How-To

How to Copy Formatting in Google Docs

By Adam Davidson

Updated January 28, 2024

Want to apply the same formatting to other sections of your Google Docs? Here’s how to copy formatting in Google Docs.

There are many instances when you might need to change the default formatting in Google Docs. For example, if you’re writing a paper that needs to be in MLA format, you’ll need to know how to change the formatting to the correct style. This can involve multiple changes. You might change the font, font size, font color, bold, italics, and more. If you need to apply the same formatting to another section of your text, making all the changes again can take up a lot of time. Thankfully, there is a simple way to copy the formatting from one section of your Google document and apply it to one or more other sections in just a couple of clicks. Here’s how to copy formatting in Google Docs.

How to Copy Formatting a Single Time in Google Docs

If you’ve created the perfect formatting for a section of Google Docs, and you want to apply the same formatting to another section of text within your document, you can use the Google Docs Paint Format tool. This tool allows you to copy just the formatting, rather than the text itself, and then apply that formatting to another section of text that you select. This method can change the font, font size, font color, bold, italics, underlining, and any other formatting that applies directly to the text itself. It won’t copy things such as capitalization or alignment, however.

1. In your Google Doc, ensure that one section of the document has the exact formatting that you want to copy elsewhere.
2. Select the text that has the formatting that you want to copy.
   
3. In the toolbar, click the Paint Format icon, which looks like a paint roller brush.
   
4. Your cursor should now change to the Paint Format icon.
   
5. Highlight the text that you want to apply the formatting to.
   
6. When you release your mouse or trackpad, the same formatting will be applied to all of the text that you selected.
   
7. Your cursor will return to normal, so no further text you select will have the copied formatting applied to it.

How to Copy Formatting Multiple Times in Google Docs

Using the method above allows you to select one section of text to copy formatting to. However, once you’ve changed one section of text, the Paint Format tool turns off, and any other text you highlight won’t have the copied formatting, such as the font style, applied to it. If you want to copy the formatting to multiple sections of your text, having to select the original text, click the Paint Format icon, and select the new text each time can soon become time-consuming. Thankfully, there is a simple way to turn the Paint Format tool on permanently, so you can apply the copied formatting to as many sections of text as you want until you’re ready to turn the Paint Format tool off again.

1. Open your Google Doc and highlight the text using the formatting that you want to copy.
2. Double-click the Paint Format tool in the toolbar.
   
3. Highlight the first section of text to which you want to copy the formatting.
4. When you release the cursor, the copied formatting is applied to the text.
   
5. The cursor should still show the Paint Format You can now select another section of text to apply the copied formatting to that section, too.
   
6. Repeat for as many sections of text as you wish.
7. Once you’ve finished copying the formatting to all the text that you want, click the Paint Format icon in the toolbar again to turn it off.

How to Copy Formatting in Google Docs Using Keyboard Shortcuts

It’s also possible to copy formatting in Google Docs using two simple keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts allow you to copy the formatting for a section of text, and then paste that formatting to as many other sections of text as you wish.

1. Open your Google Doc and select the text that has the formatting that you want to copy.
   
2. To copy the formatting, press Ctrl+Alt+C on Windows, or Cmd+Option+C on Mac.
3. Select the text that you want to apply the copied formatting to.
   
4. Press Ctrl+Alt+V on Windows, or Cmd+Option+V on Mac.
5. The copied formatting is now applied to your text.
   
6. You can continue to apply the copied formatting to other sections of text by pressing Ctrl+Alt+V or Cmd+Option+V again; you don’t need to keep copying the formatting each time.

How to Copy Without Formatting in Google Docs

Sometimes, rather than copying the formatting of text in Google Docs, you may want to paste some text into Google Docs with all of the formatting removed. For example, if you copy some text from a website, you may want the pasted text to match the formatting of the rest of your document, rather than keeping the formatting from the website. If so, it’s possible to paste text in Google Docs with the formatting removed.

1. Select the text that you want to copy; this could be from within the same document, from another document, or from a completely different source, such as a web page.
2. Press Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac to copy the text.
3. In your Google Doc, click on the location where you want the unformatted text to appear.
4. Press Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows or Cmd+Shift+V on Mac.
5. The text should be pasted without any of its original formatting.
6. You may also be able to paste without formatting from within the Google Docs menus by clicking Edit > Paste Without Formatting.
7. You may find that this option doesn’t work in your browser. If so, you can use the keyboard shortcuts in the steps above.
   

How to Remove Formatting in Google Docs

If you decide that you’re not happy with all the formatting that you’ve applied to your Google Doc, you can quickly and easily get rid of it all for a specific section of text, or even for the entire document, and start again with the default formatting.

1. Highlight the text that you want to remove the formatting from. To select the entire document, click Ctrl+A on Windows or Cmd+A on Mac.
2. Click Format in the menu bar.
   
3. Select Clear Formatting.
   
4. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+\ on Windows or Cmd+\ on Mac.
5. The formatting will be removed, and the default formatting will be restored.
   

Using the Paint Format Tool in Google Documents

The Paint Format tool isn’t just available in Google Docs. The same tools is also featured in Google Sheets and Google Slides, too. Just like with Google Docs, the Paint Format tool allows you to copy the formatting from one part of your Sheets or Slides document and paste it to another. This can be a real timesaver, especially if your formatting involves several changes from the default settings. By using the Paint Format tool, you can apply all of your changes to other parts of your document in just a couple of clicks.