How to Copy, Cut, or Paste Text
To copy, cut, or paste text, complete the following steps:
Keyboard Shortcuts That Help With Copy and Paste
Other keyboard shortcuts are especially helpful when using copy-and-paste commands: If you’re using the keyboard, move the cursor to the beginning of the text you want to copy. Then, press and hold Shift while using the arrow keys to select the content you want to copy. You’ll see a colored box around the selected content.
On the keyboard, press Command+C.From the menu bar, select Edit > Copy.
To cut the text, use one of the following methods:
On the keyboard, press Command+X.From the menu bar, select Edit > Cut.
On the keyboard, press Command+V.From the menu bar, select Edit > Paste.
Command+A (Select All). This keyboard shortcut selects all text or items within the current view, based on your selection or cursor position. The Select All command is helpful when you need to copy an entire document.Command+Z (Undo). Use the Undo command to undo the last action, for example, if you pasted text in the wrong location.
How to Cut, Copy, or Paste an Image
If you can select content by dragging the cursor over it, you can copy it. Using this technique, you can copy hard-to-select objects, such as images on websites. To copy an image from a web page, hover the cursor over the image you want to copy, press Control, select the image, and then select Copy Image from the context menu. The image is now on your clipboard, and you can paste it using the steps provided in the previous section into any field that accepts images. The process is the same in a document, although, in documents, you can cut as well as copy images. You can also copy the URL of an image by hovering the cursor over the image, pressing Control, and then selecting Copy Image Address from the context menu.
How to Cut, Copy, and Paste Files and Folders
You can cut, copy, and paste files and folders in macOS the same way you cut, copy, and paste text and images. However, macOS provides a unique way of reproducing files and folders in Finder called Duplicate. To duplicate files within Finder, complete the following steps:
How to Copy and Paste Across Apps
The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands work across apps, as well. You can make a selection in one app, copy or cut it, and then paste it into a different app. Because the clipboard is global, the same clipboard content is available anywhere on your Mac. One common use for this functionality is sharing content from the web. In a web browser, copy text, an image, or an element from a web page. Then, switch to the destination app, place the cursor where you want the content to appear, and paste the content. To copy and paste content across apps, the destination app must be capable of accepting the copied content. For example, if you copy this sentence, switch to Finder, and then paste, nothing will happen because Finder has nowhere to put the text.
Resolve Formatting Problems
Pasting between apps with rich text formatting can be frustrating. Pasting from a website into a Word document, for example, can result in odd-looking text because the Copy and Cut commands grab both the selected text and its formatting. When you paste the text, the formatting comes with it. When you want to paste rich or formatted text from a source, instead of using the standard Paste command, use the Paste and Match Style or Paste and Match Formatting command. This command adjusts the formatting to match the destination file’s formatting. This way, the pasted content will fit seamlessly into the rest of your document. When you’ve selected and cut or copied the text in your source document, go to the destination document and select Edit > Paste and Match Style or Paste and Match Formatting, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Option+Command+V. Not every app has a Paste and Match Style command, and some apps use a different keyboard shortcut, so be sure to check the application’s Edit menu.
