ChatGPT turns your pasted text into an attachment: how to get it back in the box
Updated October 10, 2026 · By Otter Potter, the maker of Paste Stays Text (not neutral; we say where it matters).
You paste a long email, a set of notes or some code into ChatGPT, and instead of appearing in the message box it folds into a small “pasted text” card. You can’t read it at a glance, edit a line, or add your question in the middle. When it first appeared, people called it a forced conversion that got in the way of their work, and others reported the same.
Why ChatGPT does it
A very long paste makes the message box hard to use, so ChatGPT tucks it away as an attachment. For a 40-page document that’s helpful. For a 60-line email you want to trim, it isn’t. Some people prefer the attachment, which is why it’s the default.
1. Click “Show in text field” (free, built in)
The card has its own way back. Click Show in text field on the pasted text card and the text returns to the message box, where you can edit it as usual. This is ChatGPT’s own feature and the right fix if it only bothers you now and then. The catch is doing it after every long paste.
2. Paste in smaller pieces (free)
The conversion only happens above a certain length. Pasting a long text in two or three parts usually keeps each part in the box. Tedious, and you have to guess where the line is.
3. Leave it as an attachment when you don’t need to edit (free)
If you’re only asking “summarize this” or “what does this say”, the attachment works just as well. Type your question in the box and send.
4. Have it happen automatically
Paste Stays Text for ChatGPT (we make this, it’s free) clicks ChatGPT’s own Show in text field for you the moment the card appears, so your paste simply lands in the box. It never reads or changes what you pasted, and one switch turns it off for the times you’d rather keep the attachment.
What it can’t do: it finds the button by its English wording, so it works when ChatGPT is set to English. It works on chatgpt.com in a desktop browser, and it leaves files you drop in alone.
Questions
- Does ChatGPT read an attachment differently from text in the box?
- It reads both. The difference is for you: text in the box can be seen and edited before you send.
- Is there a setting to turn the conversion off?
- We haven’t found one. The button on the card is the only built-in control we know of.
- Is Paste Stays Text made by OpenAI?
- No. It’s made by Otter Potter and is not affiliated with OpenAI.