The Formatting Shift
Google Docs often attempts to standardize text formatting when you paste content from an external source. If you copy a paragraph from a webpage where the font size is 16pt and paste it into a Google Doc where your standard typing is 11pt, Docs might automatically change the pasted text to match your destination formatting, or conversely, it might force the massive 16pt font into your document, disrupting your layout. Even worse, sometimes simply pressing the Enter key to start a new line will cause Google Docs to automatically revert to a default font size (like 11pt Arial), completely ignoring the 14pt Times New Roman style you were just using.
Forcing Format Consistency
To maintain absolute control over your typography and stop Google Docs from automatically changing your font size when pasting or typing, you must master the “Paste without formatting” command and update your default styles.
When pasting text from another source, never use the standard Ctrl+V shortcut. Instead, press Ctrl + Shift + V (or Command + Shift + V on Mac). This strips all external HTML sizing data and forces the pasted text to perfectly adopt the exact font size of the line where your cursor is currently blinking. If Docs keeps changing the font size when you start a new paragraph, you need to update the core “Normal text” style. Highlight a sentence that has the exact font size you want to use permanently. Go to the top menu, click Format > Paragraph styles > Normal text > Update ‘Normal text’ to match. Now, Docs will never deviate from that specific size unless you explicitly tell it to.