Configuration Options

PasteMD provides a rich set of configuration options, allowing you to customize its behavior according to your needs.

Configuration File Location

Windows


C:\Users<Username>.pastemd\config.json

macOS


~/Library/Application Support/PasteMD/config.json

Quick Access

You can quickly open the configuration file from the system tray menu:

Right-click the tray icon
Select "Edit Configuration File"
The configuration file will open in your default text editor

Full Configuration Example

json

{
  "hotkey": "<ctrl>+<shift>+b",
  "pandoc_path": "pandoc",
  "reference_docx": null,
  "save_dir": "~/Documents/pastemd",
  "keep_file": false,
  "notify": true,
  "enable_excel": true,
  "excel_keep_format": true,
  "no_app_action": "open",
  "md_disable_first_para_indent": true,
  "html_disable_first_para_indent": true,
  "html_formatting": {
    "strikethrough_to_del": true
  },
  "move_cursor_to_end": true,
  "Keep_original_formula": false,
  "language": "zh",
  "enable_latex_replacements": true,
  "fix_single_dollar_block": true,
  "pandoc_filters": []
}

Configuration Options Explained

Basic Settings

`hotkey`

Type: string
Default: "<ctrl>+<shift>+b"
Description: Global hotkey configuration

Supported modifier keys:

<ctrl> – Ctrl key (mapped to Cmd on macOS)
<shift> – Shift key
<alt> – Alt key (Option on macOS)
<cmd> – macOS only, Command key
<win> – Windows only, Windows key

Examples:

json

"hotkey": "<ctrl>+<shift>+v"
"hotkey": "<ctrl>+<alt>+m"
"hotkey": "<cmd>+<shift>+b"  // macOS

Recommendation

Use a combination with at least two modifier keys to avoid conflicts with common shortcuts.

`language`

Type: string
Default: "zh"
Options: "zh" | "en"
Description: UI language setting

Restart the application after changing the language.

`notify`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Whether to display system notifications

Notification contents:

Success messages
Error messages
Application detection results

Pandoc Settings

`pandoc_path`

Type: string
Default: "pandoc"
Description: Path to the Pandoc executable

Default behavior: Pandoc is resolved from the system PATH.

Custom paths:

json

// Windows
"pandoc_path": "C:\\Program Files\\Pandoc\\pandoc.exe"

// macOS
"pandoc_path": "/usr/local/bin/pandoc"

// Relative path (relative to PasteMD executable)
"pandoc_path": "./third_party/pandoc/pandoc"

Note

On Windows, backslashes must be escaped (\\) or replaced with forward slashes (/).

`reference_docx` (usually not needed)

Type: string | null
Default: null
Description: Reference DOCX template path

Using a reference template allows you to:

Apply custom styles (headings, body text, code blocks, etc.)
Configure page layout (margins, headers, footers)
Unify fonts and colors

Examples:

json

"reference_docx": "~/Documents/my-template.docx"
"reference_docx": "C:/Users/YourName/template.docx"

How to create a reference template:

Create a document in Word
Configure the desired styles (Heading 1–6, Body Text, Code, etc.)
Save it as a .docx file
Specify the path in the configuration

`pandoc_filters`

Type: array of strings
Default: []
Description: Custom Pandoc filter list

Pandoc filters are scripts (Lua, Python, etc.) used to extend or modify conversion behavior.

Example:

json

"pandoc_filters": [
  "mermaid-filter",
  "~/filters/custom-filter.lua"
]

See Custom Filters for details.

File Management

`save_dir`

Type: string
Default: "~/Documents/pastemd"
Description: Directory where converted files are saved

Supported path formats:

~ expands to the user home directory
Relative paths (relative to the configuration file directory)
Absolute paths

Examples:

json

"save_dir": "~/Desktop/PasteMD"
"save_dir": "D:/Work/Documents"

`keep_file`

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: Whether to keep generated files after insertion
false: Temporary files are deleted automatically after insertion
true: Files are kept in the save_dir directory

Use cases

false (default): Daily usage, reduces disk clutter
true: Archiving converted files or debugging issues

Excel Table Settings

`enable_excel`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Enable automatic Excel table pasting
true: When a Markdown table is detected and Excel is the active app, it is converted to native Excel format
false: Excel functionality is disabled

`excel_keep_format`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Preserve formatting when pasting into Excel

Preserved formatting (when true):

Bold: **text** → Bold cells
Italic: *text* → Italic cells
~~Strikethrough~~: ~~text~~ → Strikethrough
Code: `code` → Gray background + monospace font
Hyperlinks: [text](url) → Clickable links
false: Only plain text is inserted, no formatting

Formatting Options

`md_disable_first_para_indent`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Disable first-paragraph indentation for Markdown conversion

`html_disable_first_para_indent`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Disable first-paragraph indentation for HTML conversion

`html_formatting`

Type: object
Description: HTML preprocessor formatting options

Sub-options:

`strikethrough_to_del`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Convert ~~ to <del> tags

Some websites do not render ~~ as strikethrough properly and instead show it as plain text. Enabling this option ensures correct strikethrough rendering.

Example:

json

"html_formatting": {
  "strikethrough_to_del": true
}

`move_cursor_to_end` (Windows only)

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Move the cursor to the end after insertion
true: Cursor moves to the end of inserted content for continued typing
false: Cursor stays at the beginning of the inserted content

Math Formula Settings

`Keep_original_formula`

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: Keep original LaTeX formulas instead of converting to MathML
false (default): Formulas are converted to Office MathML for perfect rendering
true: Formulas remain as $...$ text for manual editing

Use cases:

When you want to manually edit formulas in Word
Temporary workaround if formula conversion fails

`enable_latex_replacements`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Enable LaTeX compatibility fixes

Automatically fixes non-standard LaTeX syntax commonly produced by AI tools, for example:

\kern → \qquad (Pandoc does not support \kern)

`fix_single_dollar_block`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Automatically fix block-level formulas wrapped with single $

Some AI tools incorrectly wrap block formulas with $...$ instead of $$...$$. This option detects and fixes them automatically.

Detection criteria:

The formula occupies a single line
Wrapped with single $
Formula length exceeds a threshold

Example:

markdown

# Original (incorrect)
$\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}$

# Automatically fixed to
$$
\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
$$

Fallback Behavior

`no_app_action`

Type: string
Default: "open"
Options: "open" | "save" | "clipboard" | "none"
Description: Behavior when no target application is detected

Option details:

Value	Behavior	Use case
`open`	Automatically open Word and insert content	Daily usage (recommended)
`save`	Save as a file to `save_dir` only	Batch file conversion
`clipboard`	Convert to rich text and copy to clipboard	Paste into other apps
`none`	Show notification only, no action	Restricted environments

Example:

json

"no_app_action": "save"

Applying Configuration Changes

By Editing the Configuration File

Restart PasteMD after editing.

Changes are applied automatically without restarting.

Troubleshooting

Configuration File Corrupted

Check whether the JSON syntax is valid
Restore default configuration:
- Delete the configuration file; the app will regenerate it automatically

Configuration Not Taking Effect

Check logs for error messages
Try restarting the application

More Information

Advanced Features – Custom Pandoc filters
GitHub – Source code and issue tracking

Configuration Options ​

Configuration File Location ​

Windows ​

macOS ​

Quick Access ​

Full Configuration Example ​

Configuration Options Explained ​

Basic Settings ​

hotkey ​

language ​

notify ​

Pandoc Settings ​

pandoc_path ​

reference_docx (usually not needed) ​

pandoc_filters ​

File Management ​

save_dir ​

keep_file ​

Excel Table Settings ​

enable_excel ​

excel_keep_format ​

Formatting Options ​

md_disable_first_para_indent ​

html_disable_first_para_indent ​

html_formatting ​

strikethrough_to_del ​

move_cursor_to_end (Windows only) ​

Math Formula Settings ​

Keep_original_formula ​

enable_latex_replacements ​

fix_single_dollar_block ​

Fallback Behavior ​

no_app_action ​

Applying Configuration Changes ​

By Editing the Configuration File ​

Via Settings UI or Tray Menu ​

Troubleshooting ​

Configuration File Corrupted ​

Configuration Not Taking Effect ​

More Information ​

Configuration Options

Configuration File Location

Windows

macOS

Quick Access

Full Configuration Example

Configuration Options Explained

Basic Settings

`hotkey`

`language`

`notify`

Pandoc Settings

`pandoc_path`

`reference_docx` (usually not needed)

`pandoc_filters`

File Management

`save_dir`

`keep_file`

Excel Table Settings

`enable_excel`

`excel_keep_format`

Formatting Options

`md_disable_first_para_indent`

`html_disable_first_para_indent`

`html_formatting`

`strikethrough_to_del`

`move_cursor_to_end` (Windows only)

Math Formula Settings

`Keep_original_formula`

`enable_latex_replacements`

`fix_single_dollar_block`

Fallback Behavior

`no_app_action`

Applying Configuration Changes

By Editing the Configuration File

Via Settings UI or Tray Menu

Troubleshooting

Configuration File Corrupted

Configuration Not Taking Effect

More Information