Simple Tips

🖱️ Understanding “Copy,” “Cut,” and “Paste”

These are like digital scissors and glue. They let you move or duplicate text, pictures, or files from one place to another on your computer, phone, or tablet. It saves you re-typing and reduces chances for errors when re-writing something.

There are three actions:

  1. Select the area you want to duplicate or move

  2. Copy or Cut it to the computer memory

  3. Paste it from the computer memory to where you want it placed

Let’s see how exactly:

🖱️ Step 1: “Select” — Before You Copy, Cut, or Paste

Selecting means telling the computer which words or items you want to work with.
Think of it as pointing your finger at what you want before you pick it up.

💡 How to Select Text

  1. Click and hold your mouse button just before the first word.

  2. Drag the mouse across the text you want to choose (the words will turn blue or gray).

  3. Release the mouse button when you reach the end.

Now your text is highlighted — that’s the signal that it’s ready for copy or cut.

💻 On a Tablet or Phone

  • Tap and hold your finger on a word.

  • Little blue handles appear — drag them to include all the text you want.

🧠 Tip

If nothing is highlighted, copy and cut won’t work — the computer doesn’t know what you mean.
So always select first, then choose Copy, Cut, or Paste.

Do you want to Copy or Cut? See the difference below.

✂️ Copy

  • Makes a duplicate of something.

  • The original stays where it is.

Example:
You find a sentence online you want to keep.

  1. Highlight it with your mouse or finger.

  2. Click Copy (right-click → “Copy” or press Ctrl + C on Windows / Command + C on Mac).

  3. Go to where you want it (for example, an email).

  4. Click Paste (right-click → “Paste” or press Ctrl + V / Command + V).

It’s like photocopying a recipe — the original stays in the book, but now you have a copy to use elsewhere.

🔪 Cut

  • Removes the item from its original spot and gets it ready to paste somewhere new.

Example:
You typed your name at the top of a letter but want it at the bottom.

  1. Highlight your name.

  2. Click Cut (right-click → “Cut” or Ctrl + X / Command + X).

  3. Move the cursor to the end.

  4. Click Paste (or use the shortcut).

It’s like cutting something out of a newspaper and gluing it somewhere else.

📋 Paste

  • Places what you copied or cut into the new location.

  • You can paste as many times as you want if you used Copy, or once if you used Cut.

🧠 Tip for Memory

Think of the shortcuts like this:

  • C = Copy

  • X looks like scissors = Cut

  • V = the arrow shape pointing down = Paste