How to quickly and easily copy formatting in Word

Copying and pasting various content in Word is one of the most common tasks. For example, you can copy and paste formatting from one text block to another, or borrow formatting from some illustration (drawing, shape, etc.). This is very handy if you want to apply the same formatting to multiple parts of a document.

Note: The pictures for this article are taken from Word 2013.

To copy formatting from a text block (or illustration), first select it.

Note: To copy the formatting of both text and a paragraph, select the entire paragraph along with the paragraph break character. This is not difficult to do if you enable the display of non-printable characters.

How to quickly and easily copy formatting in Word

On the Advanced tab Home (Home) section Clipboard (Clipboard) click Sample format (Format Painter).

How to quickly and easily copy formatting in Word

The cursor will change to a brush. Select the text to which you want to transfer the copied formatting. When you release the mouse button, the formatting will be applied to the selected text, as shown in the image at the very beginning of this article.

How to quickly and easily copy formatting in Word

To apply the copied formatting to multiple sections of text (or illustrations), double-click the button Sample format (Format Painter). To finish copying formatting, press again Sample format (Format Painter) or key Esc.

Note: When copying the formatting of graphic objects, the tool Sample format (Format Painter) works best with drawing objects, such as shapes. But you can also copy the formatting of the inserted picture (for example, an attribute such as a picture frame).

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