WD3x: Information Copied to Clipboard Loses Formatting (24156)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 3.0
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 3.01
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 3.02
This article was previously published under Q24156

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Word version 3.x, character and paragraph formatting may be lost when text is copied and pasted to another document.

CAUSE

This will happen if, after you copy the text to the Clipboard, you quit Word before you paste the text into another Word document. When you quit Word, formatting is lost from any Word data stored in the Clipboard.

STATUS

This problem should not occur in Word versions 4.0 and later because these versions of Word provide rich-text format (RTF) information to the Clipboard (which preserves the formatting of the text).

MORE INFORMATION

In Word, it is possible to have multiple documents open at the same time. When text is copied from one document to another with both documents open at the same time, the formatting is retained.

To copy formatted text from one Word document to another without quitting Word, do the following:

  1. Open the document that contains the text to be copied.
  2. Select the text you want to copy and choose Copy from the Edit menu.
  3. On the File menu, click Open to open the other document.
  4. Position the insertion point where you want the copied text to appear.
  5. On the Edit menu, click Paste.

    The text will appear in the new document with the same formatting.
To switch between documents after they have been opened, click the name of the desired document on the Window menu.

NOTE: To copy paragraph formatting, you must include the paragraph mark that occurs at the end of your copy selection.

To prevent this type of Clipboard storage:

Word 98

Choose Preferences from the Tools menu. From the General tab clear the Include Formatted Text in Clipboard check box.

Word 6.0

Choose Options from the Tools menu. From the General tab clear the Include Formatted Text in Clipboard check box.

Word 5.0

Choose Preferences from the Tools menu and clear the Include Formatted Text In Clipboard check box.

Word 4.0

Add the Include RTF In Clipboard command to a menu by using the Commands command on the Edit menu. Remove the check mark next to that command on menu where it appears.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/26/2003
Keywords:KB24156
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