How to copy and paste on a Chromebook

If you’ve recently bought a Chromebook and are just getting to grips with how it works you may well be wondering how to copy and paste text and images. The good news is that it’s very easy and there are a few different methods to do it.

So whether you want to grab text from a webpage, a document, some images or something else, allow us to explain what you need to do.

What are the keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste on Chromebook?

Just with Windows PCs and Macs, there are standard keyboard combinations you can use to quickly copy text and then paste it into documents, emails, and similar destinations.

To do so, highlight the text you want, either by placing the cursor at the first letter then holding down shift key and using the arrow keys or clicking and holding the trackpad cursor and dragging it across the sentences or words you require.

With the text selected, press and hold down the Ctrl key then simultaneously tap the C key. This does the copying. Now go to the destination, place the cursor where you want the text to appear, then use Ctrl + V to paste.

As well as text, this technique also works for files or images on your Chromebook, just highlight them then use the copy and paste commands to move them to new locations.

How to use the ChromeOS menu to copy and paste text

If keyboard shortcuts aren’t for you, then using the ChromeOS contextual menu is also very easy. Highlight the text, as outlined above, then tap the touchpad with two fingers. This opens the contextual menu, from where you can select Copy. Go to where you want to put the text, double tap again and select the Paste option.

How to copy the entire text from a document on a Chromebook

Should you need to capture all the text from a document (or even a webpage), then this is easy too. Simply press Ctrl + A to highlight all of the text in one go, then use either of the methods explained above to copy and paste the text. For speed, we recommend Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.

How to copy and paste an image on a Chromebook

Images are a little different to text, but it still only takes a couple of steps to capture and move them to a new document or location. Simply tap the trackpad with two fingers while the cursor is on the image. This opens the contextual menu, from which you need to select Copy image.  

Now go to where you want to place the image and use the Ctrl + V command to paste it there. If you want to download the image to your Chromebook rather than paste it into a document, select the Save image as… option from the contextual menu rather than Copy image.

How to copy and paste a video on Chromebook

It’s not actually possible to use the copy and paste command to capture a video from a website on a Chromebook. But if you want to share it with friends via messaging apps or social media then you can copy the URL and paste that link for others to use to find the video.

You have two methods for this: The first is to go to the address bar at the top of the page, double click it then use Ctrl + C to copy the highlighted URL. Then use Ctrl + V to paste it into your email, post or whatever.

You can also place the cursor on the video, tap the touchpad with two fingers, then select Copy video URL. If you want a specific part of the video, play it until you reach the beginning of the section you want, then two-finger tap the touchpad and select Copy video URL at the current time so that it will begin playing there when your recipient receives the link that you paste into your message.

There you have it, a few different ways to use copy and paste on Chromebook. If you need a new Chromebook, read our roundup of the best Chromebooks so you know which ones to buy.