StyleSweep
StyleSweep reapplies the Normal style to messy documents — pasted ChatGPT answers, converted Markdown, inherited files — without losing your bullets, numbering, or word-level bold and italic. Word can't do that on its own.
Free · public domain · works in Word for Windows, Mac & the webPlants convert light energy into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis.
The reaction happens in the chloroplasts and needs three inputs:
Plants convert light energy into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis.
The reaction happens in the chloroplasts and needs three inputs:
StyleSweep gives you exactly two commands. Run them from Alt+F8, a ribbon button, or the task pane. Each run is a single undo step, so Ctrl+Z always puts everything back.
CleanTextReapplies the Normal style to every Normal-styled or unstyled paragraph — Word's reapply behaviour, done right.
Use this when the text is fine but the formatting has drifted: mixed fonts, odd sizes, inconsistent spacing.
CleanTextAndTablesEverything CleanText does —
Use this on documents full of pasted tables — AI output and converted Markdown are the classic cases.
Everything is free and public domain. Downloads come from the latest release, so these links always serve the newest version. On Windows the installer is the quickest route; the macro is the full-featured version everywhere.
Installs the StyleSweep plugin into Word for Windows in one click — and cleanly replaces any older copy. Per-user: no admin rights needed. SmartScreen may warn because the file is unsigned; choose More info → Run anyway.
Download StyleSweepSetup.exeOne plain-text VBA module containing both commands. Import it into Word's VBA editor — readable source, nothing hidden. Works on Windows and Mac.
Download StyleSweep.basThe ready-built StyleSweep.dotm — the same thing the installer installs. Copy it into Word's STARTUP folder yourself (instructions below). Best route on a Mac.
A modern Word add-in with two buttons. Runs in Word on the web and desktop Word — useful where macros are blocked by policy. Desktop installation takes a few extra steps: see the full installation guide.
Download manifest.xmlFour routes. On Windows, the installer is the easy one; the rest are manual and work everywhere.
Easiest — Word for Windows
StyleSweepSetup.exe. It removes any older StyleSweep plugin, then installs the new one for your user account — no admin rights needed.CleanText or CleanTextAndTables.Trying it out, or one-off cleanups — Windows & Mac
StyleSweep.bas.Every document, no installer — and the Mac route
StyleSweep.dotm above (or build it yourself from the .bas — see the repository's installer/README.md).%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP · Mac: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word.StyleSweep.dotm already there, then restart Word.Word on the web, or when macros are blocked
manifest.xml above.StyleSweep was originally written by a teacher turning ChatGPT answers into student materials. The same problem turns up everywhere text moves between tools.
ChatGPT, Claude and friends paste in with web fonts, odd spacing, and fragile lists. One sweep and it matches your document's styles.
Text converted via Dillinger, PanWriter or similar arrives as direct formatting. StyleSweep folds it back into real Word styles.
Files that have passed through many hands rarely use styles consistently. Sweep them before applying a template or table of contents.
Combine sources into handouts that look like one author wrote them — with tables compact enough to actually fit the page.
Because Word will flatten your lists and make odd decisions about bold and italic — sometimes keeping them, sometimes wiping them, depending on how much of a paragraph is formatted. StyleSweep records bold/italic for every individual word first, reapplies the style, then puts the formatting back exactly where it was.
Each run is wrapped in a single undo record, so one Ctrl+Z reverses everything. Working on a copy is still good practice for anything irreplaceable.
Probably not. The macro walks every word twice (once to record formatting, once to restore it), so big documents take time. Screen updating is switched off during the run, which makes Word look frozen even when it's working. Give it a minute.
You don't have to trust — you can read. The entire macro is one plain-text file, StyleSweep.bas, with comments explaining each step. Word shows that warning for any macro from outside your machine; read the source, then enable it.
The VBA macro is the full version: it preserves list templates precisely and creates reusable table styles. The task-pane add-in does the same job through the Word JavaScript API, which is more limited — table formatting is applied directly rather than as named styles, and list preservation relies on Word's own behaviour. Use the macro when you can; the add-in when you can't.
Pasted HTML often carries outline levels without real heading styles. StyleSweep promotes paragraphs at outline level 3 or 4 to proper Heading 3 / Heading 4 styles, so navigation panes and tables of contents work again.
If you used the Windows installer: Settings → Apps → StyleSweep → Uninstall (close Word first). If you copied the .dotm manually, delete it from Word's STARTUP folder. If you pasted the macro into the VBA editor yourself, press Alt+F11, right-click the StyleSweep module, and choose Remove. For the task-pane add-in, see the removal section of the add-in installation guide.
Nothing, and public domain (the Unlicense). Copy it, change it, ship it in your own tools — no attribution required, though it's always appreciated.