Styles are lost when pasting from one Word document to another

[jmt356]

I have copied and pasted text from one Word file to another. I lose all the styles when I paste, regardless of whether I choose Merge Formatting or Keep Source Formatting. Headings 1 and 2 turn into formatted versions of the Normal style. They look like the styles, but they are just modified versions of Normal. How can I preserve all the styles and keep them intact?

[HansV]

Make sure that you open both the source document and the target document from within Word.

[jmt356]

I continue to have the same issue even when opening both files within Word.

[HansV]

Have you installed any add-ins in Word that might interfere with copy/paste?

[jmt356]

The only macro I have installed removes headers and footers from my Word documents.

[Charles Kenyon]

The paste options are not especially helpful.
If the style exists in the receiving document, the style definition will override. Unfortunately, if you choose "Use Source Formatting, you get direct formatting in the Normal style.

You can import the style from the source using the Organizer.
https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/s ... #Organizer

[jmt356]

Both the source and destination documents have Heading 1. Why wouldn't Heading 1 when copied into the destination document remain Heading 1 when I choose Keep Source Formatting or Merge Formatting?

[StuartR]

If you pasted a new definition of Heading1 then that would affect all Heading1 paragraphs in the document, not just the one you pasted

[ChrisGreaves]

If you pasted a new definition of Heading1 then that would affect all Heading1 paragraphs in the document, not just the one you pasted

... and presumably all style definitions based on Heading1.
Cheers, Chris

[Charles Kenyon]

Both the source and destination documents have Heading 1. Why wouldn't Heading 1 when copied into the destination document remain Heading 1 when I choose Keep Source Formatting or Merge Formatting?

Keep Source Formatting always gives directly formatted text in the Normal underlying style. Styles are not copied, only the look.
Merge Formatting would keep the destination definition of Heading 1. I have not checked, but it may add direct formatting to the pasted text.

Like many Word options, it is not clearly worded. (i.e. Block all macros trust center setting that allows many macros!)

[Charles Kenyon]

You can always use the Styles Organizer to copy from the source to the destination.
https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/s ... #Organizer

You can also change the styles in the source to be unique custom styles (not based on built-in styles) before copying. I believe in that case, Merge Formatting should bring the unique styles in. This would not be a quick process, though.
(I have not checked this process.)

Here are my Copy and Paste settings.

00 deleteme 1.png

When I paste using these settings and not changing paste options, I get custom styles copied.

See Word Tips: Understanding Smart Cut and Paste
https://wordribbon.tips.net/T000008_Und ... Paste.html
Allen Wyatt says that the Smart Style Behavior option is meaningless, but see...
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/offic ... lebehavior

[Edit: I just checked and when the source has style formatting different from the destination, at least with my settings, the destination style definition is used and there is no adjustment of the pasted text by way of direct formatting to meet the original format.]

[jmt356]

Both the source and destination documents have Heading 1. Why wouldn't Heading 1 when copied into the destination document remain Heading 1 when I choose Keep Source Formatting or Merge Formatting?

Keep Source Formatting always gives directly formatted text in the Normal underlying style. Styles are not copied, only the look.
Merge Formatting would keep the destination definition of Heading 1. I have not checked, but it may add direct formatting to the pasted text.

Like many Word options, it is not clearly worded. (i.e. Block all macros trust center setting that allows many macros!)

When copying the text, it was getting formatted in the destination document to look like the source document, but the styles were not copying over. For example, if I copied text in Heading 1, in the destination document, the text and style appearance would copy over, but the name of the style was Normal + bold + center + all caps.

I was able to fix this by going into File | Options | Advanced and under Pasting between documents when style definitions conflict, selecting "Use Destination Styles (Default)."