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How to Copy and Paste on Mac

In This Article

Knowing how to copy and paste on Mac is a handy skill that can be applied to a whole load of different applications.

If you want to quickly copy an image into an email or document to send to someone, then copying and pasting can do just that, and a whole lot more. It’s all taken care of thanks to one keyboard shortcut or via a drop-down menu, and works whether you’re using macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Mojave or before.

Hardware Used

The Short Version

Step1

Use Cmd+C to copy

Copying and pasting on a Mac is a remarkably simple process with the entire operation being taken care of thanks to a pair of keyboard shortcuts.To copy an item, simply select it (within Finder for instance) and press down Cmd+C. This will copy it into your Clipboard, ready for pasting.

Step2

Use Cmd+V to paste

And to paste it (be it into an email or a Word document for instance) then select the destination for it and press Cmd+V.

Step3

Or alternatively, use the Finder drop-down menu

You can also use the relevant drop-down menu within Finder when you select a file which will allow you to copy.Simply press Copy and the image will then be saved to your clipboard. To paste it, either use the Cmd+V shortcut, or select ‘Paste’ from the drop-down menu of the app you’re using, such as Word.In the likes of Word, if the image you’re pasting features special formatting, you can choose to paste it with that specific formatting, or paste it in the same way as a normal image. In addition, macOS also provides a specific shortcut for pasting to match the formatting and style of existing text, which is Option+Shift+Cmd+V.As much as copying and pasting may seem like a simple task, it’s a little more versatile than you might expect.

FAQs

If your image won’t paste into your document, simply try copying and pasting it again, which should allow you to paste the image in. Or try a different image, or the Paste and Match shortcut, which may hopefully solve the issue, and allow you to paste in the required image.

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Reece has been writing for Trusted Reviews since 2019 on a freelance basis thanks to a few days’ work experience and writes about all things computing. He’s a soon to be graduate from the University o…

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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.