selected text a simpler appearance, based on the document’s default formatting. It does not delete the text. Save a copy first if you may want to restore the original look, especially when working with a long or carefully formatted document.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365. The steps also apply to many recent desktop versions of Word, although ribbon placement can vary slightly.
A clear idea of what to reset: selected words, paragraphs, or the main document. If the document matters, save a copy with File > Save As before making broad changes.

Step-by-Step

Select the text you want to change. Drag across a word, sentence, or passage with the mouse, or click in a paragraph if you intend to work on that paragraph. To select the entire main document on Windows, press Ctrl+A. In a document with tables, headers, footers, or separate text boxes, Ctrl+A may not select every object; handle those areas separately. Check the selection carefully before clearing formatting.
Open the Home tab. Find the Font group on the ribbon. The Clear All Formatting button is usually shown as an A with an eraser. If the ribbon is condensed or the Word window is narrow, the button may be tucked into a menu in the Font group. Hover over a button to see its name before clicking; do not confuse it with Text Effects, Text Highlight Color, or Font Color.
Choose Clear All Formatting. Click the button once. Word removes formatting from the selected text and applies the document’s default appearance, commonly the Normal style. The exact result depends on the document’s theme and default font. Review the selection: bold, italic, font size, font color, highlighting, and other visual changes may be removed, while the words remain in place.
Check paragraph-level appearance. If the text still has unusual indentation, alignment, line spacing, or space before and after paragraphs, click in the affected paragraph and press Ctrl+Q on Windows. This resets direct paragraph formatting to the paragraph’s style. It can also change indentation or spacing that you wanted to keep, so use it only on the paragraphs that need it. For several paragraphs, select them first, then use the shortcut.
Reset a style if the text still looks different. A paragraph may have a heading, quote, or other style applied. Select the paragraph or place the cursor in it, then choose Home > Styles > Normal to apply Normal. This changes the paragraph’s style and may affect its position in a document outline or table of contents. If you want to retain a heading’s role, keep the heading style and adjust its appearance instead of switching to Normal.
Repeat for other areas and review the document. Clear formatting in separate selections as needed. Headers and footers can be edited by double-clicking them; select their text and use the same Home command. For text in a shape or text box, click inside that object before selecting the text. Check lists, tables, headings, and page breaks afterward because their structure and appearance may depend on styles or paragraph settings.
Use a paste option to avoid bringing formatting back. When adding replacement text, use Home > Paste ▼ > Keep Text Only if that option is available. It pastes plain text using the destination paragraph’s formatting. Alternatively, paste normally and clear the formatting afterward. The exact paste menu may vary with Word version and platform.

On Mac, use the same Home > Clear All Formatting ribbon command; the button may be in a compact Font menu. Keyboard shortcuts differ between platforms and can be changed, so use the ribbon command if you are unsure. Do not assume a Windows shortcut will behave the same on a Mac.

Common Mistakes

Clearing the whole document by accident. Ctrl+A selects the main document body, and one click on Clear All Formatting can remove intentional styling across that selection. Undo immediately with Ctrl+Z on Windows if the result is wrong, or close without saving if you have not made other changes and want to discard the edit.
Expecting formatting removal to delete content. The command changes appearance, not words, comments, tracked changes, or other document content. It is not a way to erase text or accept revisions.
Using Clear All Formatting to solve every spacing issue. A paragraph’s style, list settings, tabs, or page layout may control what you see. If only spacing or indentation is wrong, reset paragraph formatting or inspect the relevant paragraph and list settings rather than changing unrelated font formatting.
Removing a heading style unintentionally. Applying Normal can remove the paragraph’s heading role. This may affect navigation and an automatic table of contents, even though the text still looks readable. Keep the appropriate heading style if the paragraph is meant to be a section title.
Assuming hyperlinks or special objects will become plain text. A link may remain clickable after its appearance changes, and fields, equations, images, and text in other objects may need separate handling. Check the specific item rather than judging by its color alone.

Tips

Work in small sections. Start with one paragraph and confirm the result before applying the command to a long passage. This is especially useful in documents with mixed headings, lists, and quotations.
Use the right reset for the problem. Clear All Formatting is a broad reset. Ctrl+Space on Windows removes direct character formatting from selected text; Ctrl+Q resets direct paragraph formatting. These narrower shortcuts can be more suitable when a single layer of formatting is causing trouble.
Use styles for consistent documents. After clearing a passage, apply a suitable style from Home > Styles rather than manually rebuilding every font and spacing choice. Styles make it easier to keep headings and body text consistent.
Preserve structure when needed. Lists, heading levels, and table formatting communicate organization, not just decoration. If you want a clean-looking document without losing that structure, adjust the style or list formatting rather than stripping everything.
Know when to undo. Ctrl+Z on Windows reverses the most recent action. If you have made several edits since clearing formatting, use the Undo menu carefully and check the document after each reversal.

Troubleshooting

The button is missing or unavailable: Click the Home tab and look in the Font group. Maximize the Word window or expand the ribbon if it is collapsed. Make sure text is selected; if the command is inactive, click in the document body and select a small passage. In Word for the web or an older version, the layout can differ, so look for Clear All Formatting on the Home tab rather than relying on the button’s exact position.
The font looks unchanged: The document’s default font may resemble the original, or a style may be setting the font. Select the text and check the Styles group. Apply Normal for ordinary body text, or choose the appropriate style. If only some words differ, make sure the selection included them.
Indentation or spacing remains: Click in the affected paragraph and use Ctrl+Q on Windows, or select the intended paragraph style. If the paragraph is part of a list, inspect the list indentation and numbering controls too. Resetting paragraph formatting can remove custom spacing that was intentional, so verify the surrounding paragraphs afterward.
Some text did not change: It may be in a header, footer, table cell, text box, shape, or another separate area. Enter that area, select its text, and repeat the command. Objects such as images and equations are not ordinary text and will not be reset by selecting nearby words.
The result is worse than before: Press Ctrl+Z on Windows right away. If other changes have followed, use the Undo list to return to the point before the formatting command. For a saved document, reopen your backup or use Word’s version history if it is available for that file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Clear All Formatting delete my words?
No. It changes the selected text’s appearance, not its wording. Review the selection first so you do not accidentally apply a broad style change to more text than intended.

How do I remove formatting from the entire document?
On Windows, press Ctrl+A in the main document, then choose Home > Clear All Formatting. Save a copy first. Headers, footers, text boxes, and some table content may need to be selected and handled separately.

What is the difference between Clear All Formatting and Ctrl+Q?
Clear All Formatting is the broad ribbon command for selected text. Ctrl+Q on Windows resets direct paragraph formatting, such as alignment, indentation, and spacing, while leaving character formatting like bold or font color alone.

Can I remove formatting but keep bold or italics?
Not with one broad Clear All Formatting action: it can remove those character changes too. If you need to preserve emphasis, reset only the unwanted properties using the Font controls, or clear formatting in smaller selections and restore essential bold or italic styling afterward.

Will this remove hyperlinks?
Not necessarily. Clearing appearance formatting does not reliably turn a hyperlink into ordinary text; the link may remain active. To remove a link, right-click it and choose Remove Hyperlink, or use the link controls, then check the text’s appearance separately.

Does the command work the same in Word for Mac?
The Home tab’s Clear All Formatting command is available in Word for Mac, though its position can vary with the ribbon layout. Use the visible command if a shortcut behaves differently or conflicts with a Mac system shortcut.

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