How to copy and paste on Mac

How to copy and paste on a Mac computer or from a Mac to other Apple devices. There are several ways to copy and paste on your Mac, including with keyboard shortcuts. You can copy and paste to Mac by right-clicking, opening the toolbar, or using keyboard shortcuts.

Text, images, GIFs, and other file formats can all be copied and pasted to a Mac. Apple devices on the same iCloud account can copy and paste across multiple devices.

Copy and paste is one of the simplest and most useful computer shortcuts. Save time and ensure that text and images are preserved in their original form; there is no need to type the text you see on a web page in an email or document when you can just copy and paste.

There are several ways to copy and paste on a Mac, and knowing them all helps you to use this feature no matter what you are copying and pasting. You can even copy and paste content on Apple devices. Here's how to do it all.

How to copy and paste on Mac with keyboard shortcuts

1. Highlight the text you want to copy using the mouse or trackpad.
2. Press and hold the Command key, then press the key "C" to copy the highlighted text.
3. Click to place the cursor where you want to paste the copied text.
4. Press and hold the Command key, then press the key "V" to paste.

How to copy and paste on Mac with a mouse or trackpad

1. Highlight the text you want to copy using your mouse or trackpad, then right-click. If you're copying an image, GIF, or other type of file, simply hover your cursor over it before clicking.
2. Sand you're using a trackpad instead of a mouse, you can set a secondary click by changing the trackpad preferences. Alternatively, you can right-click while holding the Ctrl key while clicking on the trackpad.
3. In the pop-up menu, click Copy.
4. Click to place the cursor where you want to paste the copied text or file.
5. Right-click, then select Paste in the popup. If you're just copying and pasting, the pasted text will keep the same formatting from the original context.

How to copy and paste on Mac using the toolbar

1. Highlight the text you want to copy using the mouse or trackpad.
2. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click Modify, then select Copy in the drop-down menu.
3. Click to place the cursor where you want to paste the copied text.
4. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click Modify, then select Paste in menu drop-down.

How to copy and paste on Mac to match formatting

The methods described above will transfer the highlighted text as it appears in its original context, e.g. in its original font, size, color, etc. This isn't always ideal, but there's an easy fix to help keep things consistent in the email or document you're pasting text into. 

To change the copied text to match the style of its new location, do the following:

1. Highlight the text you want to copy using the mouse or trackpad.
2. Copy the text using one of the methods discussed above: right-click, toolbar, or Command + C.
3. Click to place the cursor where you want to paste the copied text.
4. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click Modification, then up Paste without formatting. It can also be formulated as Paste and Match Style or something similar. When pasting without formatting, the copied text is set to match the style of the document or email you are pasting into.

How to copy and paste between Apple devices

If you have an iPhone or iPad registered with the same iCloud account as your Mac, you can easily copy and paste text and photos between devices. Here's how it's done:

1. On the Mac, open System Preference and click General.
2. In  bottom of the page General, check the box next to Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.
3. On your iPhone or iPad, open theSettings app and touch Generali.
4. On the page General, select AirPlay and Handoff.
5. Make sure the function Handoff is active by touching the switch, turning it from gray to green.
6. On your mobile device, tap to highlight the text or image you want to copy, then tap Copy.
7. On your computer, paste the content using one of the methods described above. This method also works for copying content to your computer and pasting it to your mobile device.