If you have a new Chromebook in 2021 and want to learn the basics, starting with copying and pasting on a Chromebook, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we examine several ways to copy and paste text, files, and folders on a Chromebook. Not only that, if you’re using Linux on Chrome OS, we’ve also mentioned a few techniques to help you copy and paste commands when using the Linux Terminal on a Chromebook. Finally, for professional users, we’ve added the native Clipboard History feature and some powerful third-party clipboard managers for maximum productivity. Now having said all that, let’s find out how to copy and paste on a Chromebook in 2021.
Copy and Paste on Chromebook (Updated Jul 2021)
First, we outlined how to copy, cut, and paste using traditional keyboard shortcuts in Chrome OS. After that, we explained the instructions for copying and pasting Linux commands in the Terminal application. If you are aware of these shortcuts, you can go to Clipboard History for some great tools. Now, let’s go through the basics.
1. Copy Text, Files, and Folders on a Chromebook
Copying is similar to what we have on Windows systems. Just press the Ctrl and C keys together on the keyboard and the item will be copied. You can also right-click any item and select “Copy”.
- Copy Shortcut: Ctrl + C
2. Paste Text, Files and Folders to Chromebook
Pasting items on a Chromebook is still the same as any other operating system. Just press the Ctrl and V keys at the same time. Alternatively, you can right-click and select “Paste” from the context menu.
- Paste Shortcut: Ctrl + V
3. Paste Text Without Formatting
Sometimes when researching and writing from various sources, i don’t want to move text with its natural formatting. In that case, you can use this nifty shortcut to paste text without formatting on a Chromebook. This is a very useful shortcut and I’m sure you’ll love it.
- Paste as Plain Text Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + V
4. Cut Text, Images, Files and Folders
You can also cut text and files or move them from one place to another by pressing the Ctrl and X keys at the same time. You can also right-click any item and select “Cut”.
- Cut Shortcut: Ctrl + X
5. Copy and Paste Pictures on Chromebook
If you want to learn how to copy and paste pictures or pictures on a Chromebook, just follow the below. same keyboard shortcut we use for texts and files. Press “Ctrl +C” to copy a picture and press “Ctrl +V” to paste the picture in any folder. Alternatively, you can right-click the image and click “Copy”. And to paste, right-click on an empty space in any folder and click “Paste”.
6. Paste Images, Screenshots Directly into Media Area on Chromebook
This is one of my favorite copy-paste shortcuts on a Chromebook. For example, if you take a screenshot, you can: directly paste the snapshot into an image editor on a Chromebook, Gmail Compose Box or any other media space. It’s a hassle-free solution that saves a lot of clicks and time. Basically, when you take a screenshot, Chrome OS automatically copies the image to its clipboard. And this allows you to paste the screenshot anywhere. For this feature to work
- Paste Screenshot Shortcut: Ctrl + V
7. Copy and Paste Commands in Linux Terminal on Chromebook
If you regularly use the Linux Terminal on your Chromebook, you should know these handy shortcuts for copying and pasting commands. The best way to copy a command line is, simply select using the touchpad or mouse. Just select it and it will be copied automatically. You don’t need to perform any shortcuts.
Similarly, to paste the copied command, just right click In the Terminal and it will be added to the Terminal instantly. It’s that easy. Of course, you can also use keyboard shortcuts. Just hit the traditional copy or paste shortcut on your Chromebook.
- Copy Linux Command on Chromebook: Ctrl + C
- Paste Linux Command into Chromebook: Ctrl + V
You can do customize copy and paste behavior In the Linux Terminal, right click on Terminal and open “Settings”. Go to “Keyboard and mouse” and scroll to the bottom.
8. Clipboard History: A New Way to Copy and Paste on Chromebook
After talking about the traditional way of copying and pasting items on a Chromebook, let me introduce you to a powerful new tool in Chrome OS called Clipboard History. With this tool you can: copy multiple text, images or screenshots and Clipboard History will keep track of the last five items copied.
When you want to paste something, you can select the appropriate item from the list and paste it in the input field. Similar to what we have in Windows 10, also called Clipboard History. In case you don’t like it limitation of only five copied itemsYou can check out the third-party clipboard managers I mentioned below.
1. Native Clipboard History Tool on Chromebook
As I mentioned above, Chrome OS got its own Clipboard History tool. If you’re using Chrome OS 86 and above (you probably are), Press the “Search + V” keyboard shortcut For detailed instructions, you can go to our article on how to enable Clipboard History on Chromebook.
The Clipboard History tool keeps track of the last five copied items, which includes both text and images, which is great. Now you can hit the shortcut on any text or media field, select the correct item and hit enter to paste it instantly. That way, you’ll save a lot of time as you don’t have to go through pages and pages to find the last copied time. That’s pretty ingenious, isn’t it? By the way, you can also right click Click on “Clipboard” To open the Clipboard History tool in your Chrome book
2. Clipboard History Pro
Clipboard History Pro is one of the best copy and paste tools available on Chromebooks. You can copy multiple texts and paste specific item from right click context menu. It integrates very well with Chrome OS and works in most environments. However, this Chrome extension is not completely free and you will have to pay for the page widgets and floating mode features. Also, unlike the native Clipboard History, this one doesn’t support images, which is a vagrant.
To organise (Free, starting at $1)
Learn How To Copy And Paste Images, Text On A Chromebook Like A Pro
So we’ve dived deep into Chromebook and how we can copy and paste items in multiple ways. We’ve included both keyboard shortcuts and manual steps so you can understand how things are done. Apart from that, we also mentioned copy-paste shortcuts for Linux Terminal. If you want to become a copy-paste Expert on Chromebook, you can use the native Clipboard History tool and third-party Chrome extension.
Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to learn more such tips and tricks about Chrome OS, head over to our linked article. If you want to access the newly released system-wide noise canceling feature on your Chromebook, you can find the instructions in the linked article. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.
