Word’s Format Painter copies formatting from one selection to another. Use it when headings, labels, or other repeated elements should look alike without changing their words.
Copy formatting once
- Select text that already has the look you want.
- On the Home tab, choose Format Painter in the Clipboard group. The pointer changes to a paintbrush.
- Drag over the target text. Word applies the source formatting to that selection.
For one target, a single click on Format Painter is enough. Microsoft’s Format Painter guide documents these steps.
Apply it to several places
After selecting the source, double-click Format Painter. Drag over each target in turn. Press Esc when finished. A normal single click stops after one application.
Copy character or paragraph formatting
Your source selection matters. Select part of a paragraph to copy character formatting such as font and color. To copy both text and paragraph formatting, select the entire paragraph including its paragraph mark. If spacing or alignment changes unexpectedly, check what was selected before using the tool again. Our alignment guide explains those paragraph settings.
Does it work on pictures?
Yes, Format Painter can copy formatting from graphics as well as text. It works best with drawing objects such as shapes; Microsoft also notes that it can copy some picture formatting, such as a picture border. The exact settings that transfer depend on the objects involved, so check the result.
Copy and paste formatting with the keyboard
Word also has shortcuts that work like Format Painter without the paintbrush pointer.
- Click in or select the text that has the formatting you want.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+C (Command+Shift+C on a Mac) to copy only its formatting.
- Select the text you want to change.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+V (Command+Shift+V on a Mac) to apply the copied formatting.
The copied formatting stays available, so you can keep selecting new passages and pressing the paste shortcut. That makes it handy for scattered text that a single Format Painter drag cannot reach.
Copy formatting to another document
Format Painter works between open Word files. Select the source text, choose Format Painter, switch to the other document window, and drag over the target text. If the other document uses different style definitions, check the result, because paragraph styles can look different there.
For more options beyond Format Painter, including styles and paste options, see these other ways to copy formatting in Word.
If the result is wrong
Use Undo to reverse the last application, then select a better source. If the goal is to remove inconsistent formatting instead of copying it, use Word’s clear-formatting command or an appropriate style. For many headings across a document, Word styles are easier to maintain than repeated Format Painter applications.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com