Wondering how to copy and paste on Chromebook? Chromebooks are an increasingly popular option for those who want thin and light laptops but don’t want to spend money on a high-performance laptop or computer.
Chromebooks are especially popular for those already tethered to the Google or Android ecosystem. For example, if your email is Gmail, most of your searches are done through Google, and you rely on good docs daily, a Chromebook might be the perfect laptop for you.
But since Chromebooks don’t run macOS or Windows , when many people switch to one of them, the operating system confuses them. This operating system is ChromeOS. And while ChromeOS isn’t as versatile as macOS or Windows, it’s still a good OS – you just need to take the time to learn how to use it.
But what about everyday functions like copy and paste on Chromebook? Good news! For the most part, copying and pasting is no different from macOS or Windows.
Let’s look at five ways to copy and paste on Chromebook.
How to copy and paste on Chromebook using the traditional methods.
The basic Copy, Paste, and Cut commands on a Chromebook are the same as on a Windows laptop.
To copy text, files, and folders to your Chromebook, press the CTRL and C keys on your keyboard. Right-clicking after selecting text or a file also works on Chromebooks.
Shortcut Keys: CTRL+C
To paste any text, file, and folder that has been copied, you need to press the CTRL and V keys on your Chromebook keyboard. The context menu can also be used by right-clicking on the location where you want to move the copied items.
Shortcut Keys: CTRL+V
Chromebooks allow their users to paste only text without retaining the original formatting, a feature not found on Windows laptops. This is a useful feature that can be implemented on a Windows laptop by copying the source text and then pasting it into Notepad where it will lose all of its formatting. And then copy it back to where you intended to copy it. This lengthy process can be shortened by simultaneously pressing three keys on your Chromebook – CTRL, Shift, and V.
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+V
The last method is to cut the files i.e. delete them rather than copy and paste them elsewhere. The paste command always remains the same whether you want to copy or cut. The Cut command can be invoked by pressing the CTRL and X keys on the keyboard along with a right-click context menu.
Shortcut: Ctrl+X
How to copy and paste on Chromebook using the keyboard
Well – trust me – a lot of this will sound familiar to you if you’re used to copy and paste on a Mac or PC. The first way to copy and paste on a Chromebook is to use keyboard shortcuts.
- Highlight the part of the text you want to copy and paste by clicking and highlighting it with your mouse cursor.
- Press and hold the CONTROL button, and then also press the C button (while still holding the control button). Now you have copied the selected text and you can release the C button and the control button.
- Now move your mouse cursor to the field where you want to paste the text ( like a Google Doc).
- Press and hold the CONTROL button, and then also press the V button (while still holding the control button). You will see that the copied text now appears at the cursor location.
That’s all! Easy, right?
Read Also: How To Select The Best Laptop Brand For Yourself
How to copy and paste everything on a Chromebook
The above method works great if you just want to copy and paste on Chromebook individual words or sentences. But what if you want to copy and paste everything you see in the document? In this case, it’s best to select all the text and then copy and paste.
- Move the mouse and click the document you want to highlight, all the text to copy. So make sure the cursor in the document is blinking.
- Press and hold the CONTROL button, and then also press the A button (while still holding the control button). You will see that all the text in the document becomes selected (highlighted).
- Now press and hold the CONTROL button and then also press the C button (while still holding the control button). Now you have copied the selected text and you can release the C button and the control button.
- Now move your mouse cursor to the field where you want to paste the text ( like a Google Doc).
- Press and hold the CONTROL button, and then also press the V button (while still holding the control button). You will see that the copied text now appears at the cursor location.
How to copy and paste on Chromebook to format
Sometimes you copy text from one source that you want to paste into another (for example, from a website to a Google Doc). In this case, the source and destination locations may have different fonts.
Ideally, you’ll want to match the font of the destination document. Here’s an easy way to do it without having to manually change the font after pasting it.
- Highlight the part of the text you want to copy and paste on Chromebook by clicking and highlighting it with your mouse cursor.
- Press and hold the CONTROL button, and then also press the C button (while still holding the control button). Now you have copied the selected text and you can release the C button and the control button.
- Now move your mouse cursor to the field where you want to paste the text ( like a Google Doc).
- Press and hold the CONTROL button and the SHIFT button, and then also press the V button (while still holding the control button). You will see that the copied text now appears where the cursor was and matches the formatting of the existing text in the document.
How to copy and paste on Chromebook with mouse or trackpad
Finally, if you don’t like using keyboard shortcuts like the ones we described above, you can use your mouse or trackpad to copy and paste text on your Chromebook.
- Using the mouse or trackpad, select the piece of text you want to copy and paste by clicking and highlighting it with the mouse cursor.
- Right-click the selected text to bring up a pop-up menu.
- Click Copy on the pop-up menu.
- Now go to the document where you want to paste the copied text and place the cursor inside the document by clicking on the spot where you want to place the selected text.
- Right-click the document to bring up the pop-up menu.
- Click Insert on the pop-up menu. You will see that the copied text now appears at the cursor location.
That’s all! Easy, right?
This is all about how to copy and paste on Chromebook. Now choose any of the four best methods to copy and paste on Chromebook. Enjoy!!
