Copying text from ChatGPT into Word should be simple.
Instead, you often get:
- Broken bullets or numbered lists
- Weird line spacing and alignment
- Random font changes mid-paragraph
In this guide, we'll walk through:
- Why this happens in the first place
- Manual ways to paste from ChatGPT to Word more safely
- A one-click shortcut using DeGPT that you can use every day
Why ChatGPT → Word formatting breaks
When you copy from a web app like ChatGPT, you're not just copying the visible text. You're copying HTML, hidden characters, and styling instructions under the hood.
Word tries to interpret all of that. Sometimes it does a good job. Other times:
- Bullets become plain hyphens
- List indentation gets lost
- Paragraph spacing doubles or disappears
- Fonts and sizes change mid-sentence
The more complex your answer (headings, lists, code blocks), the more likely something will go wrong.
Method 1 – Use Paste Special in Word
If you don't want any extra tools, the safest built-in approach is Paste Special in Word.
Step 1 – Copy from ChatGPT
- Select the text you want.
- Press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac).
Step 2 – Open Word and use Paste Special
- Go to your Word document.
- Place your cursor where you want the text.
- In the Home tab, click the small arrow under Paste.
- Click Paste Special…
- Try one of these options:
- HTML Format – keeps most formatting
- Unformatted Text – strips almost everything and lets you re-format in Word
This is reliable, but a bit click-heavy if you do it multiple times per day.
Method 2 – Paste as plain text, then re-format
If you're okay with rebuilding formatting inside Word, you can strip everything first.
- Copy from ChatGPT as usual
- In Word, use:
- Ctrl + Shift + V (on some systems / custom shortcuts) or
- Right-click → Keep Text Only (icon with a little A)
This gives you plain text. It avoids weird spacing and hidden characters, but:
- You lose bullets and heading styles
- You need to rebuild lists and headings manually
Method 3 – Use DeGPT for a one-click clean paste
If you're doing this every day, you probably want something faster and more predictable.
That's what DeGPT is for: it cleans AI-generated text so you can paste it into Word without surprises.
Step 1 – Copy from ChatGPT
As usual, select your answer and copy it.
Step 2 – Paste into DeGPT
- Open DeGPT in ChatGPT or at degpt.app.
- Paste the text into the input box.
Step 3 – Choose how you want the output
For example:
- ✅ Fix bullets and numbered lists
- ✅ Normalise headings and spacing
- ✅ Strip markdown characters
- ✅ Optionally hide emails/phone numbers/client names
Turn on the toggles that match your use case.
Step 4 – Copy the cleaned version and paste into Word
- Click Copy cleaned text.
- Paste into Word with a normal paste (Ctrl + V / Cmd + V).
You keep readable structure (headings, lists) but avoid most of the invisible junk that confuses Word.
Which method should you use?
Use Paste Special if:
- You rarely do this
- You're okay with a few extra clicks
Use Plain text if:
- You care more about consistency than keeping lists
- You don't mind rebuilding formatting inside Word
Use DeGPT if:
- You do this several times a week or every day
- You want a repeatable workflow: copy → DeGPT → Word
- You want extra options like PII removal and markdown stripping
Next steps
- Try DeGPT in your next Word-bound ChatGPT session.
- Bookmark this page so you don't forget the Paste Special shortcuts.
- Explore the rest of the DeGPT guides for Google Docs, Slides, Notion and more.