Hit play on the video above to watch the full import workflow.
The guide below breaks down each method so you can reference it when you’re ready to bring your own Word documents across.
Importing Word Documents into Structured BIM Templates
Most teams have years of Word documents sitting in shared drives – BIM execution plans, project standards, scope documents, meeting templates. The content is valuable, but the format holds it back. Inconsistent headings, broken formatting, and no easy way to reuse sections across projects. Starting fresh in a new tool feels wasteful when you’ve already written the content once.
That’s why Plannerly lets you import Word documents directly and convert them into structured, reusable content. You can drag and drop a .docx file into a document tab, and Plannerly automatically reads the heading structure to create categories and sections, with the body text placed inside as editable content. What took hours to reorganise manually now happens in seconds.
There are two ways to bring Word content in. The first is the drag-and-drop import, where you drop a Word file onto a document tab and Plannerly parses the headings into a structured hierarchy. You can preview the result before confirming the import, so there are no surprises. The second is copy and paste – select content in Word, paste it into a section in Plannerly, and you’ll be asked whether to keep or clean the formatting. Cleaning is usually the better choice – it strips out the heavy Word formatting and gives you lightweight content that’s much easier to maintain going forward.
The real value comes after the import. Once your content is inside Plannerly, every section becomes part of your template library. That means a BEP you imported from Word can be dragged into any new project as a ready-made template. Your team always knows where to find the latest version, and you never have to deal with the chaos of multiple Word files floating around in different folders with different formatting.
For teams managing ISO 19650 documentation, this is a practical migration path. You don’t have to abandon your existing content or rebuild everything from scratch. You import what you have, clean it up, and immediately start benefiting from structured sections, automatic numbering, version history, and cross-project reuse.
How to import Word documents into Plannerly
- Create a new document tab – open your project and add a new tab where the imported content will live.
- Drag and drop the Word file – grab your .docx file and drop it directly onto the document tab. Plannerly reads the headings and creates categories and sections automatically.
- Preview before importing – review the proposed structure before confirming. You’ll see how headings map to categories and sections, so you can check everything looks right.
- Alternatively, copy and paste – select content in Word and paste it into an existing section in Plannerly. If you’re using Chrome, you’ll be prompted to keep or clean the formatting.
- Clean the formatting – choose to clear the Word formatting for lighter, easier-to-maintain content. This removes heavy styling and gives you a clean starting point for editing in Plannerly.
- Edit and organise – once imported, rearrange sections, update content, and take advantage of Plannerly’s docs features like auto-numbering and version history.
- Save as a reusable template – your imported content is now in your template library, ready to be dragged into any future project. No more hunting through shared drives for the right Word file.
What you’ll learn
- Drag-and-drop Word import – how to turn a .docx file into structured categories and sections in seconds
- Heading-to-structure mapping – how Plannerly uses Word headings to create a logical document hierarchy automatically
- Copy and paste with formatting control – how to paste Word content and choose between keeping or cleaning the formatting
- Import preview – how to review the proposed structure before committing to the import
- Template reuse – how imported content becomes part of your template library for use across future projects
Common questions
What happens to my Word headings when I import?
Plannerly reads the heading hierarchy in your Word document and converts it into categories and sections. Top-level headings become categories, and sub-headings become sections within those categories. The body text beneath each heading is placed inside the corresponding section as editable content.
Should I keep or clean the formatting when pasting from Word?
In most cases, cleaning the formatting is the better choice. Word documents carry a lot of hidden styling that can make content heavier and harder to maintain. Cleaning strips that out and gives you lightweight content that works well within Plannerly’s editing tools. If you need to preserve specific formatting, you can choose to keep it – but the content may look visually busier.
Can I reuse imported documents across different projects?
Yes. Once your Word content is inside Plannerly, it becomes part of your template library. You can import documents from templates or other projects into any new project by dragging and dropping. This means a BEP or set of project standards you imported once can be reused consistently across your entire organisation.
Do I need to restructure my Word document before importing?
Not necessarily, but using proper heading styles in Word will give you a much cleaner result. If your document uses Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on, Plannerly maps those directly to categories and sections. If the document is just body text without headings, everything will come in as a single block that you’ll need to organise manually.
Is this useful for ISO 19650 document management?
Very much so. Many teams have existing BIM execution plans, exchange information requirements, and project standards in Word format. Importing them into Plannerly gives you structured sections with version history, auto-numbering, and reusable templates – all of which support the traceability and consistency that ISO 19650 requires, without rebuilding content from scratch.
Explore further
- Automated document content hierarchy and organization – learn how sections, categories, and auto-numbering keep your documents structured
- Simple and fast editing of docs sections – the companion lesson on editing content once it’s inside Plannerly
- How to create professional project documents like EIR, PIR, BEP – build key ISO 19650 documents from the ground up
- BIM Boot Camp – an intensive programme covering end-to-end BIM and ISO 19650 workflows