Copy and paste is a very useful feature on Windows systems. If you don’t want to retype what you wrote in another place, you can use copy and paste. Copy can save the content you want to copy into the clipboard, and paste can automatically write the content of the clipboard to the specified place. Of course, the function of copy and paste is far more than that. In addition to text, you can also copy pictures, videos, folders and other content. In order to better grasp the copy and paste function, this article will introduce the methods of copy and paste with and without the keyboard.
copy and paste with keyboard
Windows copy method
Copying on systems like Windows 7/10/11 can be done using keyboard shortcuts and mouse.
Keyboard shortcut keys: Ctrl + C
Mouse: Right-click the selected content, left-click to copy in the menu that appears
Windows Paste Method
Keyboard shortcut keys: Ctrl + V
Mouse: Right-click where you want to paste, and left-click to paste in the menu that appears
Other associated shortcut（hotkey） commands
Cut: Ctrl + X
Undo: Ctrl + Z
The Ctrl + X cut function is equivalent to the function combination of copy + delete. When the Ctrl+X cut function is used, the file or text information will be sent to the clipboard, and after the paste function is completed, the text or file will be deleted from its original location.
Ctrl + Z Undo will undo your last action before using this function, restoring it to its previous state, and it can be used repeatedly.
If you paste the text, file or folder to the wrong place, you can press Ctrl + Z to undo the paste operation, the new pasted content will disappear, and the original pasted content will not be affected. If you want to move a file or text to a new place, the shortcut Ctrl + X for the cut-and-paste function can help you. Replace Ctrl + C during operation with Ctrl + X.
copy paste text
If you want to copy a small piece of text, click and hold the left mouse button at the beginning of the copied text, drag the mouse all the way to the end of the text you want to copy, and release the left mouse button. Next press Ctrl + C to complete the copy. Left-click on the empty space where you want to paste the content, and press Ctrl + V to complete the paste.
To copy and paste without using the keyboard, replace pressing Ctrl + C in the copy action with right-click on the selected target and left-click to copy in the menu that appears, and press Ctrl + V in the paste action Replace with right-clicking in the empty space and left-clicking Paste in the menu that appears.
Tips: Double-click with the left mouse button to select a single text, 3-click with the left mouse button to select an entire paragraph, and if the program doesn’t allow you to highlight with the mouse, Ctrl+A selects everything in the current specific window.
copy paste files, folders
The same is true for copying files and folders on a Windows PC. If you want to copy a single file or folder, click it with the left mouse button and press Ctrl + C to complete the copy. Next, left-click on the blank space where you want to paste the file, and press Ctrl + V to complete the paste.
Copying and pasting files and folders without using the keyboard is the same as text copying and pasting, replacing pressing the keyboard shortcut with the right-click target and left-clicking to copy and paste.
Tips: If you want to copy multiple files, you can hold down the Shift key on the keyboard, left-click the first file you want to copy, and then click the last one you want to copy to select this file. Two files and all files between them. If there are other files in between, you can Ctrl-click the files you don’t want to copy to deselect them. (You can also click the blank space with the left mouse button and drag to achieve multi-selection, which is the same as when selecting text)
If there are multiple other files between several Wenjia you want to copy, you can press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard, and then click the left mouse button to click the files you want to copy in turn, until all the files you want to copy are selected.
If you want to select all files, press Ctrl + A.
It should be noted that when a new copy operation is performed, the previous copy operation will be replaced by the new copy operation. Therefore, the conventional paste method can only paste out new content. So how can I view what was copied before? Press the Windows + V keys to display the recently copied text content, here you can pin or delete them, or you can paste them with the Show more info button on the top right and select Paste as text.
Tips: Pressing Windows + V can only display recently copied text, files and folders will not be displayed in it, and the contents of the clipboard will be cleared after shutdown or restart.
If you want to know more about the function of computer shortcut keys, please check our article here: How To Undo On Keyboard? Keyboard Shortcuts
FAQ
How do you copy and paste using the keyboard?
The keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting are Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, select the target you want to copy, press Ctrl+C, then select the place you want to copy to and press Ctrl+V to complete the text or file, etc. Copy-paste of content. Please read this article carefully for details.
How do I copy without Ctrl C?
If you don’t have a keyboard, you can use the mouse to copy and paste with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. After selecting the target, click the right mouse button, left-click the copy option in the menu bar that appears, and complete the Ctrl+C copy command. Then right-click, left-click the Paste option in the menu bar that appears, and complete the Ctrl+V copy command.
What is the shortcut key to paste a copied text?
Ctrl+V is the shortcut key to paste a copied text on the keyboard.
How do I copy and paste on a laptop?
Use the mouse to select the target, press Ctrl+C, and then press Ctrl+V where you want to paste to complete the copy and paste on the laptop, the same method as the desktop computer.
How do you copy text using just the keyboard?
If you want to copy and paste without using the mouse, use the keyboard’s arrow keys to move the mouse cursor to where you want to copy the text, then hold down the Shift key, then press the down or right arrow keys to select Target text (press Ctrl+A to select all text on the current page), press Ctrl+C on the keyboard to complete the copy. Then switch the cursor to the paste destination, and press Ctrl+C to complete the paste.
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