Copy and pasting elements is an essential skill set for all Mac users. This guide shows you how to copy and paste using your trackpad or mouse, as well as using shortcuts on your Mac’s keyboard.
Elements you can copy and paste include text, images, and folders or files.
Note: throughout this guide, you can use the Cut option instead of Copy. Doing so will copy the selected items to your clipboard while also deleting the original items.
How to copy and paste with your trackpad or mouse
Text
- Select the text you want to copy.
- If you have a Force Touch trackpad, apply force to click, hold on the first part of the text, and drag to highlight the rest of the text you want to copy.
- Using a mouse, left-click on the first part of the text, and drag until you’ve highlighted all the text you want to put on your clipboard.
- After highlighting all the text, right-click on the highlighted area and select Copy
- On a Force Touch trackpad, tap two fingers on the trackpad to right-click on the highlighted area. Once the menu opens, click Copy
- Using a mouse, right-click on the highlighted text to show the menu and select Copy
- Right-click on the area where you want to paste the text you copied and click Paste
- On a Force Touch trackpad, tap two fingers on the trackpad to right-click on the highlighted area. Once the menu opens, select Paste
- Using a mouse, right-click on the highlighted text to show the menu and select Paste
- The text you pasted should appear in the area you right-clicked on.
Image
- Right-click on the image you want to copy and click Copy
- On a Force Touch trackpad, tap two fingers on the trackpad to right-click the image. Once the menu opens, click Copy
- Using a mouse, right-click on the image to show the menu and select Copy
- Right-click on the area where you want to paste the image you copied and select Paste
- On a Force Touch trackpad, tap two fingers on the trackpad to right-click on the highlighted area. Once the menu opens, click Paste
- On a mouse, right-click on the highlighted text to show the menu and select Paste
- The pasted image should be placed where your text cursor was.
How to copy and paste with your Mac’s keyboard
Text
- Select the text you want to copy. Your text cursor should be at the first or last character of the text group you want to copy.
- To highlight the text, press
Shift
and any of the arrow keys that go in the direction of the text you want to highlight. - Once all the text you want to copy is highlighted, press
Command
+C
to copy orCommand
+X
to cut.
- Bring your cursor to the area where you want to paste the copied text and press
Command
+V
.
Image
- Place your text cursor next to the image and press
Shift
and an arrow key in its direction. It only takes a single arrow keypress to highlight one image. - Once the image is highlighted, press
Command
+C
to copy orCommand
+X
to cut the image.
- Place your text cursor where you want to paste the image and press
Command
+V
. - The image should be pasted where your text cursor was or below it.