How do I remove a large number of hard returns from text that were pasted into my document (for example, from an email message)?

How do I remove a large number of hard returns from text that were pasted into my document (for example, from an email message)?

Follow these steps:

1. Select Edit -> Find & Replace.
2. Click on the More Options button to open the full dialog.
3. Near the bottom left of the dialog, select the Regular Expressions check box.
4. In the Search for field, type:
   ^$
   This regular expression says to search for a paragraph marker '$' at the beginning of a paragraph - programmer terms for an empty paragraph. ^$ finds empty paragraphs, i.e., a carriage return with no text, i.e., the second of two consecutive returns with no intervening text. Use
   $
   (without the caret) to find hard returns, common in plain text documents, emails, etc.
5. Click on the Find button.
6. To replace the hard return with a space character, type a space in the Replace with field, then click the Replace button.
7. To replace the hard return with nothing (remove the character), click the Replace button (without entering anything in the Replace with field).
8. If you have many hard returns to replace, you can also use the Replace All button. It is wise to save your document prior to using this option, in case it behaves unexpectedly.