Mel’s Window’s Tips & Tricks… Copy & Paste
Possibly the most underrated tool there is… copy & paste.
Using the copy/cut & paste command is second nature to more advanced computer users but I get customers asking me how to do this quite often.
Have you ever had an email saying to copy and paste the url into your browser? or are given a ridiculously complicated temporary password that you have to write down and then type into a website? Well this quick guide is for you!
First the difference between copy and cut. It pretty much does what it says, if you copy some text for example, you are making a copy of the text and then pasting it somewhere else. If you are cutting the text, you are removing the text from its current location and pasting it elsewhere.
How to Copy/Cut & Paste
First of all you need to highlight the text in question.
- Simply click the left button of your mouse and hold it down. While holding down the left button, drag your cursor over the words that you would like to copy or cut. Once highlighted let go of the left button
Now you need to copy or cut the text
- Probably the most easiest and quickest way is to use the right button on your mouse. Place the cursor over the highlighted text and then press the right button on your mouse. You will then get a small pop-up menu from which you can press the left button on the ‘Copy’ option. If you are using a word processing program you should also have the option of selecting ‘Cut’,
Finally you now need to paste the text
- Now the text is temporarily saved in your computer’s memory, so you can go to wherever you would like to paste it – an email, a form on a web page or a Word document, for example. Place your mouse cursor exactly where you would like to paste the text. If you are copying and pasting a link, you can open a new web page. If you are copying and pasting text into a new document or email, open a new document or email and make sure your cursor is blinking.
Click on the right button of your mouse. You’ll see the same pop-up menu as before. This time, click on “Paste.” Voila! Your text should magically appear.
Have a look at the following youtube video guide on this feature.
You can also try the following tutorial, based on Word 2013 but it gives you the basic information needed for any program.
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2013/text-basics/2/