How to Copy and Paste on a Mac in 3 Different Ways

Switching from Windows to macOS can feel overwhelming at times, particularly due to the many differences in how things work. If you’ve stumbled upon this article, chances are you’re struggling with one of the most basic yet essential tasks—copying and pasting content on a Mac.

This guide will walk you through the basic and advanced methods of copying and pasting images and text on any device running macOS.

Copy and Paste on Windows vs. Mac

If you’re accustomed to Windows keyboard shortcuts, you might be taken by surprise when attempting to copy and paste on a Mac. While the functionality remains the same, Macs utilize the Command (⌘) key instead of Ctrl for these actions.

The Command key isn’t located in the same spot as Ctrl on a Windows keyboard. Instead, you’ll find it on both sides of the Spacebar, closer to the center of the keyboard, with a symbol resembling a four-pointed star or a cloverleaf.

Copy and Paste Text on a Mac

To copy text on your Mac, start by selecting the desired portion. To do this, hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor across the text you wish to copy. This will highlight the selected text in blue. If the text is editable, such as in a document or text field, you can also click at the starting point of the text you want to copy and then use the arrow keys to precisely select the required portion.

After selecting the text, you have several methods to copy the selected text:

1. Using Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Using the Menu Bar
3. Using the Shortcut Menu

1. Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Once you’ve selected the text, press Command + C on your keyboard. This will copy the entire selected text.

Now that the text is copied, go to an editable document and place your cursor at the position where you want to paste the text. Now press Command + V to paste the text.

2. Using the Menu Bar

You can also use the menu bar at the top to copy the text. After highlighting the portion you want to copy, simply go to “Edit” and then select “Copy“.

To paste the text, simply go to an editable document and place your cursor where you want to paste the text. Now, go to “Edit“, and then click “Paste.“

3. Using the Shortcut Menu

To copy the highlighted text, simply right-click to open the shortcut menu. Here are some different ways you can open the shortcut menu:

1. Hold Control (^) and then left-click.
2. Simultaneously tap the trackpad with two fingers.
3. Right-click (external mouse).

Once the shortcut menu is open, click on “Copy.”

To paste the text, simply open the shortcut menu and choose “Paste.”

Pasting Text Without Formatting on Mac

Often, when you copy text, it also copies its text style, font, and color. When pasting it in a different location, you may not want this. To avoid this, instead of using “Paste,” try selecting “Paste and Match Style.” This will paste the text, adjusting it to match the style of the surrounding text.

To do this:

1. Press Option-Shift-Command-V on your keyboard to paste the text you copied.

   

2. On the shortcut menu, choose “Paste and Match Style” while pasting to a specific location.

Copy and Paste Image on a Mac

Like text, the process of copying and pasting image files is similar on a Mac, but there are a few differences to keep in mind.

1. Copy Image on Mac

To copy an image, you’ll need to select it first. Unlike text, you don’t need to highlight text. Instead, use the shortcut menu. To open the shortcut menu for the image:

1. Secondary-click on the image. On a MacBook, simultaneously tap the trackpad with two fingers. If you’re using a mouse, right-click on the image.
2. Hold Control (^) and click on the image.

Now, select “Copy” from the dropdown menu.

2. Paste Image on Mac

To paste an image, move your cursor to the desired location and click on the editable space. Now, press Command + V to paste the image, or bring up the shortcut menu again to paste the image from there.

Copying Content Across Apple Devices

Apple allows you to copy and paste text and images across different devices. For this to work, the devices need to have:

1. Both devices must be signed in with the same Apple ID.
2. The devices must be close to each other (within about 30 feet).
3. Both devices have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
4. The devices have Handoff turned on.

Using Universal Clipboard on your Mac, you can copy content on one device and then paste it onto another. Simply copy any text, image, file, or content as you normally would. This content will automatically be added to the clipboard of your other nearby device. Then, on the second device, paste the content like you normally would.