Copy and paste moves text or images from one place to another without retyping

Copy means to make a duplicate of something on your screen and hold it temporarily in your computer's memory. Paste means to place that duplicate wherever your cursor is. You use these two actions together constantly — to move text between documents, to repeat an image in a presentation, to save a web address, or to move a file name from one folder to another.

The process is the same on Windows and Mac computers, though the keyboard shortcuts differ slightly. Once you learn the three-step pattern — select, copy, paste — you can do it in almost any program on your computer.

Key Takeaways

  • Select the text or image you want by clicking and dragging your mouse across it, or by triple-clicking to select an entire paragraph.
  • Copy it using Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on Mac, then move your cursor to where you want it to go.
  • Paste using Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac, and the copied item will appear at your cursor location.
  • You can copy and paste the same item multiple times without selecting it again, because it stays in your computer's temporary memory until you copy something else.
  • If paste does not work, check that you actually copied first, and that the program you are pasting into allows pasting (some do not).

How to select text or an image before copying

Before you copy anything, you must tell your computer what you want to copy. This is called selecting. The easiest way is to click at the start of what you want, hold down your mouse button, and drag to the end. The selected text or image will turn a different color (usually blue or gray) to show it is selected.

If you want to select a single word, double-click on it. If you want to select an entire paragraph or block of text, triple-click anywhere inside it. If you want to select everything on the page or in the document, use Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac.

For images, click once on the image itself. A border or set of small squares will appear around it to show it is selected. You can now copy it the same way you copy text.

Copy using your keyboard shortcut

Once your text or image is selected (highlighted in color), copy it by pressing Ctrl+C if you are on Windows, or Command+C if you are on a Mac. You will not see anything happen on your screen — that is normal. The item is now stored in your computer's temporary memory, called the clipboard.

You can copy the same item as many times as you want without selecting it again. The clipboard will hold it until you copy something else, or until you shut down your computer. This means you can copy once and paste it in five different places.

Move your cursor and paste

Click in the document, email, or program where you want the copied item to appear. You will see a blinking line (the cursor) showing where text will land. If you are pasting an image, click in the area where you want it to go.

Now paste by pressing Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac. The copied text or image will appear when ready at your cursor location. If you pasted text into the middle of a sentence by accident, you can undo the paste by pressing Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac, then click in the correct spot and paste again.

Copy and paste using your mouse menu

If you forget the keyboard shortcut, you can copy and paste using your mouse instead. Select the text or image, then right-click on it (or on a Mac, hold Control and click). A menu will pop up with the word "Copy" in it. Click on "Copy."

Then click where you want to paste, right-click again, and click "Paste" from the menu that appears. This method is slower than using the keyboard shortcut, but it works the same way. Once you use the keyboard shortcut a few times, it becomes automatic and much faster.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The most common mistake is forgetting to copy before you try to paste. If you click somewhere and press Ctrl+V or Command+V and nothing happens, go back to the text or image you wanted, select it, copy it, then return and paste. The second common mistake is selecting the wrong thing — if you copy a sentence but only highlight part of it, only that part will copy.

Some programs do not allow pasting, or they only allow pasting certain types of items. For example, some websites block you from pasting passwords for security reasons. If paste does not work in a particular program, try copying and pasting something straightforward like a single word to test whether the program allows pasting at all. If it does not, you will need to type the information manually instead.

If you paste something and it looks wrong — the text is the wrong size, or the colors changed — your program may have pasted the formatting along with the text. Most programs have a "Paste Special" option (usually found by right-clicking) that lets you paste only the text without the formatting. Experiment with this if the pasted item does not look the way you wanted.

Copying and pasting between different programs

You can copy from one program and paste into another. For example, copy text from a web browser and paste it into a Word document, or copy an image from an email and paste it into a presentation. The process is identical — select, copy, move to the other program, and paste.

The only limitation is that some programs cannot receive certain types of items. You can almost always paste text anywhere, but not every program accepts images or videos. If you try to paste something and it does not work, the receiving program probably does not support that type of item. In that case, you may need to save the item as a file instead of copying and pasting it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between copy and cut?

Copy leaves the original text or image where it is and makes a duplicate. Cut removes it from the original location and moves it. Cut uses Ctrl+X on Windows or Command+X on Mac. After you cut, you paste the same way. Use cut when you want to move something; use copy when you want to keep the original and make a duplicate.

Can I copy and paste on a phone or tablet?

Yes, the process is similar but uses touch instead of a mouse. Tap and hold on the text or image until a menu appears, then tap "Copy." Move to where you want to paste, tap and hold again, and tap "Paste." Some phones and tablets have slightly different menus, but the idea is the same.

What happens if I copy something and then turn off my computer?

The clipboard is erased when you shut down. If you copy something and want to keep it, paste it into a document and save the document before you turn off your computer. Once you save it as a file, it will be there the next time you turn on your computer.

Can I copy and paste a file or folder?

Yes. Right-click on the file or folder, click "Copy," then navigate to where you want it to go, right-click in that location, and click "Paste." This creates a duplicate of the file or folder in the new location. The original stays where it was. If you want to move it instead of copying it, use "Cut" instead of "Copy."

Why does my pasted text have a different font or color than I wanted?

The program pasted the formatting (font, size, color) along with the text. Right-click on the pasted text and look for "Paste Special" or "Paste Options." Choose "Paste as plain text" or "Unformatted text" to paste only the words without the formatting. Then you can format it the way you want.