Feb 24 Copy and Pasting

A reader recently asked me to help them art the art of Copy and Pasting. So we're going to take a look at the basics of the "Copy" and "Paste" commands.

An Introduction to Copy and Pasting

• What is Copy and Pasting?
  Copy and Pasting is simply the ability to take a section of text and duplicate it to another location. The Copy and Paste functions are built into all Operating Systems (e.g. all versions of Windows and Mac OS), it is also built into (nearly) all applications. It is free, and does not need to be activated.
• What can I copy and paste?
  Put simply; anything. Although 90% of all copy and pasting you'll do will be text, you can also copy and paste images and other media elements.
• Where can I copy and paste?
  You can copy and paste within one application (e.g. Microsoft Word or Outlook), or you can copy and paste between applications (e.g. from Word to Outlook).

How do I do it?

Selecting text

First, you need to familiarise yourself with how to select the item(s) you wish to copy, in the case of these examples we'll just look at text.

In the following example we're going to select the text below in between the two arrows.

1. Place your mouse pointer after the first arrow, but before the "H" of "Here".
2. Hold down the left mouse button (I'll assume you're using a Windows machine), now keeping the mouse button held down, drag your cursor to the next arrow. The text should turn highlight as you select it.
3. Release the mouse button.
4. All the text should now be highlighted. If not, try repeating this first step again.

Here is some text to select

OK, let's now copy and paste. There are several ways to Copy and Paste, we'll look at all of these in detail. It's worth noting that the methods can be combined; i.e. you can copy using Method 1, then paste using method 2.

Copy and Pasting - Method 1: Right-Click menu

1. Select the text between the arrows below. Ensure that the text stays highlighted
2. With your mouse pointer over the highlighted text, right-click your mouse, a menu should appear
3. From the menu choose "Copy". The text should now be stored ready to paste.
4. Click in the box below the text.
5. Right-click your mouse, a menu should appear
6. From the menu choose "Paste". The text should now appear in the box

	Here is some text to copy and paste via the right-click menu

Copy and Pasting - Method 2: Keyboard shortcuts.

This second method uses only the keyboard, and is the quickest method.

1. Select the text between the arrows below. Ensure that the text stays highlighted
2. Now on your keyboard hold down "CTRL", and press "C". The text should now be stored ready to paste. (for Apple users, hold the "Command" key instead of "CTRL").
3. Click in the box below the text.
4. Now on your keyboard hold down "CTRL", and press "V". The text should now appear in the box. (for Apple users, hold the "Command" key instead of "CTRL").

	Here is some text to copy and paste using keyboard shortcuts

Copy and Pasting - Method 3: Application Menu.

This third method uses menu within an application. It's a slow but reliable method.

1. Select the text between the arrows below. Ensure that the text stays highlighted.
2. Go to the menu of whichever application you are copying from, look for a "Edit" menu (or a "Page" menu in Internet Explorer)
3. From the "Edit" menu click "Copy"
4. Click in the box below the text.
5. Go to the menu of whichever application you are pasting to, look for a "Edit" menu (or a "Page" menu in Internet Explorer)
6. From the "Edit" menu click "Paste"

	Here is some text to copy and paste using the Application Menu

Cut and Pasting

Now you have mastered Copy and Pasting, you can try Cut and Pasting; here the main difference is that you "cut" the text, so it is removed from the first location. This method is used when you want to move text rather than duplicate it.

The methods are the same, with the following minor differences:

• Method 1: Right-Click menu
  • Step 3: Select "Cut" instead of "Copy"
• Method 2: Keyboard shortcuts
  • Step 2: Press "X" instead of "C"
• Method 3: Application Menu
  • Step 3: Select "Cut" instead of "Copy"

Troubleshooting

• Remember you can only paste into areas that you can type into, so if the "Paste" option is gray, check where you are trying to paste - try typing a few letters - do they appear there?