StyleSweep

Paste anything into Word. Sweep it clean.

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 web

Course notes: photosynthesis

Plants convert light energy into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis.

The reaction happens in the chloroplasts and needs three inputs:

  • sunlight
  • carbon dioxide from the air
  • water from the soil

Course notes: photosynthesis

Plants convert light energy into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis.

The reaction happens in the chloroplasts and needs three inputs:

  • sunlight
  • carbon dioxide from the air
  • water from the soil
Before: five fonts, three sizes, drifting spacing

Two macros, one habit

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.

CleanText

Reapplies the Normal style to every Normal-styled or unstyled paragraph — Word's reapply behaviour, done right.

Keeps intact
  • Numbered lists
  • Bullet points
  • Bold and italic, word by word
  • Outline levels 3–4 become Heading 3 / Heading 4

Use this when the text is fine but the formatting has drifted: mixed fonts, odd sizes, inconsistent spacing.

CleanTextAndTables

Everything CleanText does —

+ then tidies every table
  • Creates a reusable StyleSweep Table style
  • Creates a StyleSweep Table Text paragraph style
  • Applies both to all tables in the document
  • Compact 8 pt text, light-grey borders, grey repeating header row, tight cell padding

Use this on documents full of pasted tables — AI output and converted Markdown are the classic cases.

Get StyleSweep

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.

Windows installer

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.exe Word for Windows · uninstall via Settings → Apps · prefer a script? install.ps1

The macro

One 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.bas VBA module · ~10 KB · Word 2010+

Word plugin template

The 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.

Download StyleSweep.dotm Macro-enabled template · Windows & Mac

Task-pane add-in

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.xml Office add-in manifest · install guide: web, Windows & Mac · source

Install in two minutes

Four routes. On Windows, the installer is the easy one; the rest are manual and work everywhere.

1 · Windows installer

Easiest — Word for Windows

  1. Close Word.
  2. Run StyleSweepSetup.exe. It removes any older StyleSweep plugin, then installs the new one for your user account — no admin rights needed.
  3. Start Word. Press Alt+F8 and run CleanText or CleanTextAndTables.
  4. Optional buttons: File → Options → Quick Access Toolbar → Macros. To remove later: Settings → Apps → StyleSweep.

2 · Manual: run the macro once

Trying it out, or one-off cleanups — Windows & Mac

  1. Open your document in Word.
  2. Press Alt+F11 to open the VBA editor.
  3. File → Import File… and choose StyleSweep.bas.
  4. Back in Word, press Alt+F8, pick a macro, and click Run.

3 · Manual: install the plugin

Every document, no installer — and the Mac route

  1. Download StyleSweep.dotm above (or build it yourself from the .bas — see the repository's installer/README.md).
  2. Copy it into Word's STARTUP folder — Windows: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP · Mac: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word.
  3. Delete any older StyleSweep.dotm already there, then restart Word.
  4. Add buttons via File → Options → Quick Access Toolbar → Macros.

4 · Sideload the add-in

Word on the web, or when macros are blocked

  1. Download manifest.xml above.
  2. Word on the web: Home → Add-ins → More Add-ins → My Add-ins → Upload My Add-in, choose the manifest, and a StyleSweep button appears on the Home tab.
  3. Desktop Word (Windows or Mac): installation is more involved — follow the step-by-step add-in installation guide, which also covers removing previous versions and troubleshooting.

What people use it for

StyleSweep was originally written by a teacher turning ChatGPT answers into student materials. The same problem turns up everywhere text moves between tools.

AI chat output → Word

ChatGPT, Claude and friends paste in with web fonts, odd spacing, and fragile lists. One sweep and it matches your document's styles.

Markdown → HTML → Word

Text converted via Dillinger, PanWriter or similar arrives as direct formatting. StyleSweep folds it back into real Word styles.

Inherited documents

Files that have passed through many hands rarely use styles consistently. Sweep them before applying a template or table of contents.

Teaching & course materials

Combine sources into handouts that look like one author wrote them — with tables compact enough to actually fit the page.

Questions, answered plainly

Why not just select all and click the Normal style?

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.

Is it safe to run on an important document?

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.

It's taking a while on my long document — is it stuck?

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.

Word warned me about macros. Should I trust this?

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.

What's the difference between the macro and the add-in?

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.

Headings 3 and 4 — what's that about?

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.

How do I uninstall it?

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.

What does it cost? What's the licence?

Nothing, and public domain (the Unlicense). Copy it, change it, ship it in your own tools — no attribution required, though it's always appreciated.