How to Copy and Paste on Mac (and Cut, Paste Clean Text)

If you've come from Windows, the only real change is the key: on a Mac the Command key does the job Ctrl does on a PC. Once your fingers learn that, everything else works the way you expect. Below are the three ways to do it, the shortcut that saves you from messy formatting, and the one thing a Mac won't let you cut.

The keyboard shortcuts

Action	Shortcut	What it does
Copy	Command-C	Puts a copy of the selection on the clipboard
Cut	Command-X	Removes the selection and puts it on the clipboard
Paste	Command-V	Inserts whatever is on the clipboard
Paste and Match Style	Option-Shift-Command-V	Pastes text in the style of the text around it
Undo	Command-Z	Reverses the last paste or edit

Copy and paste step by step

1. Select what you want: drag over text, or click a file or picture once.
2. Press Command-C to copy (or Command-X to cut).
3. Click where you want the item to go, so the insertion point blinks there.
4. Press Command-V to paste.
5. Pasted in the wrong spot? Press Command-Z and try again.

Without the keyboard: menus and Control-click

You don't have to use shortcuts. Every app that supports it has Copy, Cut and Paste in the Edit menu at the top of the screen. Or hold the Control key and click the selection, then pick Copy from the shortcut menu; Control-click again where you want it and pick Paste. If you've set your mouse or trackpad up for a right-click, that opens the same menu.

Stop pasted text bringing its formatting with it

The most useful shortcut most people never learn is Option-Shift-Command-V, Paste and Match Style. Copy a paragraph from a web page into an email and a normal paste keeps the website's font, size and colour. Paste and Match Style drops all of that and makes the text look like the text around it. It's in the Edit menu too, if the four-key shortcut is a stretch. I use it every time I move notes between documents, because it saves cleaning up afterwards.

Why you can't cut a file in Finder

Here's the catch that confuses Windows switchers. Apple's own help notes that for files and folders you may get the option to move them to the Trash but not to cut them. So Command-X on a file in Finder usually does nothing. You have two options instead:

• Drag and drop the file from one folder to the other. On the same drive this moves it.
• Copy, then move: press Command-C on the file, open the destination folder, then press Option-Command-V. That pastes the file and removes it from where it was, which is a cut and paste by another name.

When Paste is greyed out

Each app decides what it will accept. If Paste is dimmed in the Edit menu, the place you've clicked can't take that kind of content, for example a picture into a plain text box. Try clicking into a different field, or paste into a document first. If nothing pastes anywhere, the clipboard may simply be empty, so copy the item again.

Using a Windows keyboard on a Mac

If your keyboard was made for a PC and has no Command key, Apple suggests using the Ctrl key or the Windows logo key in its place. Which one works depends on the keyboard, so try the Windows logo key with C and V first.

Copy on your iPhone, paste on your Mac

If you're signed in to the same Apple Account on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, Universal Clipboard lets you copy on one and paste on another. Copy a phone number on your iPhone, then press Command-V on your Mac. It's handy for moving a link or a code without emailing it to yourself. When you're moving whole files rather than snippets, my guide to sending large files in Gmail covers the bigger jobs.

The clipboard only holds one thing

Every time you copy, the new item replaces the old one. That's why a paste sometimes brings back something different from what you expected: you copied something else in between. On older versions of macOS there's no built-in way to get the earlier item back. Newer Macs running macOS Tahoe or later add Clipboard history, which lets you browse text, images, links and files you copied recently and pick the one you want. If you're on an older system, the simple habit is to paste straight after you copy.

A few speed tips

• Command-A selects everything in a document or window before you copy.
• Double-click to select a word, triple-click to select a paragraph.
• Hold Shift and use the arrow keys to extend a selection one letter at a time.

If keyboard shortcuts are making your day faster, there are more ideas in my roundup of office productivity hacks.

My verdict

Learn three keys, Command-C, Command-V and Command-Z, and you'll copy and paste on a Mac as fast as you ever did on a PC. Add Option-Shift-Command-V for clean text, and remember that files move with drag and drop or Option-Command-V, not Command-X.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut to copy and paste on a Mac?

Command-C copies and Command-V pastes. Command-X cuts.

How do I paste without formatting on a Mac?

Press Option-Shift-Command-V, or choose Paste and Match Style from the Edit menu.

Why can't I cut and paste a file on a Mac?

Finder doesn't cut files. Copy the file with Command-C, then paste with Option-Command-V to move it, or drag it.

How do I right-click to copy on a Mac?

Hold Control and click the selection, then choose Copy from the menu.

Can I copy on my iPhone and paste on my Mac?

Yes. Universal Clipboard works when both devices use the same Apple Account.