When you copy and paste content from a Google Doc, Word file, or even a website, you’re not just grabbing the words. You’re also grabbing all the hidden formatting that comes with it—fonts, styles, spacing, colors, links, and more.
This might not seem like a big deal… until that content ends up on your website and suddenly things look weird, broken, or inconsistent.
At Giant, we recommend always starting with clean, raw text when adding copy to a website. In this post, we’ll explain:
- What plain text is and why it’s important
- The problems caused by hidden formatting
- How to properly clean your content before posting
- Step-by-step instructions for Mac and Windows users
💡 What Is “Plain Text” or “Raw Text”?
Plain text—also called raw text—is just the text itself. It includes:
- Letters
- Numbers
- Punctuation
- Line breaks
It does not include:
- Fonts or font sizes
- Bold, italic, or underline styles
- Links
- Colors
- Paragraph spacing or indentation
- Background formatting
Plain text is like the “pure ingredients” of writing—clean, simple, and ready to be styled correctly by your website’s design system.
Why Formatting from Docs and Websites Is a Problem
When you paste content into a web editor (like WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, etc.), the editor retains as much of the original formatting as possible. This often includes invisible code that tells the browser how the text should look.
Unfortunately, this can override your site’s default fonts, sizes, or colors, and cause issues like:
- Headings look different from the rest of the site
- Extra or inconsistent line spacing
- Text alignment problems
- Links that don’t follow site styles
- Content breaking the mobile layout
- Mysterious behavior that’s hard to fix later
That’s why we want all website content to be pasted in as plain text first, then styled using the site’s built-in tools.
How to Clean Text Before Pasting (Mac + PC)
Here’s how to ensure your text is clean before pasting it into your website or sending it to us for publishing.
For Mac Users
Option 1: Use TextEdit (built-in on every Mac)
- Open TextEdit (Applications → TextEdit).
- In the menu bar, go to:
Format→Make Plain Text
Or press:Shift + Command + T - Paste your copied content into the window (
Command + V). - This strips away all formatting, styles, fonts, and links.
- Select all (
Command + A), then copy (Command + C). - Now paste it into your CMS, or send it to us clean.
Note: If “Make Plain Text” is grayed out, it means you’re already in plain text mode.
For Windows Users
Option 1: Use Notepad (built-in on every PC)
- Open Notepad (Start menu → search “Notepad”).
- Paste your copied content into the blank window (
Ctrl + V). - Notepad automatically strips all formatting—fonts, sizes, links, etc.
- Select all (
Ctrl + A), then copy (Ctrl + C). - Paste the clean text into your CMS editor or document.
⚡️ Bonus Tip: Paste Without Formatting Using a Shortcut
If you’re in a modern browser or CMS that supports it, you can also try using a keyboard shortcut to paste plain text:
- Mac:
Shift + Option + Command + V - Windows:
Ctrl + Shift + V
This can be helpful in email apps, web editors, or content management systems—but it’s not foolproof and doesn’t work everywhere.
The Giant Workflow (And Why It Matters)
When you’re preparing content to go live on your site, we recommend this simple workflow:
- Write your content wherever you like—Google Docs, Word, etc.
- Copy and paste it into a plain text app or online cleaner.
- Copy the cleaned version from that app.
- Paste it into your website (or send it to us in that form).
- Use its toolbar to apply headings, bold, links, etc., inside the CMS.
By starting with raw text, your content will:
- Inherit your site’s correct fonts and colors
- Behave consistently across all screen sizes
- Load faster and cleaner
- Avoid confusing code and hidden problems later
Need Help?
If you’re unsure or want us to clean your content before it goes live, just let us know. We’re happy to help make sure everything works and looks right from the start.
Clean content = a clean website. It’s a small step with a big payoff.
