How to cut and paste

2023 Author: Martin Macey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 06:41

Whether you work with a computer or just use it at home, knowing how to cut and paste text and files can save you time. The terms "cut and paste" come from the now obsolete technique of manuscript editing: cutting out entire paragraphs on one page with scissors and pasting them on another page. The digital version works the same way, except that your hands won't get tired. Read this guide to learn how to cut and paste using the most common techniques

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Choose what you want to cut

Step 1. Select the text

Text is one of the most common objects in which something is cut and pasted, and it goes a long way in document editing and other word processing jobs. You can click with the mouse on the text element you need and drag it to another place in the text. To select all text in a document or page, press the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl (Cmd) + A.

You can only cut text in documents that you can edit. This means that you cannot cut in web pages or PDF files because you cannot remove text from the original

Step 2. Select files on your computer

If you want to cut a file on your computer and then transfer it somewhere, then just click on it with the mouse to select it. You can click and drag a selection box around multiple files if you want to select all of them.

Hold down the Ctrl (Cmd) key and click on individual files to select multiple files that are not located next to each other.
To select a number of files, click on the first one, and then, while holding down the Shift key, click on the last one. This will select all files in between.
Unable to rip files on CD / DVD or Secure Drive because they are read-only.

Part 2 of 4: Use keyboard shortcuts

Step 1. Press the "Cut" key combination

This will remove the original file or text when you paste it in a new location. You can only cut one selected item at a time; if you copy something else before pasting it will overwrite what you selected first. The shortcut keys "Cut" for each operating system:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + X
Mac OS X: Cmd + X

Step 2. Navigate to where you want to paste

If you are pasting text, then place the cursor where you want the text to appear. When pasting files, open where you want to insert. Make sure the window where you are pasting has focus.

Step 3. Press the "Paste" key combination

This will paste everything that you have already cut in the place you are currently using. The cut material can be inserted multiple times. The shortcut keys "Paste" for each operating system:

Windows and Linux: Ctrl + V
Mac OS X: Cmd + V

Part 3 of 4: Right-Clicking

Step 1. Right click on what you have selected

If you are using a one-click mouse for Mac OS X, Control and click to display the right-click menu. If you have selected multiple files, right-click on any of them. If you have selected most of the text, right-click on any sentence of the selected text.

Step 2. Select "Cut" from the menu

This will cut out whatever you selected, and the original files will be deleted when you paste them. When you cut text, the original text is deleted immediately.

Step 3. Right click where you want to paste

If you are pasting text, then place the cursor where you want the text to appear. When pasting files, open where you want to insert.

Step 4. Select "Insert" from the menu

This will paste everything you cut where the cursor appeared when you right-clicked. The cut material can be inserted multiple times.

Part 4 of 4: Using Menu Items

Step 1. Open the Edit menu

It may not be available in all programs, or it can be found in other menus. For example:

In Google Chrome, you need to click on the "Settings" button (three stripes), and then select the "Change" section.
In Microsoft Word 2007 and later, the Cut feature can be found on the Home Bookmark. To find this, look for the "Scissors" icon in your clipboard.

Step 2. Select "Cut"

The selected elements or text will be cut, and the original will be deleted when you paste it. When you cut text, the original text is deleted immediately.

Step 3. Navigate to where you want to paste

If you are pasting text, then place the cursor where you want the text to appear. When pasting files, open where you want to insert. Make sure the window where you are pasting has focus.