How to use it
- Paste any formatted text into the left box — from Word, Google Docs, a PDF, an email, or a web page.
- Read off the plain text on the right. It updates as you type or paste.
- Copy and paste it wherever you need clean text — code, a CMS, a form, a chat, another document.
- Optional: collapse double spaces, straighten curly quotes and en/em dashes, drop blank lines, or flatten everything to a single line.
Why convert to plain text?
Copied text carries invisible baggage — fonts, font sizes, colors, links, list styles, non-breaking spaces, and curly “smart” quotes. Paste it into a form, a code editor, a CMS, or an email and that hidden formatting comes along, breaking layouts or triggering weird behavior. Plain text is portable and predictable — it looks the same everywhere and carries nothing you can't see.
It's also a privacy habit: stripping formatting removes tracking parameters hiding in links and metadata baked into rich text. This converter does it all locally, so the text you clean never touches a server.
Remove formatting from text (copy-paste without formatting)
If you only need to paste once, most apps have a shortcut that drops the formatting on the way in:
- Mac: ⌥⇧⌘V (Edit → Paste and Match Style) in most apps, including Pages, Mail, Notes and Safari.
- Windows and Chrome: Ctrl Shift V pastes as plain text in Chrome, Edge, Google Docs and many other apps.
- Word: paste, then click the small Paste Options icon and choose Keep Text Only.
The shortcuts don't work everywhere and can't fix smart quotes, odd spacing or stray line breaks — that's when pasting through the converter above is faster.
Like plain text? You'll like FloatyNote.
FloatyNote is a plain-text note for your Mac that floats on top of every window and pops up when your screen wakes — so you always start where you left off. One note, one keystroke away, always in plain text.
macOS 12+ · one-time $9 · no account, no cloud
Questions
What does a plain text converter do?
It removes all formatting from text — fonts, sizes, colors, bold, links, and hidden characters — and gives you clean plain text you can paste anywhere without surprises. This one also normalizes messy spacing and straightens smart quotes if you want.
How do I remove formatting from copied text?
Paste your text into the box above. The plain-text version appears instantly on the right — copy it with the Copy button. No app, no sign-up. Great for cleaning text from Word, Google Docs, PDFs, or websites before it goes into code, a CMS, or an email.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript — your text never leaves your device and nothing is sent to a server. It even works offline once the page has loaded.
Does it work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. It's a browser tool, so it works on macOS, Windows, Linux, and mobile — any device with a modern browser.