You can copy and paste on Chromebooks just like on other computers. This can be accomplished with both key combinations, when you press specific key sets simultaneously and through the context menu you get a right click on things like web pages. If you have a touchscreen Chromebook or your Chromebook doesn’t have a right touchpad button, you can still copy and paste.
How to Select and Copy Text on a Chromebook
Copying and pasting text selections on a Chromebook is very simple. First, you need to find the text you want to copy, then you need to select it. When the text is selected, you can copy it with a key combination or by right-clicking.
Following is a guide on how to copy and paste text on a Chromebook using the right-click method:
1. Locate the text you want to copy. Text can be on a web page, in an email, or in any other document that allows text to be selected.
2. Left click the left edge of the text you want to select.
- Note: If your touchpad has only one button or the touchpad is fully clicked, it is left click by default.
3. While holding down the left touchpad button, drag the slider on the right side of the screen until you have selected the text you want.
4. With the text selected, right-click anywhere on the selection.
- Note: If your trackpad does not have a right mouse button, hold Alt while clicking. You can also tap the touchpad with two fingers instead of one to right-click. To right-click on a touch screen, hold your finger on the screen instead of touching it.
5. Select Copy.
6. Open the application where you want to paste the text. This can be an email, a Google Docs file, or anything else that lets you paste text.
7. Right-click where you want to paste the text.
8. Select Paste.
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How to Copy and Paste on a Chromebook Using a Keyboard Shortcut
Besides the context menu, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste text on a Chromebook. These are actually the same shortcuts used on Windows computers, which makes them easy to remember.
Here are the keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste on a Chromebook:
- press Ctrl + C copy
- press Ctrl + V paste
Tip: It’s easy to remember Ctrl + C since the C stands for copy. Ctrl + V may be harder to remember, but it may help to think of the V as standing for Velcro. This command cannot use Ctrl + P because it is used for printing.
Save Time: Copy a Web Page or Entire Document
Selecting text to copy the old fashioned way isn’t that difficult, but it can be inconvenient if you want to select an entire webpage or document, especially if you have to scroll down to see the full text. It may take a while or scrolling may cancel your selection.
If you want to quickly select a web page or an entire document, here is the key combination:
- press Ctrl + A select all
When the text is selected, you can copy it with the context menu by right-clicking or using Ctrl + C shortcut to copy the whole thing.
How to copy images from web pages
You can use the right-click context menu to save an image, or you can even copy and paste it into an image editing application. This allows you to edit the image to your liking before sharing it.
Here’s how to copy and paste an image to a Chromebook:
- Select the favourite image.
- Right-click the image, or hold Alt + Left-click.
- Select copy image.
- Open an image editing application and create a new image.
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the image.
Note: Some images cannot be copied this way, and some image editing applications do not allow you to paste copied images this way. If your image-editing application can open images from a universal resource locator (URL), right-click the image and select copy image URL instead.
How to Copy and paste Videos to a Chromebook
You can’t copy and paste a video to a Chromebook the same way you can copy images, but you can copy the URL. A video’s URL is the link you can share with people so they can also watch the video. So it’s very handy if you find a video you want to share.
To copy a video link to a Chromebook:
1. Locate a video you want to share.
2. Right-click on the video, or hold Alt + Left-click.
3. Select Copy Video URL.
- Note : Select copy video URL at current time to get a shareable link that will allow your friends to start the video at that time. This is useful if a video takes a while to start or if you want to share a particularly funny or interesting moment.
4. Open the app where you want to paste the video link. This can be an email, messaging app, or any other app that allows you to paste text.
5. Right-click where you want to paste the link, or hold Alt + Left-click.
6. Select Paste.
