How this calculator works
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other assistants format replies in Markdown: **double asterisks** for bold, # signs for headings, dashes for bullets and pipes for tables. The chat window displays them nicely, but many copy methods and apps receive the raw symbols.
“Copy with formatting” converts the Markdown to real document formatting and places it on your clipboard as rich text. When you paste into Word, Google Docs, Outlook or Gmail, you get actual headings, bold and italic text, numbered and bulleted lists, links and bordered tables.
“Copy as plain text” removes the symbols instead: headings become plain lines, bullets become •, links show the address in brackets, and tables become tab-separated rows that paste into spreadsheets as columns.
Asterisks used for maths, such as 2*3*4, and underscores inside words, such as file_name, are left alone. Code blocks keep their text without the backtick fences.
Everything happens in your browser. Some browsers only allow plain text on the clipboard; if so, the tool says so and copies the plain version.
Worked example
A short ChatGPT reply with a heading, bold text and a table
- Input: “## Project plan”, “Here is **the plan** for Q4”, then a two-column table written with | pipes.
- Copy with formatting → in Google Docs: a real Heading 2, “the plan” in bold, and a bordered table.
- Copy as plain text → “Project plan”, “Here is the plan for Q4”, and the table as tab-separated rows.
Questions people ask
Why does ChatGPT text have asterisks when I paste it?
The asterisks are Markdown, the formatting language chat assistants use. Some apps and copy methods receive the underlying Markdown instead of the formatted text, so the symbols appear.
Can I keep the tables when pasting into Word?
Yes. “Copy with formatting” turns Markdown tables into real tables with borders, which Word and Google Docs keep. For Excel, the Markdown Table to Excel tool gives you a spreadsheet file.
Does this work with Claude, Gemini or Copilot replies?
Yes. They all use the same Markdown conventions for bold, headings, lists and tables.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser and the text is never uploaded.
Sources
Last reviewed October 2, 2026