Pillar·9 min
How to copy and paste on any device
The same two steps work everywhere once you know the shortcut for your device. Copy and paste on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, Android and tablets, by keyboard, mouse or touch.
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Copy and paste, explained
Copy and paste is the most-used trick on any device, and it works a little differently on each one. These guides cover every platform, keyboard and mouse, including the shortcuts and the plain-text paste that save the most time.
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In this topic
7 min
How to copy formatting in Word
Copying formatting in Word copies the look of text without the words. The two ways to do it, the Format Painter and a keyboard shortcut almost nobody uses, plus when named styles beat both.
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How to copy and paste on a Chromebook
Chromebooks handle copy and paste a little differently from Windows or Mac. The keyboard shortcuts, the two-finger touchpad tap, and pasting as plain text.
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How to copy and paste on a Mac
The Mac uses Command, not Control, which trips up a lot of switchers. Copy and paste on macOS by keyboard, mouse and trackpad, plus paste without formatting.
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How to copy and paste on a laptop
Every laptop copies and pastes the same few ways, by keyboard or trackpad. The shortcuts for Windows and Mac laptops, including how to manage without a mouse.
Read6 min
How to copy and paste on an iPhone
iPhone copy and paste runs on taps and gestures instead of a keyboard. Copying text, links and images, plus the three-finger shortcuts most people never learn.
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How to copy and paste on Android
Android copy and paste lives behind a tap and hold, with a clipboard tucked inside the keyboard. Copying text and links, and finding what you copied earlier.
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How to copy and paste in Google Docs
Google Docs has its own quirks around pasted formatting and the web clipboard prompt. Copying and pasting cleanly on desktop and mobile, plain-text paste included.
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Copy and paste keyboard shortcuts
Copy, cut, paste and paste-as-plain-text, on both Windows and Mac, in one place. Learn the handful of keyboard shortcuts that let you copy and paste without reaching for the mouse.
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How to paste without formatting
Pasted text often drags its old fonts and colors with it. Pasting as plain text in Windows, Mac, Google Docs, Word and Excel, with the shortcut for each.
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