OneNote is finally getting a “paste text only” feature on Windows and Mac. This is a long-requested feature, and it’s great because you no longer have to manually clean up ugly fonts, awkward background colors, and weird styling that you copied from a website or a different app.
The paste text only option is rolling out to OneNote on Windows, OneNote for Mac, and OneNote for the web. For Windows users, you’ll need to be on version 2508 (Build 19101.10000) or later, and for Mac users, you’ll need to be on build 16.100 (25080335) or later. The good news is that if you’re not seeing it yet, it’s not your fault. The feature is being rolled out slowly to ensure everything is working smoothly.
Copy-pasting without formatting is one of the most useful things on a PC, and I think it should be the default for every app. There are so many issues that come with trying to paste certain text from websites, and it can sometimes lead to boxes instead of letters and even nothing coming out when pasting. This is because of all the formatting that is kept when copying text. I use this so often that I naturally pressCtrl+Shift+Vinstead of justCtrl+Vwhen I paste things over.
Using the new feature is super easy. All you have to do is copy text from any source, like a webpage, an email, or a document. After you copy the text, you just need to place your cursor in OneNote where you want the content to go. From there, you have a couple of options. you may right-click and select “Paste Options” followed by “Keep Text Only”. You can also find the “Paste” menu on the “Home” tab and select “Paste Options” followed by “Keep Text Only”.
For those of us who live and breathe keyboard shortcuts, just do what I mentioned. On Windows, you’re able to useCtrl + Shift + V, and on Mac, it’sCommand + Shift + V. Pasting plain text automatically makes the font match OneNote. This makes it much easier to copy over text from other sources and avoids any steps where you use in-between apps to get rid of font issues.
OneNote may not be the most popular note-taking app, but this kind of update helps make it more mainstream because things like this do go a long way. I use notepad apps for notetaking and have only tried out OneNote to see what the appeal is, but not being able to paste without formatting was a big deal to me.
You do not need a subscription toMicrosoft 365for OneNote. While OneNote is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, it can also be downloaded and used as a free standalone app. Just keep in mind that many of the AI features will be locked behind that paywall.
