9

This is a version of Windows XP: Can I paste plain text by default for Mac users. This drives me insane as well.

Whenever I cut and paste anything from one app to another in OS X it carries formatting with it. The only exception is when using a text editor like TextMate. I don't want text I copied from a website or Pages to paste with formatting in iChat, etc.

Does anyone know a way I can turn this off by default, or is there an app that will do it for me?

Thanks for your help.

Improve this question
9

Here you go: https://www.engadget.com/2009-07-07-tuaw-tip-paste-without-formatting-by-default.html enter image description here

There's an answer, thanks to the Keyboard & Mouse pane in System Preferences. If you click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, you can assign "Paste Without Formatting" and/or "Paste and Match Style" to Command + V for all applications. Just click the + button under the list, type in the name of the appropriate menu items, and press ⌘-V in the Keyboard Shortcut box.

One note: Panic designer Neven Mrgan found that using this tip means you won't be able to paste images into iChat using Command + V. Dragging and dropping (or choosing Paste from the Edit menu) still works, though. Update: If you explicitly add ⌘-V in as a shortcut for Paste that's specific to iChat, you can restore the image paste capability without breaking the global shortcut.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    Be careful doing this. It breaks pasting into some text fields, like the subject of a Mail.app message. Learn to use the "Paste and Match Formatting" shortcut when you need to, instead. – Matthew Schinckel Jul 28 '09 at 14:18
  • Why the down vote, there is a note near the end of the post saying "Update: If you explicitly add ⌘-V in as a shortcut for Paste that's specific to iChat, you can restore the image paste capability without breaking the global shortcut." I assume you can do the same for Mail.app – Dan McClain Aug 6 '09 at 18:50
1

PTH Pasteboard gives you this functionality plus a whole lot more. Multiple clipboards, running scripts (python, ruby, bash, etc...) before being pasted, and persistent clipboard history across reboots are some of my favorite features.

I think I bought this utility faster than any other shareware ever, it's a steal at $25.

Improve this answer
3
  • How exactly can you change this default in PTH Pasteboard? Thanks. – Peter Štibraný Apr 3 '12 at 13:49
  • OK, I've found it, but that's not really CMD+V paste :-( – Peter Štibraný Apr 3 '12 at 13:57
  • Goto PTH Pasteboard Preferences, Pasteboards tab, select Main from the source list on the left, and then check the "As Plaintext" checkbox. – Mark Thalman Apr 3 '12 at 15:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.