Copy and paste moves text or images from one place to another without retyping
Copy means saving something to your device's temporary memory. Paste means placing that saved item somewhere else. On Windows, Mac, and most phones, the steps are nearly identical: select what you want, copy it, move to where you want it, and paste. The keyboard shortcuts are the same across almost every program, which means once you learn them, you can use them everywhere.
This works with text, images, files, links, and almost anything else you can click on. You can copy from a web page and paste into an email. You can copy from a document and paste into a chat. The temporary storage — called the clipboard — holds only one item at a time, so copying something new replaces what you copied before.
Key Takeaways
- Select the text or image by clicking and dragging across it, or triple-clicking a paragraph to select the whole thing.
- Press Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac to copy; Ctrl+V or Command+V to paste.
- Right-clicking and choosing "Copy" or "Paste" from the menu works the same way as keyboard shortcuts.
- On phones and tablets, tap and hold on text until a menu appears, then tap "Copy" or "Paste".
- The clipboard holds only one item, so copying something new replaces what you copied before.
How to select text before copying
You cannot copy something unless you select it first. The most common way is to click at the start of what you want, hold down the mouse button, and drag to the end. The selected text will turn a different color — usually blue or gray — so you can see what you are about to copy.
For a single word, double-click it. For an entire paragraph, triple-click anywhere inside it. For everything on the page, press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac. If you select too much or too little, click somewhere else to start over and try again.
On a phone or tablet, tap and hold on a word until it highlights, then drag the handles at each end to expand or shrink your selection. Some phones let you tap once to place your cursor, then tap and hold to select from that point forward.
Copy and paste using keyboard shortcuts
Once you have selected what you want, press Ctrl+C on a Windows computer or Command+C on a Mac. You will not see anything happen — the item is now in your clipboard, but there is no visual confirmation. This is normal.
Click or tap where you want to paste it. This could be in the same document, a different document, an email, a text message, or anywhere else you can type or place images. Then press Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac. The copied item will appear at your cursor.
You can paste the same item as many times as you want without copying again. The clipboard keeps holding it until you copy something else. If you copy a new item, the old one is gone forever.
Copy and paste using the right-click menu
If you prefer not to use keyboard shortcuts, right-clicking (or on a Mac, Control+clicking) opens a menu with copy and paste options. Select your text or image first, then right-click it. A small menu will appear with "Copy" as one of the choices.
Click "Copy" and the item goes to your clipboard, just as if you had pressed Ctrl+C or Command+C. Then move to where you want to paste, right-click again, and choose "Paste" from the menu. This method takes more steps but works exactly the same way.
On some programs, the menu might say "Cut" instead of "Copy". Cut removes the item from where it was and puts it in your clipboard. Paste will place it in the new location and remove it from the old one. Copy leaves the original in place and puts a duplicate in your clipboard.
Copy and paste on phones and tablets
On iPhones and iPads, tap and hold on the text you want to copy until a menu appears. Tap "Copy" and the text goes to your clipboard. Then tap where you want to paste it — in a text message, email, note, or any other app — and tap and hold again. Choose "Paste" from the menu.
On Android phones and tablets, the process is similar. Tap and hold on text until it highlights and a menu appears. Tap "Copy". Move to where you want to paste it and tap and hold again, then tap "Paste". Some Android keyboards show a clipboard icon at the top that lets you see what you have copied and paste it from there.
Copying images on phones works the same way. Tap and hold on an image until a menu appears, then tap "Copy". You can then paste it into messages, emails, or notes. Some apps have their own copy and paste buttons instead of using the tap-and-hold method, so look for a menu or three-dot icon if the standard method does not work.
What to do if copy and paste is not working
If you press Ctrl+C or Command+C and nothing seems to happen, make sure you actually selected something first. Click and drag across the text again to highlight it, then try copying. If the text does not turn a different color, it is not selected.
If you copied something but pasting does not work, try clicking in the exact spot where you want the text to go. Some programs require your cursor to be in a specific place before you can paste. If you are trying to paste into a text box that is not active, click inside it first to place your cursor there.
If copy and paste stopped working in one program but works everywhere else, try closing and reopening that program. If it still does not work, restart your computer or phone. On Windows, you can also try pressing Escape to clear any stuck commands, then select and copy again.
Copy and paste between different programs and devices
Copy and paste works between different programs on the same device. You can copy from a web browser and paste into a word processor, or copy from an email and paste into a text message. The clipboard does not care where the item came from or where it is going.
Copying between different devices — like from your phone to your computer — does not work with the standard clipboard. Your phone and computer have separate clipboards. To move text between devices, you can email it to yourself, use a cloud service like Google Drive or OneDrive, or use a cross-device clipboard tool if your devices support it. iCloud on Apple devices and some Android phones offer this feature built in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy and paste images the same way as text?
Yes. Select an image by clicking on it once, then press Ctrl+C or Command+C to copy. Paste it the same way you would paste text. On phones, tap and hold on an image until a menu appears and tap "Copy", then tap and hold where you want to paste it and tap "Paste".
What happens if I copy something new before pasting the first thing?
The new item replaces the old one in your clipboard. You lose access to the first item unless you copy it again. This is why the clipboard holds only one thing at a time.
Can I undo a paste if I made a mistake?
Yes. Press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on a Mac to undo the paste. This works in most programs like word processors, email, and web browsers. Some programs may not support undo, so try it and see.
Why does my pasted text look different from the original?
When you paste into a different program, it sometimes adopts the formatting of the new location instead of keeping the original formatting. If you want to keep the original look, some programs offer "Paste Special" options that let you choose whether to include formatting or paste as plain text only.
Is there a limit to how much I can copy at once?
You can copy very large amounts of text and images, but extremely large files might cause your device to slow down. For most everyday use — copying paragraphs, images, or web pages — there is no practical limit you will run into.