How to Copy and Paste on Your Android Phone or Tablet

This brief but detailed guide will show you how to copy and paste text on your Android phone or tablet.

1. It’s all about “tap and hold” – locate the word (or the first word in the text) you want to copy, then tap the screen and hold your finger down.



2. After a moment a few things will happen. The word or letter that you tapped will become highlighted, it will bring up ‘markers’ before and after that word/letter, and the ‘context menu’ will appear. The context menu is where all the action happens :) While your menu may not look exactly like the one illustrated in the screenshot below (there are dozens of versions of Android, and the menu can even be App-specific) – it will contain the same basic options: select all, cut, copy and paste.

   If you want to copy and paste more than just the one word or letter that’s highlighted, tap one of the markers and ‘drag’ it across your screen until all of the text you want to copy has been selected.



3. Now, tap the Copy button from the context menu.



4. Depending on your device, a message may appear letting you know the text has been copied to your clipboard.



5. Now switch to the App you want to paste the text into. Once again, tap your finger and hold it down on the place where you’d like to insert the text. When the context menu appears this time, tap Paste



6. Ta-da!



7. As illustrated in the screenshot below, the context menu may look different or include other options when you’re using a different App.

While you’re here, why not take a minute or two and peruse our other Android guides, tips and tricks.

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