Easily copy & paste without formatting: Create paste unformatted text macro and button in Outlook 2007

If you use Paste Special, Unformatted Text frequently in Outlook 2007 or above, you may have noticed that there’s no button for this command by itself. Plus, Outlook won’t let you record a macro, and copying macro code from Word 2007 doesn’t work.

You may want to copy and paste unformatted text if, for example, you’re copying and pasting from programs outside of Outlook, such as a Web page or PDF.

Here’s how to create a Paste Special, Unformatted Text macro and button to save mouse clicks when using this popular command.

First, click New to begin with a blank, new message in Outlook 2007.

Click the Developer tab along the top. If you do not see Developer along the top, click the Windows orb at the top left. Then, select Editor Options, tick the box next to Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon and click OK.

After selecting the Developer tab, click Macros, then type PasteUnformatted under Macro Name, and click Create.

You’ll see the Visual Basic window. In the blank space between SubPasteUnformatted () and EndSub, copy and paste this text:

Dim objDoc As Word.Document
Dim objSel As Word.Selection

On Error Resume Next

Set objDoc = Application.ActiveInspector.WordEditor
Set objSel = objDoc.Windows(1).Selection

objSel.PasteSpecial Link:=False, _
DataType:=wdPasteText, _
Placement:=wdInLine, _
DisplayAsIcon:=False

Next, still in the macro programming window, select Tools, then References.

Find Microsoft Word 12.0 Object Library in the list (they’re in alphabetical order) and tick the box next to it to select it, then select OK.

Click the X in the upper right corner to exit the Visual Basic macro programming window.

Now, you can test your macro. Copy some text to the Clipboard (highlight text somewhere and hit Ctrl+C), then go back into your blank message and click Developer, Macros, Run.

To create a shortcut button along the top for your new unformatted text macro, click the down arrow at the end of the row of icons at the top left of your screen (still in that new Outlook message).

Select More Commands.

Under the Choose Commands From drop-down list, pick Macros.

Select PasteUnformatted and click Add.

To the right, you’ll see the new button in the list. Select your new button and click Modify if you’d like to change its mouseover text and/or icon.