How do I select text on a phone?

Press and hold on a word until it highlights. Drag the handles to select the text you want. A menu appears above the selection.

How do I copy the selection?

Tap "Copy" from the menu. The text is stored on your clipboard — you will not see anything happen, but it is saved.

How do I paste on a phone?

Go to where you want to put the text (message, email, search bar). Tap and hold in the text field. Tap "Paste" from the menu.

How do I copy on a windows computer?

Click and drag your mouse to select text. Press Ctrl + C to copy. To paste, click where you want the text and press Ctrl + V.

How do I copy on a mac?

Click and drag to select text. Press Command + C to copy. Press Command + V to paste. These shortcuts work in nearly every app.

How do I copy a link or image?

For links: tap the address bar and copy the URL. For images: right-click (computer) or press and hold (phone) and choose "Copy" or "Copy image."

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Copy and paste lets you take text, a link, an image, or other content from one place and put it somewhere else — without having to retype it. It is one of the most useful skills you can learn on any device.

The concept works the same everywhere: first, you select what you want to copy. Then you copy it (which stores it temporarily in an invisible "clipboard"). Then you go to where you want to put it and paste it.

On a phone (iPhone or Android), copying text works by pressing and holding on a word. After a moment, the word gets highlighted and two handles appear (small circles or lines) that you can drag to select more or less text. Once the text is selected, a menu appears with options including "Copy." Tap "Copy." The text is now on your clipboard. Go to where you want to paste it (a text message, email, search bar, notes app, etc.), tap and hold in the text field, and tap "Paste" from the menu that appears.

On a Windows computer, select text by clicking and dragging your mouse over it. Press Ctrl + C to copy. Click where you want to paste it, then press Ctrl + V. These keyboard shortcuts work in almost every program — word processors, email, web browsers, and more.

On a Mac, select text by clicking and dragging, then press Command + C to copy and Command + V to paste.

You can copy more than text. To copy a link from your browser, tap the address bar (the URL at the top), select all the text, and copy it. To copy an image on a computer, right-click the image and choose "Copy image." On a phone, press and hold on an image and look for "Copy" in the menu.

One important thing to know: your clipboard holds only one item at a time. When you copy something new, it replaces whatever was there before. If you need to paste the same thing multiple times, you can — it stays on the clipboard until you copy something else.