HomeWinBuzzer TipsHow to Copy and Paste on a Chromebook / on ChromeOS

How to Copy and Paste on a Chromebook / on ChromeOS

We show you how to copy and paste texts, images, videos, and other items with Chromebooks using different methods and shortcuts.

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are more affordable, quicker, and easier to use, but they might be a little challenging for users who are used to other operating systems. Some common tasks work differently, as you might know them from Windows, , or Linux. To copy and paste on a is such a case.

Like on other systems, on Chromebooks, you also can copy specific text sections, complete documents, entire web pages, photos, and videos using a copy-and-paste feature. After that, paste the copied material somewhere else, which might be a conversation, email, or document file.

It takes time to get used to a new computer that doesn't have the same operating system as your old one. Learning to copy and paste on a Chromebook is essential, and Chromebooks also use shortcuts to achieve that. If you're unfamiliar with ChromeOS, keep reading for a quick understanding. Let's walk you through how to utilize this function.

How to copy and paste images on a Chromebook / ChromeOS

This method of copying and pasting an image on a Chromebook is unique, and it involves using a right-click and opening up a context menu. As you can learn in our full tutorial about how to right click on a Chromebook, it differs from what we have in Windows laptops and MacBooks. Take a look.

  1. Hover over the picture and right-click on it to open up the context menu

    Chromebook - Picture - Right-clic

  2. Press alt + single-click on the touchpad

    This is one of two ways to right-click on a Chromebook, which will open up the context menu.

    Chromebook - Picture - Touchpad - Alt Key + One Finger Click

  3. OR, click on the touchpad using your two fingers to right-click on a Chromebook.

    Using this two-finger method to right-right click on ChromeOS is faster as you don´t need to think about the alt-key.

    Chromebook - Picture - Touchpad - Two Finger Click

  4. On the context menu, select either “Copy image” or “Copy image address”

    If the selected image is web-based and shows up in your -browser, you can either shown image itself or the URL of it.

    Chromebook - Picture - Contex Menu - Copy

  5. Press “Ctrl + V” at the location where you want to paste the picture

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Ctrl+V

  6. OR, right-click on the location to open up the context menu to paste the picture

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Open Context Menu

  7. “Press alt + single click on the touchpad” to right-click and open the ChromeOS context menu

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Open Context Menu

  8. OR, click on the touchpad using your two fingers to right-click and open the ChromeOS context menu

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Open Context Menu

  9. On the context menu, select “Paste” from the options to place the image in that specific location

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Context Menu - Paste

  10. The picture will be placed in the previously selected place

    Chromebook - Picture - Copy Image - Gmail - Context Menu - Paste - Result

How to copy and paste videos on a Chromebook / ChromeOS

You can also copy and paste URLs of videos or an embed-code on ChromeOS/Chromebooks. 

  1. Right-click on the video as mentioned above, select “Copy video URL,” “Copy videos URL at current time,” or “Copy embed code”

    Chromebook - Video - Right-click - Copy Video

  2. Right-click at the location and select “Paste” from the options to insert the video at the desired place

    Chromebook - Video - Right-click - Copy Video - Gmail - Context Menu - Paste

  3. The URL of the video will be inserted in the given location
    You can use this method to share video-links or alternatively an embed-code to insert the video in a web-application such as a CMS which supports html-embeds.

    Chromebook - Video - Right-click - Copy Video - Gmail - Context Menu - Paste - Result

How to copy a full web page on a Chromebook / ChromeOS

You can also copy and paste the content of an entire web page using the following two short hotkey-methods.

  1. Go to a web page, press Ctrl + A, then press Ctrl + c to copy all of the text

    Chromebook - Web Site - Select All - Copy

  2. Go to a text area, in this case, an email body, and press Ctrl + V to paste all the copied text

    Chromebook - Web Site - Select All - Copy - Gmail - Paste

How to see the last five things you copied on a Chromebook / ChromeOS

You can also see the last five things you copied on a Chromebook by accessing the clipboard. 

  1. Select the text, and press Ctrl + C to copy the text

    Chromebook - Copy Text

  2. Press “Shift+ V” to open the clipboard

    The clipboard will show you the last five things you copied on your Chromebook.

    Chromebook - Copy Text - Touchpad - Search + V

  3. OR, right-click and choose “Clipboard” from the options

    Chromebook - Copy Text - Gmail - Context Menu - Clipboard

  4. Select anyone from the last five copied items to use again

    Chromebook - Copy Text - Gmail - Context Menu - Clipboard - Select One

  5. Selecting anything from the clipboard will paste it at the selected place

    Chromebook - Copy Text - Gmail - Context Menu - Clipboard - Select One - Result

Extra: How to Take a Screenshot on Chromebooks / ChromeOS / CloudReady

The screenshot function of Chromebooks used to be limited and only accessible using a weird keyboard shortcut. That changed a year ago when released a dedicated tool to capture screenshots and videos of what is visible on your Chromebook.

Our tutorial shows you two methods for starting the screen capture tool on ChromeOS, how to utilize it, and where to find your captured images and videos on your device.

Featured - how to screenshot on Chromebook

Haider Ali
Haider Ali
Haider specialises in Technical Writing. He has a solid background in computer sciences that allows him to create engaging, original, and effective technical blogs. In his free time, he enjoys adding new skills to his repertoire and watching netflix.

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