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About this lesson
Quickly copy and paste “formats” with this amazing button.
Lesson versions
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Exercise files
Download the ‘before’ and ‘after’ Word documents from the video tutorial and try the lesson yourself.
Format Painter .docx61 KB Format Painter - Solution.docx
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Quick reference
Format Painter
Use the Format Painter button to quickly copy and paste “formats”.
When to use
Any time you want to quickly duplicate formatting, the Format Painter button is the best option.
Instructions
- Click the line of text that you want to copy Formatting from.
- Click the Format Painter button on the Home ribbon, Clipboard group.
- Click and drag over the line of text that you want to apply the Formatting to.
Tips:
- The format only applies to the SELECTED text. Make sure you have told the computer what you want it to do by clicking, dragging, and selecting the text.
- Single click the Format Painter to use it one time only.
- Double click the Format Painter to use it as many times as you like until you are finished.
- Press ESC on keyboard to turn off the Format Painter when you are done; or click the button to turn it off.
- 00:05 Hello, in this lesson we're going to use the format painter button.
- 00:07 It is absolutely one of my most favorite buttons in Microsoft Word.
- 00:12 It's located in a couple places.
- 00:14 On the home ribbon right over here on the left is your format painter.
- 00:18 I also have it on my quick access bar way over here on the right hand side.
- 00:21 Click access bar, and notice when you float your mouse there.
- 00:24 It gives you a complete instruction tutorial on how to use it and
- 00:27 what it does.
- 00:28 Also, the keyboard shortcuts.
- 00:30 If you are willing to learn that and remember that.
- 00:32 I just kind of like hitting the actual button cuz it's cute.
- 00:36 There's one other place as well.
- 00:37 So I'm gonna go ahead and highlight the first line that I like.
- 00:40 And my mini bar pops up and there it is on the mini bar as well.
- 00:44 Just so you know it's there.
- 00:45 Now the purpose is to copy format, not text.
- 00:48 But the format that we like and apply it to a line that needs to be formatted.
- 00:53 So I'll go ahead and do that.
- 00:54 I've highlighted topic one bold in red.
- 00:56 It's already highlighted.
- 00:57 I'm gonna click my format painter.
- 00:59 I'm gonna bring my mouse down here.
- 01:01 And notice the cute little paintbrush attached to my I beam.
- 01:04 That tells me it's ready to apply the formats.
- 01:07 So I just literally click and drag and
- 01:09 wipe it, paint it, over the line I want to apply it to.
- 01:12 There you go.
- 01:13 I didn't have to figure out what color red, what size, anything.
- 01:16 It's all done.
- 01:17 Let's do this again to the next blue line.
- 01:20 I can use the one on the home ribbon this time.
- 01:22 Click that one. Come down here with the paint brush, and
- 01:24 apply it to the line.
- 01:26 Perfect.
- 01:27 Now the green one.
- 01:27 I highlight the formatting that I like.
- 01:31 This time the one on the quick access part.
- 01:32 It doesn't matter.
- 01:33 It's the same button.
- 01:34 It's a personal preference on where you want to click, that's all.
- 01:37 I have a cute little paint brush attached to my mouse, click and drag, there we go.
- 01:41 And then the last one.
- 01:42 Same thing. This time I'm just going to,
- 01:43 instead of click and drag.
- 01:44 Just gonna move my mouse into the margin.
- 01:46 Click once, selects an entire line.
- 01:49 Click the format page here.
- 01:51 Come out here.
- 01:52 It's now, when I move the mouse in.
- 01:54 I see the paintbrush. When I come out here to
- 01:55 the margin, I don't.
- 01:57 But believe me, it's going to work.
- 01:59 There you go.
- 02:00 Awesome.
- 02:00 So when you click once, you get to use it once.
- 02:03 Now what we're gonna do, is we're gonna apply topic one format to this one, and
- 02:07 topic one format to this one.
- 02:09 So we'll have to use it more than once.
- 02:11 Come right back up here, select the line, this time I'm gonna double click.
- 02:15 Click, click, the format painter.
- 02:17 Now it's going to be on until I turn it off.
- 02:19 So topic one right here, and topic one right here.
- 02:24 And notice when I move my mouse it's still on the paper just still attached my IV,
- 02:28 got to turn this off.
- 02:29 Two ways to do it.
- 02:30 You can just go up here and turn this off the button,
- 02:32 or you can also press the Escape on your keyboard and that will turn it off.
- 02:36 So two ways, click the button to turn off or hit Escape.
- 02:39 Let's do let see, topic two.
- 02:41 Select the font you like, the format you like.
- 02:45 Double click the paint brush to use it multiple times.
- 02:47 And then just apply it where you want it by clicking in writing or
- 02:51 just clicking in the margin.
- 02:53 Awesome.
- 02:53 That's still on.
- 02:54 So I gotta turn it off.
- 02:55 So I'm gonna click to turn it off.
- 02:57 There you go.
- 02:57 Last one, number three.
- 02:58 And I'm only gonna use this once.
- 02:59 So click it once, to use it once.
- 03:01 And there you go.
- 03:03 It's awesome, please use this, please learn it.
- 03:05 Such an incredible, valuable tool.
- 03:07 It will save you so much reconstruction work on a document.
- 03:12 If you just find one that's already the way you like it, highlight the text,
- 03:17 paint format, paste the format.
- 03:20 Awesome.
- 03:21 Thank you!
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