Q:        Eek! I copied some text from a web site and pasted it into a new Word document. Suddenly the page orientation and margins and other stuff changed! And it won’t let me change anything back! Is this text possessed or what?

A:         No need to panic … or seek an exorcist. The problem is due to “borrowing” from the web.

            When you copy from a web site, in addition to the text, you capture hidden code called “HTML” (Hyper Text Markup Language). These hidden codes dictate everything from font size and color to placement of pictures and text. And with HTML you’ll find that it can be “HTMF” (Hard To Modify Formatting).

Fortunately there’s an easy solution to overcoming HTML’s obstinate code. When pasting into Word, select File > Paste Special from Word’s menu bar. At the Paste Special dialog box, select “Unformatted Text” and click OK. The text will be pasted into Word without formatting, allowing you complete freedom to modify at will.