You can use the mouse to copy and paste anything on your laptop. Just right-click on the element you wish to copy first to get to the “Copy” command on the shortcut menu then go to your app or a Windows file folder to “Paste” the element using the same shortcut menu.
How to Copy Paste in Laptop
You need to copy something first before you can paste it. When something is copied, you can paste it multiple times on various programs and so forth. When you cut something, you remove the element instead of merely copying it.
The shortcuts for copy and paste on laptop should remain the same across different models if you’re using a Windows machine. They are as follows:
- Copy: Ctrl + C (Windows) or Command + C (Mac)
- Paste: Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command + C (Mac)
- Cut: Ctrl + X (Windows) or Command + X (Mac)
- Undo: Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (Mac)
- Redo: Ctrl + Y (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac)
Otherwise, select and right-click elements like a file, music, video, picture, photo, text selection, photo selection, and so forth then pick “Copy”, “Paste”, or “Cut” on the shortcut menu.
Mouse vs. Keyboard for Copy Paste
You can select the text, bring up the context menu, then use the copy and paste commands from the list of the available options. Or you can use Ctrl/Command + C and Ctrl/Command + V on any selection that could be copied and pasted.
It’s troublesome to bring a mouse with your laptop when the touchpad is available. You can use either one to right-click or two-finger-tap the file or item to bring up the shortcut menu containing the copy-paste commands.
Why is Copying and Pasting Necessary?
For many people, the ability to copy and paste things like text and pictures is necessary for everyday personal computing. It allows them to move files by cutting them in one folder then pasting them in another folder. Or they can copy text from a website then paste it on Microsoft Word or Notepad.
- Paste Data from One Location to Another: Certain data you copy in one place then paste on another paste won’t appear there, like text from MS Word won’t appear on a system folder unless it comes out as a text fragment. Or a Photoshop transparency won’t paste on MS Paint.
- Moving Files from One Folder to Another: The copy-paste keyboard shortcuts and shortcut menu can also be used to move one or more files from one folder to another or one drive to another (for backup). You can even make copies of the same file!
- Unformat Formatted Text: Copy text from the web, paste it on Notepad, copy the resulting format-free text on Notepad, and then paste it on MS Word. It’s useful for writing and getting research off of the web!
What’s the Deal with That?
Whether you’re using a PC or a Mac—a Windows notebook or a MacBook laptop—you can effortless copy and paste text, among other things. Both use roughly the same shortcuts and both can even bring up the context menu.
It’s just that Windows machines have the Ctrl button while MacBooks and the like use the Command button instead.
References:
- Aliza Khan, “How to Copy and Paste on Laptop without Mouse“, TechosaurusRex.com, May 13, 2022