Share via

Hotkey for "Paste Special" (option+command+v) disappears and is changed to standard paste

Anonymous
2015-02-18T20:54:56+00:00

Occassionally in Word 2011 for Mac the hotkey for performing "Edit > Paste Special..." disappears. If I quit & re-open word the hotkey returns.

Here is the menu when I open word: http://postimg.org/image/epwkii9gt/

And here is a screenshot when the menu hotkey has gone missing: http://postimg.org/image/p0xfv5p93/

I am not sure what triggers this, how to prevent it, or how to fix it without exiting word. I often use the "Paste Special" hotkey to paste "unformatted".

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

9 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-19T01:21:56+00:00

    Years ago, I created a macro for this purpose and assigned Alt + V as a keyboard shortcut. It has never failed:

    Sub PasteUnformattedText()

      On Error GoTo ClipboardNotText

        Selection.PasteSpecial DataType:=wdPasteText

        Exit Sub

    ClipboardNotText:

      Selection.Paste

      Err.Clear

    End Sub

    I have done this before as well, but it doesn't always work.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2015-02-19T01:21:30+00:00

    I was on 14.4.7, updating now...

    I will also try running Disk Utility and restarting, but it sounds like these don't really address the problem.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. John Korchok 232.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-02-19T00:45:51+00:00

    Years ago, I created a macro for this purpose and assigned Alt + V as a keyboard shortcut. It has never failed:

    Sub PasteUnformattedText()

      On Error GoTo ClipboardNotText

        Selection.PasteSpecial DataType:=wdPasteText

        Exit Sub

    ClipboardNotText:

      Selection.Paste

      Err.Clear

    End Sub

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.9K Reputation points
    2015-02-18T23:28:50+00:00

    No, Smart Copy & Paste has no bearing on it, but allowing the program to run continuously for inordinate periods of time (day after day) seems to be a contributing factor. Other than that, the specific cause is undetermined. It has happened to some users & a fresh launch of the program usually corrects it.

    Since you didn't indicate your present update level, confirm that Office is at 14.4.8 which was published last week.

    Also, run Disk Utility to repair disk permissions followed by a restart of the Mac.

    If the issue persists;

    1. Log out
    2. Hold Shift while you log in
    3. See if the issue recurs

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2015-02-18T20:55:28+00:00

    I have also tried the suggestion I found elsewhere to turn off "Smart copy & paste", but it doesn't solve this issue.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments