How to Copy and Paste on a Mac

The command to copy and paste on a Mac differs from the same key combination on a Windows platform. If you are new to using a Mac, this might confuse you.

This article will explain the different ways how to copy and paste an image, text, link, or any file on a Mac computer:

Ways to copy and paste on a Mac:

Using the shortcuts
Using the context menu
Using the menu bar
By dragging the text
Using different Apple devices
Copy a text from images

Before we start

When you copy and paste pictures or any other files on your Mac, accidentally download files twice, or transfer the same photos from your iPhone to your Mac by mistake, you create duplicates. Duplicates are files with identical data. Over time, you gather a lot of duplicate files that clog your disk space and slow down your Mac.

To clean up those duplicates and free up space on your Mac, you can use a free application called Duplicate File Finder.

Duplicate File Finder

Free Download

How to copy and paste on a Mac using the keyboard

If you like using Mac keyboard shortcuts, you will like this method. The main difference between Windows and Mac is the key you need to press. On a Mac, this is the Command key which has the ⌘ symbol. It is located next to the space bar on your keyboard.

Copy, Cut, and Paste keys on a Mac

Shortcut	How to use
Cmd+C	Copy a picture, text, or any file on Mac. Just select the item and press this key combination.
Cmd+X	Cut the text or any file. Use this combination if you want to delete the item after pasting it into another location.
Cmd+V	Paste a picture, text, or any file you copied or cut. Before you press this shortcut, go to the location in Finder or position the cursor in the text document where you want to paste the item.

How to paste text without the style formatting

By default, copying and pasting saves the text formatting style (font, size, etc.). However, this might be annoying when you have different formatting in the documents you are working on.

In most cases, you can avoid pasting text with the previous formatting. For this, you need the Shift key.

Steps to paste text on Mac without its style formatting:

Select the text you want to copy.
Press the Cmd+C to copy it (or Cmd+X to cut it).
Go to the location where you want to place the text.
Press Shift+Cmd+V.

How to copy and paste on a Mac using the context menu

If you prefer using a mouse for a Mac or trackpad on your MacBook, you can use the alternative right-click method of copy-pasting.

Steps to copy and paste an image (text or any file) on Mac:

Place your cursor on the file in Finder or select text in your document that you want to copy.
Right-click on it (use your mouse, trackpad, or hold and press the Control key until it clicks.)
In the context menu, select Copy.
Go to the location where you want to paste the copied item.
Right-click again, and in the context menu, select Paste.

context menu in Mac Finder showing the Copy command

How to copy and paste a link on a Mac

If you want to copy a link instead of a simple text from a text document, you can use the context menu again.

Right-click on the link in your text document.
In the context menu, select the Copy link URL option.
Place the cursor on the place where you want to paste the link.
Press the Cmd+V shortcut or right-click and select Paste from the context menu.

Context menu of Google Docs showing the Copy link URL command

How to copy and paste on Mac using the menu bar

Most applications, including Finder on Macs, provide the Copy and Paste commands in the menu bar. They are located in the Edit section. If, for any reason, you can use neither the shortcut nor the context menu to copy on your Mac, use this method.

Steps to copy an image on a Mac:

Select the image (or any item) you want to copy.
Go to the menu bar and click on Edit.
In the drop-down menu, select Copy (or Сut).
In Finder, go to the folder where you want to place the selected item.
Click on Edit and select Paste Item.

Steps to copy and paste text on a Mac using the menu bar:

We will show an example of copying and pasting text in Google Docs.

Select the text you want to copy.
In the menu bar, choose Edit → Copy (or Cut).
Move the cursor to the place in your document where you want to paste the text.
Go to the menu bar → select Edit → Paste.

If you want to paste the text without its original formatting style, select Paste and Match Style in the drop-down menu. The text will automatically be formatted in the style of the document you are copying it into.

Read also: “How to take a picture on a Mac“

Copying text by dragging on Mac

macOS allows you to quickly copy and move text using just your mouse or trackpad. This method works in many macOS apps, such as Notes, TextEdit, and Microsoft Word. However, some applications may not support this option.

Here’s how to use the dragging option for texts:

Select the text you want to copy.
Press and hold the Option (⌥) key on your keyboard.
Click and drag the selected text to the desired location.

How to copy and paste between Apple devices

Since the launch of the Universal Clipboard in macOS, you can copy and paste images and text between your Mac computer and iPhone or iPad.

To use this option, you need to log in to your iCloud account on both of your devices. As long as this feature is enabled, it’s super easy:

Select the text or image on your Mac and press Cmd+C to copy it.
Open the application on your iPhone/iPad where you want to paste the item.
Tap on the screen and select Paste.

The procedure to copy and paste an item from your iPhone to your Mac is the same. First, copy the item on your iPhone, then open a document on your Mac and press the Cmd+V shortcut. Note: there might be a few seconds delay for pasting.

Copying a text from images on macOS

Apple provides a Live Text feature, which allows users to easily extract and copy text from images. You can use this option for copying text from screenshots, photos, or scanned documents.

Before you try using Live Text, ensure that it is enabled on your Mac:

Open System Settings.
Go to the General section.
Choose Language & Region.
Scroll down and turn on Live Text.

Note: Live Text is available on macOS version 12 and later.

Here’s how to copy text from images:

Open the image in Preview, Photos, or Safari.
Hover over the text in the image.
The cursor will change to a text selection tool.
Select the text.
Copy and paste the text using any method described above.

As you can see, copying and pasting on a Mac is easy. Like on Windows, you can use short key combinations – the Cmd+C shortcut for copying, the Cmd+X shortcut for cutting, and the Cmd+V shortcut for pasting. Use them to transfer any item on a Mac – text fragments, links, photos, videos, music, etc.

FAQs

Does a Mac have a clipboard like on Windows?

The clipboard on Mac differs from the clipboard on Windows. In Windows, you can copy up to 24 items from the Microsoft Office documents and then select which items to paste; however, you can see only the last copied item in the clipboard on a Mac.

How do you copy and paste from a clipboard on a Mac?

As mentioned before, Mac’s clipboard shows only the last copied item. To open the clipboard, do the following:

Open Finder.
In the Finder’s menu, click Edit.
Select Show Clipboard.
You will see a window showing the last copied text or the name + additional data of the previously copied file.

How do I enable Ctrl+C on a Mac?

By default, to copy on Mac, you need to use the Cmd+C shortcut. If you want to enable the Ctrl+C shortcut for the copying command, you can set it up in the Mac shortcuts.

Open System Settings → go to the Keyboard section.
Click Keyboard Shortcuts → Modifier Keys.
For the Control Key, select Command. For the Command Key, select Control.
Click Done.

After this, on Mac, you can use the Ctrl+C shortcut to copy files, texts, and other items.

Copy-paste is not working on a Mac. How to fix it?

According to this discussion on Apple’s forums, several users have reported problems with copy-paste functionality in macOS. To troubleshoot this issue, try the following tips:

Restart your Mac.
Check your Mac for updates.
Boot your system into Safe Mode.
Test another user account.

Why can’t I copy and paste on my Mac to an external hard drive?

If you can’t copy files from a Mac to an external hard drive, most likely your external hard drive doesn’t have the Read & Write permissions. To give permission, do the following: