Paste as Plain Text Everywhere in Windows 11/10 with PowerToys Advanced Paste

In earlier releases of PowerToys (versions 0.68 through 0.80), this capability existed as a standalone module called Paste as Plain Text. Starting with PowerToys 0.81, Microsoft consolidated that module into Advanced Paste, which preserves the direct plain-text keyboard shortcut while adding optional local conversions for Markdown and JSON, image-to-text optical character recognition (OCR), and opt-in AI transformations. All standard formatting removals and file conversions run locally on your PC without sending clipboard data over the internet.

Prerequisites and System Compatibility​

Before installing and configuring Advanced Paste, verify that your system meets Microsoft's requirements for current versions of PowerToys:

• Operating System: Windows 11 (any supported build) or Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or newer.
• System Architecture: x64 (64-bit Intel/AMD) or ARM64 processors. 32-bit (x86) systems are not supported.
• Permissions: Standard user accounts can install PowerToys in per-user mode (--scope user), which works for pasting into standard applications. However, if you need to paste plain text into applications running with elevated administrator privileges (such as an elevated Command Prompt, PowerShell, Registry Editor, or IDE), PowerToys must also be configured to run as an administrator.
• Clipboard Content: Standard plain-text pasting works on any text copied to the Windows clipboard. If you copy an image containing text and want to paste it as plain text, you can use the built-in Image to text option inside the Advanced Paste menu, which uses local Windows OCR.

Install Microsoft PowerToys on Windows 10 and Windows 11​

If PowerToys is not yet installed on your PC, you can install it through the Microsoft Store, Windows Package Manager (winget), or the standalone GitHub installer. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 use the same installation methods and PowerToys interface.

Method 1: Install via Windows Package Manager (Fastest)​

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (on Windows 11) or Windows PowerShell / Command Prompt (on Windows 10).
2. Run the following command to install PowerToys for your current user account, or omit --scope user to install it system-wide (which prompts for Administrator approval via User Account Control):
   winget install Microsoft.PowerToys -s winget
3. Wait for the installer to download and verify the package. When the installation finishes, PowerToys launches automatically and places an icon in your system tray (notification area) near the clock.

Method 2: Install via Microsoft Store​

1. Open the Microsoft Store app from the Start menu.
2. Search for Microsoft PowerToys in the top search bar.
3. Verify that the publisher is Microsoft Corporation and select Install.
4. Once installation completes, launch PowerToys from the Start menu. No system restart is required.

Enable and Configure Advanced Paste for Plain Text​

Advanced Paste is enabled by default in current PowerToys installations, but you should verify its activation state, review how it interacts with your clipboard, and check its assigned keyboard shortcuts.

1. Click the Show hidden icons arrow (^) on the right side of the taskbar, right-click the PowerToys icon, and select Settings (or double-click the tray icon to open the PowerToys dashboard and select Settings).
2. In the left navigation sidebar, expand System Tools and click Advanced Paste. (If you are using an older layout of PowerToys Settings, scroll down the left sidebar and select Advanced Paste directly).
3. Ensure the Enable Advanced Paste toggle at the top of the page is switched On.
4. Locate the Shortcuts section to see the two primary ways to trigger the tool:
   • Open Advanced Paste window: Defaults to Win + Shift + V. This opens a small floating dialog near your cursor or screen center where you can choose how to format the clipboard contents.
   • Paste as plain text: Defaults to Win + Ctrl + Alt + V. This bypasses the popup window entirely and immediately pastes the current clipboard text without formatting.
5. Expand or scroll to the Paste options (or Additional actions) section to customize how the popup window behaves:
   • Verify that Paste as plain text is enabled so it appears at the top of the Win + Shift + V menu.
   • If you only want plain-text pasting and want a cleaner popup menu, you can turn off Paste as markdown, Paste as JSON, or media transcoding options so they do not clutter the Advanced Paste window.
6. Check the Clipboard history toggle on the Advanced Paste settings page if you want the Win + Shift + V window to display previously copied items alongside formatting actions. Note that enabling clipboard history in Advanced Paste works alongside Windows' built-in clipboard history.
7. Leave Enable Paste with AI switched Off unless you specifically intend to configure an OpenAI API key or local AI model. Turning this off guarantees that your clipboard never triggers external API calls.

Paste Text Without Formatting in Daily Workflows​

Depending on whether you want a single-step paste or want to preview and choose the output format before inserting text, you can use either the direct shortcut or the interactive window.

Option A: Direct Plain Text Paste (Single Shortcut)​

Use this method when copying text from web pages, PDFs, or formatted documents into Microsoft Outlook, Word, Teams, OneNote, or browser forms:

1. Highlight the formatted source text and press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard.
2. Click inside the destination document, email message, or form field where you want the unformatted text to appear.
3. Press Win + Ctrl + Alt + V and release all keys promptly.
4. PowerToys strips the rich text (RTF/HTML) metadata from the clipboard and inserts the raw characters using the destination document's current font and paragraph style.

Warning: Because Win + Ctrl + Alt + V replaces the rich-text clipboard entry with plain text during the paste operation, any subsequent standard Ctrl + V paste of that same copied item will also paste as plain text until you copy a new item.

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Option B: Paste via the Advanced Paste Window​

Use this method if you find the four-key Win + Ctrl + Alt + V combination uncomfortable or if you want to inspect the clipboard before pasting:

1. Copy your source text with Ctrl + C.
2. Click inside the target application where the text should go.
3. Press Win + Shift + V to open the Advanced Paste popup window.
4. Perform one of the following actions inside the window:
   • Click Paste as plain text with your mouse.
   • Press Ctrl + 1 on your keyboard (the direct quick-key shown next to Paste as plain text inside the popup).
   • Use the Tab or Down Arrow keys to highlight Paste as plain text and press Enter.
5. The popup window closes automatically and inserts the unformatted text into the active window.

Customize the Plain Text Shortcut for Easier Access​

Many users find pressing Win + Ctrl + Alt + V awkward for frequent pasting. You can change the direct Paste as plain text shortcut inside Advanced Paste settings to a simpler key combination.

Warning: PowerToys allows you to bind Ctrl + V or Ctrl + Shift + V as a custom shortcut in Advanced Paste, but Microsoft warns that overwriting Ctrl + V replaces standard pasting system-wide—including when copying and pasting files in File Explorer or images in graphics editors—which can break normal clipboard workflows. Instead of overwriting Ctrl + V, use a combination that includes the Windows key or Alt key (such as Win + Alt + V), or use Ctrl + Shift + V only if it does not conflict with formatting shortcuts in your primary applications.

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1. Open PowerToys Settings and go to System Tools > Advanced Paste.
2. Under Shortcuts, find Paste as plain text and click the Edit (pencil) button next to Win + Ctrl + Alt + V.
3. When the Edit shortcut dialog opens, press your preferred key combination on the keyboard (for example, Win + Alt + V). The shortcut must begin with a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, or Win) and end with a standard character or function key.
4. Check the dialog for any warning messages indicating that the shortcut is already in use by Windows or another PowerToys module.
5. Click Save to apply the new shortcut immediately.

Verify That Formatting Is Stripped Correctly​

To confirm that Advanced Paste is actively removing formatting rather than passing rich text through to your editor:

1. Open any web browser and highlight a heading or paragraph that contains bold text, colored fonts, or an embedded hyperlink, then press Ctrl + C.
2. Open a rich-text editor such as Microsoft Word, WordPad, or a new HTML email in Outlook (do not use Notepad for this test, because Notepad automatically strips formatting on its own).
3. Type a few words in a specific font (such as 11-point Calibri) and press Ctrl + V on a new line. You will see the pasted web text retain its original web font, size, background shading, and clickable link.
4. Create another new line in the same document and press Win + Ctrl + Alt + V (or your customized Advanced Paste shortcut).
5. Verify that the text appears in your document's default 11-point Calibri font with no hyperlinks, background shading, or size changes.

Alternate Built-In Windows Methods (No Additional Software)​

If you are working on a managed corporate PC where installing PowerToys is blocked by IT policy, you can use built-in Windows and application features to achieve plain-text pasting:

• Use Ctrl + Shift + V in supported apps: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, and current Microsoft 365 builds of Word (version 2303 and later) natively support Ctrl + Shift + V for plain-text pasting. However, this shortcut still fails in many legacy Windows applications, older Outlook versions, and some rich-text form fields.
• Use Windows Clipboard History (Win + V):
  1. Open Settings > System > Clipboard (identical path on Windows 10 and Windows 11) and turn Clipboard history On.
  2. Copy your text with Ctrl + C, then click into your target document and press Win + V.
  3. Find the copied entry in the Clipboard list, click the More options (...) button next to the item, and select Paste as text.

Troubleshooting and Rollback​

Symptom: Pressing the Shortcut Does Nothing in Certain Apps​

• Cause: The target application (such as an IDE, command-line shell, or administrative tool) is running with elevated Administrator privileges while PowerToys is running under a standard user token. Windows User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI) blocks unelevated processes from sending simulated keystrokes to elevated windows.
• Fix: Open PowerToys Settings, select General in the left sidebar, scroll to the Administrator mode section, and click Restart PowerToys as Administrator (and optionally toggle Always run as administrator to On).

Symptom: Modifier Keys (Ctrl, Alt, or Win) Seem "Stuck" After Pasting​

• Cause: Because Advanced Paste works by intercepting your shortcut and injecting a virtual Ctrl + V after stripping the clipboard formatting, holding down Win + Ctrl + Alt while PowerToys sends the virtual keystrokes can occasionally leave a modifier key logically pressed in Windows, as reported by users on the official PowerToys GitHub repository.
• Fix: Release the shortcut keys immediately after pressing V rather than holding them down. If a modifier key remains stuck (causing regular letter keys to trigger shortcuts), tap the physical Alt, Ctrl, and Windows keys once on your keyboard to reset their state, or switch to the Win + Shift + V popup window workflow, which avoids simultaneous four-key chord injection.

Symptom: Win + Shift + V Opens Notification Banners Instead of Advanced Paste​

• Cause: In Windows 10 and Windows 11, Win + Shift + V is the default system shortcut to cycle focus through active toast notifications. When Advanced Paste is running, it overrides this shortcut, but if PowerToys crashes or is closed, Windows reverts to the default notification behavior.
• Fix: Check the system tray to verify PowerToys is running. If another application has claimed Win + Shift + V, open PowerToys Settings > System Tools > Advanced Paste and reassign Open Advanced Paste window to an unused combination.

Rollback: Restore Default Windows Clipboard Behavior​

If Advanced Paste interferes with another clipboard manager or application shortcut, you can disable it or revert its shortcuts without uninstalling all of PowerToys:

1. Open PowerToys Settings and go to System Tools > Advanced Paste.
2. If you changed a shortcut and want the default back, click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the shortcut and select Reset (or Delete to leave the direct action unassigned).
3. To turn off the utility completely while keeping other PowerToys features active, toggle Enable Advanced Paste to Off. Windows immediately restores normal shortcut behavior across all applications.