How To Copy And Paste On Android (2023)

Copying and pasting is an important feature used by everyone and is also the basic one. There are various steps you have to use to copy and paste the text images, characters, or complete files on Android.

In this article, you will learn how to copy and paste these texts. Also, you can copy and paste text from Android devices to PC and vice versa.

There are different cloud clipboard applications used to copy the text from PC to Android or vice versa. The history of copying and pasting can be cleared by using the various steps mentioned below.

Contents show

How To Copy And Paste On Android?

There are various ways by which you can copy and paste on Android and it is helpful in numerous cases. The different ways to copy and paste for different requirements are as follows:

Text

The steps to be followed to copy and paste text on Android are as follows:

Select the text that you need to copy and paste by tapping and holding the text with your finger.
Options will appear in the menu including “Copy.” You can also drag and select more text with the handles on the side of the highlighted text.
From the menu, tap “Copy” after the selection of the text.
Search a text box to paste the copied text such as a messaging app, the Google Search bar, a notes app, etc.
Tap and hold the text box where text needs to be pasted. Select the “Paste” option from the context menu that will appear.

Images

Copy and paste images are not as simple as copying text and links. Also, it is different per the different Android versions.

Google Chrome browser is mainly used for copying and pasting images. The steps to be followed are as follows:

Search for an image, tap it, and hold it on a webpage.
From the pop-up menu, Tap “Copy Image”. You can also download the image from the “Download Image”. The downloaded image will get saved on the phone and is a much easier way to share an image.
Paste the image somewhere like messaging apps. Tap and hold the text box where the link needs to be posted. Select the “Paste” option from the context menu that will appear.

Normally, the copy and pasting of images in Android are not supported and downloading images is the next best alternative.

Special Characters

Any symbol or other special character can be copied and pasted only if it is in text form, if it is in image form it will not be copied.

For this CopyPasteCharacter.com is used and the method is the same as you do for copying and pasting text.

Complete Files

The steps to be followed to copy and paste complete files are as follows:

Search for the file folder on your Android device.
Tap and hold the file you want to copy and select the Copy option from a menu screen.
Go to the place where you want to paste the file.
At the bottom of that specific location, tap on the PASTE option.

How To Copy And Paste Text Between Your Android Phone And Windows PC?

A universal cloud clipboard is a way through which you can copy and paste text between your Android phone and Windows PC.

Usually, a clipboard is used to copy and paste the text from one PC to another but it also works in the same manner with Android phones.

You can use Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard for Android to copy and paste the data from Android to PC or vice versa.

Set Up The Universal Cloud Clipboard

The steps to be followed are as follows:

Set up the universal cloud clipboard in Windows 10 or 11.
Go to Settings.
Click on System.
Go to Clipboard.
Turn on all the options for Clipboard history.
Sync the devices (Sync across your devices in Windows 11).
Click on the option to Automatically sync text that I copy.

In case you have not used a universal clipboard in Windows follow the below steps:

Open a document, file, or message.
Select some different instances of text.
Hold the Windows key with the letter V.
History of all the items you’ve copied will appear.
Select the specific item you would like to paste into the clipboard history by simply clicking.

Install Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard

Follow the steps to copy and paste through Microsoft Swiftkey Keyboard:

Install the Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard from the Google Play store or search the Google Play store link browser for the keyboard.
Open the SwiftKey keyboard app.
At the Welcome screen, tap Enable SwiftKey.
The screen will display available keyboards on your device.
Turn on the option for Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard.
Tap OK for the caution that will pop out warning that this input method may collect all the text you type, like personal data, for example, passwords and credit card numbers.
Return to the Welcome screen for SwiftKey by tapping the left arrow at the top of the screen.
Select SwiftKey by tapping on the button.
Choose Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard as your input method.
Tap the button for Finish up from the Welcome screen.
Confirm the SwiftKey keyboard account on the next screen.
Sign the same account on your Windows PC. You can browse the button Other accounts to log in.
Answer No to the option of sharing data with Microsoft about how you type. As this type of sync is not required.
The message will come for complete installation.
From the settings, search for Rich input and then select Clipboard.
Turn on the options for Sync clipboard history.
Check for the options Remember copied items and Show the last copied item as a quick paste option on the prediction bar.
The last copied item will appear on the prediction bar on the SwiftKey keyboard.

Try It Out

This feature works as:

Select and copy some text you want to paste into an app on your Windows computer.
Open an app where you can paste text like Mail or Messages on your Android device.
To display the keyboard, tap the area where you can enter text.
You will see the text you copied from Windows by tapping the clipboard icon in the toolbar above the keyboard.
Insert the text into the current area by tapping.

This also works for Android to Windows:

Select and copy some text you want to paste from an app on your Android device.
Open an application where to paste the text in Windows.
To display the cloud clipboard, press the Windows key with the V key.
The text you copied from Android will appear and insert the text by clicking.

How Do I Clear the Clipboard History On Android?

Android only keeps the last item that has been copied on the clipboard by default. Thus, any sensitive text like passwords cannot be overwritten.

Gboard is used to clear your clipboard history. This is done as:

Choose the Edit pencil button.
Select all the items.
Tap Delete.

For Samsung devices or other Android versions, the Delete All or similar option will appear whenever you open the clipboard history. Confirm your decision for clearing the clipboard history.

Conclusion

To conclude the article, copying and pasting on Android devices can be done through various steps and features to copy and paste different things like text, images, special characters, or complete files.

You can also shift your data from Android devices to PC and vice versa by copying and pasting using different cloud clipboard applications.

The history of copying and pasting can also be cleared using the different steps. All the steps are explained in the above article, all you need is to follow the steps appropriately and accordingly as per your need.