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Mac copy and paste shortcuts

Copy is ⌘C, cut is ⌘X and paste is ⌘V. The rest is less obvious: ⌥⇧⌘V pastes without formatting, ⌥⌘V moves a file in Finder, and adding Control to a screenshot shortcut puts the screenshot on the clipboard instead of the desktop. Search the full list below.

shortcuts

21 shown

⌘CCopyEverywhere

⌘XCutText and most apps (not files in Finder)

⌘VPasteEverywhere

⌥⇧⌘VPaste and Match Style (paste without formatting)Pages, Mail, Notes, TextEdit, Safari, Chrome, Word

⇧⌘VPaste without formattingGoogle Docs, Slack, Notion

⌥⌘VMove the copied file hereFinder, after ⌘C

⌥⌘CCopy StylePages, Keynote, Numbers, TextEdit

⌥⌘VPaste StylePages, Keynote, Numbers, TextEdit

⌥⌘CCopy the file's pathFinder

⌘ZUndo the pasteEverywhere

⇧⌘ZRedoEverywhere

⌘ASelect allEverywhere

⌃⇧⌘3Screenshot the whole screen to the clipboardAnywhere

⌃⇧⌘4Screenshot a selection to the clipboardAnywhere

⇧⌘3Screenshot the whole screen to a fileAnywhere

⇧⌘4Screenshot a selection to a file (Space for one window)Anywhere

⇧⌘5Screenshot and recording toolbarAnywhere

⌘Space, then ⌘4Clipboard historySpotlight, macOS Tahoe 26 and later

⌃⌘SpaceEmoji and symbols to pasteAny text field

⌃K / ⌃YKill to end of line / yank it back (a second clipboard)Cocoa text fields, Terminal

⇧⌘VPastely: paste in the format this app needsAny app, with Pastely installed

Free to embed. Put this mac copy & paste shortcuts on your blog, docs or class page.

The modifier keys

Symbol	Key
⌘	Command
⌥	Option (Alt)
⇧	Shift
⌃	Control
fn / 🌐	Function / Globe

Copy and paste with a trackpad or mouse

Select the text, then click with two fingers on the trackpad (or Control-click) and choose Copy. Click where you want it, two-finger click again and choose Paste. You can also drag selected text straight to another app, and hold Option while dragging a file to copy it instead of moving it.

When copy and paste stops working

Quit and reopen the app first. If no app can paste, open Activity Monitor, search for pboard, and quit it; macOS restarts the clipboard service straight away. A restart fixes the rest.

Mac Copy & Paste Shortcuts: questions

How do I copy and paste on a Mac?+

Select the text or file, press Command-C to copy, click where you want it, and press Command-V to paste. Command is the key with ⌘ on it, next to the space bar. You can also Control-click and choose Copy and Paste, or use the Edit menu.

How do I cut and paste a file on a Mac?+

Finder has no Cut for files. Copy the file with Command-C, open the folder you want it in, and press Option-Command-V. That moves the file instead of copying it.

Does a Mac have clipboard history?+

Since macOS Tahoe 26, yes: open Spotlight with Command-Space and press Command-4 to see what you copied recently. Older versions of macOS keep only the last thing you copied.

How do I copy from my iPhone and paste on my Mac?+

Universal Clipboard does it. Sign in to the same Apple Account on both, turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Handoff (System Settings › General › AirDrop & Handoff on the Mac), then copy on one and paste on the other within about two minutes.

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