If you use ChatGPT to generate code, documentation, or technical notes, you’ve probably hit this irritating issue: you copy the response, paste it into your IDE, Markdown file, or Google Docs—and suddenly the text comes with a weird gray background or broken formatting. 😫
The real pain starts when you try to clean it up: removing background styles, fixing indentation, restoring monospace fonts, or reformatting code blocks. What should be a quick copy-paste turns into a distraction, slowing your workflow and making your code or docs look sloppy and unprofessional.
In this quick guide from TechEye, we will show you the "hidden" shortcut and the best methods to get clean, plain text from any AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) instantly.
Method 1: The "Pro" Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)
Most users use Ctrl + V to paste. This shortcut tells your computer to copy everything—including the gray CSS styles from the ChatGPT website.
To paste only the text, use this instead:
The "No-Background" Shortcut:
Ctrl + Shift + V
(On Mac: Cmd + Option + Shift + V)
This command is called "Paste as Plain Text." It strips away the gray background, the font size, and the bold text, making it match your document's current style perfectly.
Method 2: Use the Official "Copy" Button
Don't highlight the text with your mouse. ChatGPT has an official "Copy" icon at the bottom of every response (it looks like two overlapping squares).
✓ Why it works: Clicking this button copies the text to your clipboard using "Markdown" logic, which sometimes behaves better with external editors than manual highlighting.
Method 3: The "Address Bar" Trick (The Hack)
If you are on a public computer and can't remember the shortcut, try this "old school" trick:
Copy the text from ChatGPT.
Paste it into your Browser's Address Bar (where you type URLs).
Copy it again from the address bar and paste it into your document.
The address bar automatically kills all formatting, leaving you with 100% clean text.
Summary
Stop wasting time fighting formatting issues. For programmers, Ctrl + Shift + V is a productivity lifesaver—it pastes clean text, preserves your workflow, and keeps your code and docs readable.
Top comments (0)