How to use Smart Copy to preserve formatting on Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge now lets you copy content from the web and paste it on another app maintaining the original formatting, and here's how to use the feature.

Microsoft Edge Smart Copy
Microsoft Edge Smart Copy

Microsoft Edge has a “Smart Copy” feature that allows you to copy content from the web and paste it into a document preserving the source formatting. If you ever copy anything content from the web (such as tables or content with a mix of text, links, and images), you know that pasting it into a document never looks as the original content. Smart Copy makes it easier to select, copy, and paste web content while maintaining the same formatting, text, spacing, and links as the original source.

At the time of this writing, the feature is a work in progress, but anyone can test it downloading and installing the latest build (version 89 or higher) from the Canary channel.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to use Smart Copy on the Canary version of Microsoft available on Windows 10.

How to use Smart Copy on Microsoft Edge

To use Smart Copy to copy and paste content preserving formatting, use these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.

  2. Open website with the table, images, or content to copy.

  3. Right-click the page and select the Smart copy option.

    Smart Copy Edge
    Smart Copy Edge
    Quick tip: You can also invoke the feature using the Ctrl + Shift + X keyboard shortcut.
  4. Use the mouse pointer to select the region of the page with content you want to copy.

  5. Click the Copy option.

    Select web content and copy
    Select web content and copy

Once you complete the steps, when pasting the content on another application, the style, links, and other elements will be preserved.

According to the company, when pasting you should get an option to paste the clipboard content as an image or as a text with the original formatting, but currently the option seems not to be available. For example, copying something from WikiPedia will paste it as an image, and from a normal website the content pastes as text with original formatting.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of (est. 2010). With over 21 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.

Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.

Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.

You can follow him on YouTube, Threads, BlueSky, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].