Use the format painter in Outlook

Use Format Painter to quickly apply the same formatting, such as color, font style and size, or border style, to multiple pieces of text or graphics. With format painter, you can copy all of the formatting from one object and apply it to another one—think of it as copying and pasting for formatting.

  1. In a new email, select the text or graphic that has the formatting that you want to copy.

    Tip

    • If you want to copy text formatting, select a portion of a paragraph.
    • If you want to copy text formatting and paragraph formatting, select an entire paragraph, including the paragraph mark.

  2. On the Message tab, in the Clipboard group, select  Format Painter button  Format Painter. (Or, if you want to apply the formatting to more than one thing, double-click  Format Painter button .)
    Format painter simplified button

  3. The cursor changes to a Shows format painter cursor with paintbrush paintbrush icon.

  4. To apply the formatting, click the graphic or drag across the text. (This action only works once. To apply formatting to multiple elements of your message, you must first double-click Format Painter button Format Painter in step 2.) 

  5. To stop formatting, press Esc.

Tip

  • You can use Ctrl+Shift+C to copy a format, and Ctrl+Shift+V to paste a format. While the cursor does not change to a paintbrush, you can repeatedly paste formatting to multiple areas without re-copying. 
  • For graphics, Format Painter works best with drawing objects, such as AutoShapes. However, you can copy formatting from a picture (such as the picture's border).