Why does Ctrl + Alt + V not work in Word anymore?

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Ctrl Alt V in Word

Ctrl Alt V in Word

If you need Paste Special, use: 

Alt → H → V → S

This is the only path that has stayed stable through recent changes.

It goes through the ribbon, not the keyboard shortcut layer.

What changed

Historically: 

Ctrl + Alt + V → Paste Special

This worked consistently in older Word versions (at least Word 2007–2013 era). 0

That is no longer reliable in current Microsoft 365 builds.

Because the shortcut layer was modified.

The actual change

Microsoft introduced new shortcuts around 2024–2025 tied to paste behavior and formatting.

As part of that:

  • Ctrl + Shift + V → paste plain text
  • Ctrl + Alt + C → copy formatting
  • Ctrl + Alt + V → paste formatting

So Ctrl + Alt + V is no longer exclusively associated with Paste Special in newer builds. 1

At the same time, Microsoft explicitly documents the ribbon sequence as the way to access Paste Special. 2

Side effect

In some versions:

  • Ctrl + Alt + V does nothing
  • or triggers formatting paste
  • or depends on custom keyboard mappings

There was even a regression where the shortcut stopped working entirely due to these changes. 3

Excel

Excel still uses the older model: 

Ctrl + Alt + V → Paste Special

This has remained consistent (including older versions like Excel 2010). 4

So the inconsistency is not across Office.

It is specifically Word evolving faster than Excel.

What this means in practice

You are seeing three overlapping states:

  • older Word behavior (Paste Special)
  • new Word shortcuts (format painter mapping)
  • user/system overrides

Which one executes depends on version and configuration.

Practical approach

  • Use Ctrl + V for normal paste
  • Use Alt → H → V → S for Paste Special

Treat Ctrl + Alt + V as unstable.

It is no longer a fixed contract.

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