Clear all text formatting
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You can easily clear all formatting (such as bold, underline, italics, color, superscript, subscript, and more) from your text and return your text to its default formatting styles.
Note: This article explains how to remove the formatting from a document. If you need to undo an action (rather than undo formatting), see Undo, redo, or repeat an action.
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Select the text that you want to return to its default formatting.
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In Word and Publisher
On the Home tab, in the Font group, click Clear All Formatting.
In PowerPoint
On the Home tab, in the Font group, click Clear All Formatting.
In Outlook
On the Message tab, in the Basic Text group, click Clear All Formatting.
OneNote
On the Home tab, in the Basic Text group, click Clear All Formatting.
Clear formatting from text
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Select the text that you want to return to its default formatting.
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In Word:
On the Edit menu, click Clear and then select Clear Formatting.
In PowerPoint:
On the Home tab, in the Font group, click Clear All Formatting
.
.Note: This action applies only to formatting that you have added or modified. It doesn’t apply to default page layout styles, such as slide headers or bullet styles, that you haven’t modified.
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Select the text you want to clear formatting from.
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Click the Clear Formatting button on the Home tab of the ribbon.
Tip: It should appear just to the right of the font settings, such as font size and color, but depending on your screen size and layout you may have to click the More button (which looks like 3 dots) to see the additional buttons.
See also
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Add or remove borders for text boxes, pictures, and shapes
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Time for a very quick article.
You know how to work with styles in Word.
You know how to save style sets, allowing you to call upon your favourite styles whenever you need them.
Now, learn how to delete them.
To delete a style in the current document
To delete an individual style in your current document, as long as it’s not one of the default styles (normal, headings 1–5 etc.), go to the Styles ribbon and click on that little down arrow in the bottom right-hand corner.
Click on Options and in the ‘Select styles to show’ dropdown menu choose ‘In current document’. The ‘Only in this document’ check box at the bottom should be automatically checked.
Click OK.
This will then show you all the styles in the document in the Styles box.
Say you want to delete the ‘Rubbish Style’ style … just hover over the style name and a dropdown menu arrow should appear. Click on the arrow and you’ll get some choices, including Delete.
A pop up box will then ask if you want to delete the style, and you just say yes.
Voila, it’s gone.
It’s no longer in your current document, and won’t annoy you any more.
But what if you really, really hate it and want it gone forever?
To permanently delete a style from a style set
If you’re using a style set, you can permanently delete an individual style in much the same way as deleting it from your document.
Load your style set.
Click on the little arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of the Styles ribbon section and select the Styles ‘in current document’ by clicking on Options (like you did before).
This time click on ‘New documents based on this template’ at the bottom of the box.
Then delete the style you don’t need any more.
When you come out of that style set, then decide to use it again, the style you deleted is still gone. It is no more. It is a deleted style.
You will notice though that you can’t delete the default Word styles. If you hover over the little box the delete choice is greyed out. It’s a good idea really, because you don’t want to get rid of the basic styles that you base all your other styles on.
If you want to revert to the default styles while working on a document, you should find a Default (black and white) style in your Style sets, or the default for the version of Word you are running.
Remember, if you save your styles using a style set name, you should be able to choose whichever style you have created or, by default, a new document will open up with a default style setting.
But what happens if you’ve managed to change the actual default style set?
You’ve probably managed it by changing, or modifying, the default style and clicking on the ‘New documents based on this template’. That changes all the documents from that moment on using the new default.
How on earth do you get your default styles back?
Well, the answer lies in the Normal.dot or Normal.dotm file. This is the default template style and it’s what you’ve managed to change.
Always be wary about renaming and deleting files, but in this case it seems that the answer is to delete (or rename) the Normal.dot file. If the file is deleted, on reboot, Word will create a new one as it realizes that it’s missing. BUT this will remove any other formatting choices that you have made, so this really is a last attempt to get back to normal.
There is a page on the Microsoft website that explains what you need to do.
As usual I hope this helps. I use Word 2007, but your version of Word should be similar.
Category: business, editing, freelance, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Word Styles, publishing, writingTags: advice, guides, tutorials, Word, work, writing
Scenario
You receive a Word document that’s been through many hands, maybe even several different companies. It is littered with unused styles (typically with weird style names!) and you want to get rid of these styles from your full list of styles once and for all.
Solutions
There are several ways to get rid of unwanted styles. The method you choose depends on how many you need to get rid of, and the steps vary a little depending on whether you’re using Word 2003 or Word 2007.
Note: You cannot delete the default styles. Well, you can, but it requires some messing around. Check this Microsoft Knowledge Base article on how to do this in Word 2000 — it should apply to later versions too, though I haven’t tried any of their suggestions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/193536.
Method 1: Delete a few styles manually
If you only have a few styles to delete, it’s probably just as quick to do them one at a time:
- Word 2003: Open the Styles and Formatting task pane (Format > Styles and Formatting), right-click on the style you want to delete, then select Delete.
- Word 2007: Show the Styles window (click the dialog launcher at the lower right of the Styles group on the Home tab). right-click on the style you want to delete, then select Delete <style name>.
at the lower right of the Styles group on the Home tab). right-click on the style you want to delete, then select Delete <style name>.Method 2: Delete many styles simultaneously
Word 2003:
- Open the Styles and Formatting task pane (Format > Styles and Formatting) to display the styles (1).
- Go to the Show drop-down list at the bottom of the task pane and select the Custom option (2).
- Click the Styles button (3) on the Format Settings window.
- Click the Organizer button (4) on the Style window.
- The Organizer window displays, listing the styles in your currently open document on the left. Select the styles you no longer want from the list on the left (use Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiples) [5], then click Delete (6).
- Confirm the deletion when asked.
Word 2007:
- Show the Styles window (click the dialog launcher
at the lower right of the Styles group on the Home tab [1]). Note: I’ve highlighted the unwanted styles (2) in the screen shot below — you won’t see this highlighting in your list! - Click the Manage Styles icon (3) at the bottom of the Styles window.
- Click Import/Export (4) on the Edit tab in the Manage Styles window (this is equivalent to the Organizer in Word 2003).
- The Organizer window displays, listing the styles in your currently open document on the left. Select the styles you no longer want from the list on the left (use Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiples) [5], then click Delete (6).
- Confirm the deletion when asked.
at the lower right of the Styles group on the Home tab [1]). Note: I’ve highlighted the unwanted styles (2) in the screen shot below — you won’t see this highlighting in your list!
[Links last checked December 2009]
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Deleting Styles.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 26, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021
As you work with styles in Word, there may come a time when you want to delete a style you previously defined. To do this, follow these steps:
- Display the Home tab of the ribbon and then click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Styles group. Word displays the Styles task pane.
- In the list of styles shown in the pane, hover the mouse pointer over the style you want to delete. A down-arrow appears at the right side of the style name.
- Click on the down-arrow that appeared in step 2. Word presents you with a list of actions you can take.
- Choose either the Revert To Base Style option or the Delete option from the list of actions. You will be asked to confirm your action; click on Yes.
- To delete other styles, repeat steps 2 through 4.
- When you are done, close the Styles task pane.
You cannot delete styles that are predefined in Word. If you select these styles, the Delete option is not available in step 3.
Note that in step 4 there are two possible options you can use to actually delete the style. If the style is based on an underlying style, then you can only «revert» the style. This means that all the text that uses the style you are deleting is changed to the underlying style for the style you are deleting. If there is no underlying style, then you have the option to actually delete the style.
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This tip (10225) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Deleting Styles.
Author Bio
With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen…
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MS Word и слетающее форматирование
Вообще, стили форматирования в MS Word — одна из самых классных вещей. За пару щелчков мыши превратить документ в полноценный макет готовый для печати — это дорого стоит. Однако, если вы постоянно работаете с этим текстовым редактором, то знаете, что иногда (особенно когда требуется отредактировать сложный по структуре ворд-документ набранный на другом компьютере) работа со стилями и форматированием превращается в настоящий ад.
Стили ведут себя капризно — меняешь размер заголовка, а «прыгает» размер всего абзаца, нажимаешь случайно клавишу Delete, и стиль всей главы мистическим образом меняется на что-то совершенно невообразимое. В таких случаях, самым очевидным решением представляется полное «обнуление» оформления документа, и установка всего форматирования заново.
К счастью, сделать это проще простого.
Как очистить форматирование во всем документе
Итак, ваш документ с неправильной разметкой открыт. Выделим его содержимое (нажать CTRL+A на клавиатуре), и обратим внимание на вкладку «Главная». В группе «Стили» присмотритесь к нижнему правому углу и увидите небольшой значок в виде обращенной вправо-вниз стрелки. Нажмите на него, чтобы отобразить панель настроек стилей.
Вот здесь в MS Word спряталась панель управления стилями оформления документа
Самым первым пунктом на этой панели идет пункт «Очистить всё». Нажмите на него и тотчас всё содержимое документа предстанет перед вами в «первозданном» виде — никакого форматирования, никаких заголовков и выравнивания — только простор для творчества.
Просто очистите все стили документа!
Не сложно, верно? А можно ещё проще — даже открывать ничего не понадобится. Выделяем весь документ, а затем нажимаем на кнопку «Удалить всё форматирование» на панели «Главная».
Эффект будет точно таким же.
Инструмент для очистки форматирования в Word
Почему форматирование не удалилось?
Да, иногда может случится такая ситуация, что даже после очистки форматирования, часть документа так и остается без изменений. Дело в том, что указанный выше способ применяется только к «основному» тексту документа. А добавленные в документ текстовые блоки, колонтитулы и т.п. элементы к основному тексту не относятся — это совершенно независимые от него объекты. Поэтому и удалять их (вернее очищать их стили) также придется отдельно от основного содержимого документа.
Да, ещё , конечно же, может статься и так, что при использовании инструментов очистки форматирования, документ не изменяется вообще и сохраняет все стили. Прежде чем ругать майкрософт и бога, посмотрите внимательно — возможно документ просто защищен от изменений!
Автор: Александр «Мэлфис К.» ФРОЛОВ, для сайта bussoft.ru
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Remove Styles from Text in Word: Overview
There may come a time when you need to remove styles from text in Word after you have applied them. There are a couple of options available to you in Word to perform this action. The first way to remove style formatting is to select the text from which you want to remove the formatting. Then, click the “More” button in the “Styles” button group on the “Home” tab of the Ribbon. Then choose the “Clear Formatting” command from the drop-down list. This will remove any style that was applied to the selected text.
If the “Styles” pane is open, you can also clear any applied style from there, as well. To open the pane, click the “Styles” pane launcher button in the “Styles” button group of the “Home” tab. Then select the text from which you want to remove the style in the document. Then choose the “Clear All” choice from the list of styles in the “Styles” pane. Any style applied to the selected text will be removed.
Remove Styles from Text in Word – Instructions: A picture of a user clearing a style by using the “Styles” pane.
Remove Styles from Text in Word: Instructions
- To remove styles using the “Clear Formatting” command, select the text from which you want to remove the style.
- Then click the “More” button in the “Styles” button group of the “Home” tab in the Ribbon.
- Then choose the “Clear Formatting” command from the list of menu options.
- To remove styles using the “Styles” task pane, select the text from which you want to remove the style.
- Click the “Styles” launcher button in the “Styles” button group of the “Home” tab to launch the “Styles” pane.
- Then choose the “Clear All” choice from the list of styles shown in the “Styles” pane.
Remove Styles from Text in Word: Video Lesson
The following video lesson, titled “Clearing Styles from Text,” shows you how to remove styles from text in Word. This video lesson is from our complete Word tutorial, titled “Mastering Word Made Easy v.2019 and 365.”
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Given: a .doc(x) file with custom formatting styles applied to some text (example).
Get: a .doc(x) file which is formatted as the given file but does not define any custom styles (example).
I tried converting to .rtf, but unfortunately it saves information about styles.
«Clear formatting» command clears formatting (resets to default), but I need to save it.
Removing the style does the same thing (example). This is not what I want.
I just need to remove custom styles, but preserve formatting.
asked Mar 5, 2011 at 4:13
utapyngoutapyngo
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3
If you have access to Microsoft Excel:
- Select all in the Word doc
- Paste into Excel (which supports the formatting but not the styles)
- While the contents are still selected in Excel (after pasting), immediately copy
- Paste back into a new Word doc
I tested this with both your docs using Word and Excel 2010; it preserves the formatting but gets rid of the custom styles.
EDIT: for the more complex examples posted, do the same as above, but use WordPad instead of Excel. I.e. copy all in Word, paste into WordPad, then select-all in WordPad and paste back into a new document. This succeeds (in my test) for everything except the footer, which of course you could do separately (copy, paste out, then copy / paste back into the new document’s footer).
answered Oct 31, 2011 at 14:36
GeoffGeoff
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Try the following (untested):
Sub DeleteUsedStyles()
For Each sty In ActiveDocument.Styles
If sty.InUse Then
sty.Delete
End If
Next sty
End Sub
answered Mar 5, 2011 at 11:44
Charles StewartCharles Stewart
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4
Copy and paste into notepad, then copy and paste into a new word doc. That has always worked for me in similar situations, especially with copying and pasting between outlook emails in HTML format.
Word also have the «Paste Special» option with a selection for unformatted text, but that isn’t always available in all contexts.
answered Mar 5, 2011 at 5:25
ed209ed209
971 bronze badge
1