Copy and paste are among the most common — and overlooked — commands found in any operating system, whether it beWindows or macOS. They are an essential part of everyday computing. Still, not everyone knows how to use these features. Thankfully, there are several easy methods for doing so using either your mouse, trackpad, or other peripherals.
Difficulty
What You Need
Windows 11, Windows 10, or macOS
Keyboard, mouse, or menu bar
Here’s the rundown on copy and paste.
Note: The following Windows instructions should be applicable to both Windows 11 and Windows 10.
How to copy and paste in Windows 11 using the mouse
Although Windows PCs have a unifying theme for copy and paste functionality, there are a few different ways to do it. Depending on the software, you can use the mouse,the keyboard, the menu bar — or a combination of all three — to get the job done.
While you can make an argument that some methods are faster than others, the one you choose will mostly come down to personal preference, so we’ll break down each one in turn, and you can then pick which is right for you.
Quick tips
Step 1:Properly selecting the content you wish to reproduce is the first step when copying and pasting. If you’re looking to copy an image, right-click it and selectCopy imageto save a duplicate to the clipboard. Then, skip to step 3.
Step 2:Once the content you wish to copy is highlighted, right-click while hovering over any portion of the chosen content and selectCopyfrom the menu that pops up.
Step 3:Once you’ve copied your chosen image, text, or file, place your cursor in the location you wish to copy it to. Then right-click, and selectPastefrom the menu that appears.
How to copy and paste in Windows 11 using the keyboard
The second method for Windows involves using keyboard commands. Here’s the step-by-step process.
Step 1:To highlight text with a keyboard, use theArrowkeys to navigate your blinking cursor to the sentence or paragraph you wish to copy, and press theShiftkey. Continue to move the cursor over the text you want to duplicate, and a selection box — usually blue — will appear around it. Stop when you have highlighted everything you want.
Step 2:Once your file, text, or image is highlighted, hold down theCtrlkey and press theCkey to copy it.
Though the keyboard command for copying is relatively universal, some software-specific macro commands or shortcuts may interfere with theWindows native keyboard commands. If in doubt regarding the proper key combination, look up the command functions directly within the application’s help menu or with a web search.
Step 3:Once the content you want is copied, navigate to where you want to put it, and hold down theCtrlkey once again. This time, though, press theVkey. Your image, text, or folder should now be pasted right where you want it.
How to copy and paste in Windows 11 using the menu bar
The third option is to use the menu bar.
Step 1:Many applications have their own menu system to enable copy and pasting, but highlighting what you want to copy will require you to use the mouse or keyboard. Use the methods described above for highlighting what you wish to copy.
Step 2:Once you’ve highlighted your chosen content, look to the top menu bar in your application or folder, and select theEditorHomebutton menu.
Step 3:SelectCopyfrom the resulting drop-down menu.
Step 4:If you can’t spot that particular command, look for the classic overlaid paper symbol used in many applications to denote the copy function.
Step 5:Once you’ve copied what you want to duplicate, head to that same drop-down menu and selectPaste.
How to copy and paste in macOS using the mouse
AlthoughWindows and macOSare different operating systems, they perform copying and pasting similarly. That means it’s just as easy, whether you’re using the mouse, keyboard, or in-app menus.
Step 1:If you’re looking to copy text with your Apple mouse — Magic or not — click and drag the cursor over the portion of the document or webpage you wish to highlight.
Step 2:Once you’ve highlighted what you want to copy, right-click while hovering over any portion of the chosen content, and selectCopyfrom the resulting drop-down menu.
Step 3:Once everything you want is copied, place your cursor in the location you wish to paste the content, holdControland click, then selectPastefrom the resulting drop-down menu.
How to copy and paste in macOS using the keyboard
No mouse? No worries. You can use a keyboard, too.
Step 1:Although it’s a little more limited on macOS than Windows, you can use theTabkey to jump between text boxes for keyboard selection. When you’ve made it to the section you wish to highlight, hold theShiftkey and use theArrowkeys to highlight the text you want to copy. Alternatively, use the mouse to put the pointer where you want it, and then use the above method.
Step 2:Once everything is selected, hold down theCommandkey and pressCto copy.
Though that particular shortcut is fairly universal, some program-specific macro commands or shortcuts may interfere with themacOS native keyboard commands. If in doubt regarding the proper key combination, look up the command functions directly within the application’s help menu or through a web search.
Step 3:Once everything you want is copied, place your cursor in the location you wish to paste the content, hold down theCommandkey, and press theVkey to paste it in.
How to copy and paste in macOS using the menu bar
Finally, you can also use the menu bar to copy and paste in macOS. Here’s how.
Step 1:Highlighting is not something most applications do by themselves, so your best bet is to highlight the text, image, files, or folders using one of the methods mentioned above.
Step 2:After you’ve highlighted the data you want to copy, whether it’s an image, text, or both, navigate to theGearicon orEditmenu.
Step 3:SelectCopyfrom the resulting drop-down menu. You may find this process varies slightly from application to application, but it will be the same in most cases.
Step 4:Copy your selected data to the clipboard and then, click on the file or location where you’ll paste your copied information.
Step 5:Select theGearicon if you’re using macOS or theEditmenu if you’re using Windows.
Step 6:You will then see a drop-down list of options from which you will selectPasteto add what you have copied to your file.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to copy and paste?
For many people the easiest way to copy and paste is using keyboard shortcuts. With this method, you’d just highlight or select the item you want to copy and then pressCtrl + Con your keyboard to copy it. Then you’d navigate to where you want to paste the item and then pressCtrl + Vto paste it.
For macOS users, the keyboard shortcuts you’d use are slightly different, but still easy to use:
What button do you press to paste?
Well, first of all, you’d likely have to press two buttons on your keyboard to properly paste anything via akeyboard shortcut. And second of all, the buttons you’d need press to paste something will vary slightly depending on your operating system:
How do you copy and paste on a Chromebook?
Generally speaking, you should still be able to useCtrl + CandCtrl + Vas the keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting things on a Chromebook. But if you want to know all of your other copy and paste options, check out our detailed guide onhow to copy and paste on a Chromebook.
