ClipText App

ClipText allows you to paste unformatted text

Displays the Windows "clipboard" contents as plain text, then copies that text back to the clipboard. This is great when you want to copy something and paste elsewhere without the formatting (eg. fonts, colours, line spacing, etc). Also allows the clipboard to be emptied (eg. for privacy).

ClipText App Details

The Problem With Copy & Paste

The "Clipboard" is a valuable feature of Windows. Moving stuff around, making multiple copies of stuff, even copying stuff from one application to another. Select something in one app, "Copy" it to the clipboard, switch to another app, "Paste" from the clipboard.

Unfortunately, it can sometimes be a nuisance that Windows copies all of the formatting along with the text. For example, try copying totals from a nicely formatted spreadsheet, then pasting just the totals into a report. Some apps have a "Paste Unformatted Text" option, but this is not always available.

Low-Tech Solution Using Notepad

In the past, I used to get around this as follows:

Select formatted text and Copy from App #1;
Switch to "Notepad" and Paste the text (losing the formatting in the process);
Select un-formatted text and Cut from Notepad;
Switch to App #2 and Paste the un-formatted text;
Repeat steps 1 through 4 as needed.

This worked OK, but it required three manual steps in Notepad: Paste, Select, Cut.

ClipText To The Rescue!

I therefore wrote this really basic app – "ClipText" – to take over Notepad's role:

Select formatted text and Copy from App #1;
Switch briefly to "Cliptext" for it to do its magic;
Switch to App #2 and Paste the un-formatted text;
Repeat steps 1 through 3 as needed.

ClipText automatically performs the magic of converting the clipboard contents to un-formatted text and copying back to the clipboard, eliminating the three manual steps previously performed in Notepad.

ClipText Usage

Besides converting the clipboard contents, ClipText also displays those contents, plus it has a button to empty the clipboard (eg. for privacy). ClipText is a tiny app that can be kept running while working between applications with multiple Copy and Paste operations.

Download ClipText version 1.40

Requires Windows (anything from Windows 95 onwards)

(Can also be run on Mac OS or Linux using a Windows emulator)

File name: ClipText1.exe

File Date: 05-Mar-2012

File size: 6,656 bytes (6.5Kb)

Download Instructions

This will vary depending on the browser that you are using and the browser's security settings:

Click on the above link and either "Open" or "Run" the app directly;
Click on the above link and save the app to your computer;
Right-Click on the above link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" to save the app to your computer.

The app can be saved directly to your Desktop or to somewhere within your Start menu.

Split-Second Download

Many people are surprised when the download completes almost instantly, even on a relatively slow Internet connection.

Don't panic, it's not a malfunction!

It's simply because the ClipText app is so tiny! At barely 1/150th of a megabyte – compared to several megabytes for most other apps – ClipText is one of the smallest apps available on the Internet today. It should take less time to download the app than it took to download this web-page!

Support Ian

Amazon Links

If you liked ClipText and want to support me, buy yourself something via one of my Amazon links (see below). Note that you aren't limited to the listed categories. Once you're there, you can select ANY item from ANY category and this website will earn a tiny commission.

PayPal Donation

Make a donation with PayPal – it's fast, free and secure!

You may prefer to support me more directly via a PayPal donation, which is the Internet equivalent of leaving a tip in a restaurant or throwing a coin in the hat of a street performer or busker, and is uplifting for both parties. To donate, use one of the following secure payment links: