How to Copy and Paste on Mac

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Copy-pasting has become an essential computer operation. The feature helps us to duplicate or change lines of code, entire portions of word documents, copy and paste photos, and more, making work considerably easier and quicker.

A straightforward procedure may be performed in a number of ways; if one method doesn't work for you, there are many other options. To get started, all you need is a Mac computer or notebook and a basic understanding of the user interface, like how to highlight text, clicking with a mouse or trackpad, using the toolbar to do that. Here, we will also tell you how to remap copy and paste keys for your convenience. Let's get started in this 'How to Copy and Paste on Mac' guide without further ado!

How to Copy and Paste on Mac

You may use the contextual menu or keyboard shortcuts on a Mac to copy/paste data, pictures, or documents. As soon as you press your mouse or trackpad, a pop-up window is shown. Here's how to copy and paste quickly and easily:

Using the Keyboard

One of the first ways to do it is via using keyboard keys. Here's how:

Step 1: To copy a piece of text or a picture, click on it. Press and hold the Shift key simultaneously to highlight text on your keyboard, moving the arrow keys up and down. You may also use the mouse to highlight content by clicking and dragging the cursor over it.

Step 2: Next, on your keyboard, hit Command+ C. Press C once while holding down the Command with the button with the icon like ⌘. Text and pictures will be copied to the clipboard.

(Note: It's not possible to copy more than one piece of text or photos at a time, unfortunately. This means that you'll overwrite the previous copy).

Step 3: Paste everything you copied into a program. Text app is a great location to paste and store text and pictures on a Mac since it comes pre-installed.

Step 4: Paste by pressing Command + V. The copied text and pictures will be pasted into the current document.

(Note: Only one set of text or pictures may be copied at a time. This means that every time you copy anything new, it will overwrite the previous copy).

Using the Mouse

The second way to copy and paste on a Mac device is by using the trackpad. Here's how:

Step 1: Select the text or picture you wish to copy and press Ctrl + C.

Step 2: Right-click on your cursor and select Copy from the contextual menu that displays on the right-click menu.

Step 3: Launch an application to paste the information you copied. Move your mouse to the location where you wish the copied material to appear.

Step 4: Make a right-click on your mouse and select Paste from the context menu that appears.

(Note: In addition, the Paste function may be found in the Edit menu of most programs).

Using the Toolbar

The third way on our list includes using the Toolbar to copy and paste text, files, pictures, etc. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Utilizing your mouse or trackpad, select the text you wish to copy and highlight it.

Step 2: Select Edit in the toolbar at the very top of the window, and then pick Copy from the drop-down menu that appears.

Step 3: Put the cursor wherever you wish the copied text to be pasted by clicking once.

Step 4: Edit may be found in the toolbar at the very top of the screen; pick it from the drop-down menu that appears.

Remap Copy and Paste Shortcut on Mac

When we go from Mac to Windows or Windows to Mac, cutting, copying, and pasting is one of the most challenging things to get accustomed to. This may be done on a Mac by pressing "Command +" together.

While all the above methods are excellent and straightforward, there is one sneaky way that can help you remap your keyboard shortcut keys. This will allow you to copy and paste critical locations according to your convenience. Here's how you can remap your copy and paste keys on Mac:

Step 1: Start by finding Keyboard in System Preferences.

Step 2: It turns out that the Keyboard has a plethora of options! Start by clicking the "Shortcuts" tab at the top of the window's tab bar. Look for something like this in the future.

Step 3: It's easier to navigate the window when clicking on "App Shortcuts" on the left side.

Step 4: The new shortcuts will be added here. "Paste and Match Style" and "Paste" are two different keyboard shortcuts; thus, we're going to adjust the functionality of the shortcuts (which, recall, really pastes and include styles). You'll see a "+" button on the bottom right, which you may click to add more items.

Step 5: In a little box that appears, input the following information to create a new shortcut.

(Note: There are ways of ensuring that a particular keyboard shortcut only affects the program or application you designate on your Mac, rather than affecting all of them).

Step 6:  Let's look at the Edit menu to see what we need to do before moving on to the next step.

Step 7: Because the scope of the Keyboard Shortcuts is so narrow, you must match the command's phrasing precisely. Paste and Match Style is appropriate here. Don't forget to capitalize the "Menu Title," then hit the key sequence (e.g., Command-V) to create a new shortcut:

Step 8: All it takes is a simple click on "Add." Nice. We should make Command-Shift-option-V the default "Paste" command, as well, just to make it more complete.

Step 9: After one more click on "Add," you're all set. Woot! Rebooting or logging out and back in isn't necessary.

Conclusion

You may copy and paste on a Mac in various ways, and understanding all of them will help you get the most out of this feature. We have tried our best to cover all the possible ways that will enable you to copy and paste your file, folders, pictures, videos, etc. Let us know if our guide on 'How to Copy and Paste on Mac' was helpful or not.