Microsoft Word Formatting in WordPress- How to add a properly formatted Word Document to WordPress 

Posted by in Resources, WordPress

When you copy and paste your Microsoft Word document content into a WordPress post (or page), the hidden proprietary Microsoft text formatting code is retained. This can have unintended consequences when you publish your post. Fortunately WordPress has a built in feature to recognize Microsoft text formatting code and convert it to browser friendly HTML formatting (click here to learn how to [cref remove-microsoft-formatting-wordpress remove Microsoft Word formatting] in WordPress)

After you’ve logged into the Admin area of your WordPress site and you are ready to write a post, locate the text formatting toolbar above the area where you compose post content. To show the toolbar, make sure the “visual” tab is selected. At the right end of the tool bar you will notice a square icon with three horizontal rows of small dots. In WordPress this is called the “kitchen sink”. Clicking on this icon will cause a new row of

WordPress kitchen sink and Microsoft Word formatting conversion tool

WordPress kitchen sink and Microsoft Word formatting conversion tool

icons to appear underneath the main formatting toolbar. Toward the center of this new toolbar you’ll see a small icon with a yellow clipboard and the letter “W” superimposed on top.

Clicking on this icon will bring up a dialog box that prompts you to “Paste From Word”. Simply paste your content from Microsoft Word into this box and it will covert all Microsoft formatting to standard HTML formatting. You are now ready to use the WordPress formatting toolbar to format your content from Microsoft Word into your post.