The basic way: select, copy, paste

To copy text on an iPhone, you select the words you want, tap Copy from the menu that appears, then paste them somewhere else. The text stays in your phone's memory (called the clipboard) until you copy something new, so you can paste it into a message, email, note, or any app that accepts text.

The steps are the same whether you're copying from a website, an email, a text message, or any other app. Once you know the motion, it works everywhere on your phone.

Key Takeaways

  • Select text by tapping and holding a word, then dragging the blue handles to expand your selection to the exact words you want.
  • Tap Copy from the menu that appears after you select text — do not tap anything else or your selection will disappear.
  • Paste the text by tapping and holding in the app where you want it, then tapping Paste from the menu.
  • Your clipboard holds only one thing at a time, so copying new text will replace what you copied before.
  • If you need to save text permanently, use Notes or your phone's built-in clipboard history rather than relying on the clipboard alone.

How to select text on your screen

Start by tapping and holding your finger on any word in the text you want to copy. Hold it there for about a second — you'll see the word highlight in blue and a menu appear above it with options like Copy, Cut, and Look Up.

If you want only that one word, you can tap Copy right away. If you want more text, you'll see two blue circles (called handles) at the start and end of the word. Drag these handles left or right to expand your selection to include more words. Drag the left handle backward to include words before the selected word, and drag the right handle forward to include words after it.

Let go of the handles when your selection covers exactly what you want. The menu will still be visible above the selected text.

Copying the selected text

Once your text is selected and the menu is showing, tap the word Copy. The text is now in your clipboard — your phone's temporary holding space for copied items.

You won't see any confirmation that the copy worked, but it did. The text will stay in your clipboard until you copy something else, which will replace it. If you accidentally tap something else and your selection disappears before you hit Copy, just repeat the select-and-hold step and try again.

Pasting text into another app or location

Open the app or message where you want the text to appear — this could be Notes, Messages, Mail, a web browser, or any other app that lets you type. Tap in the text field where you want the text to go.

Tap and hold in that empty space. A menu will appear with Paste as one of the options. Tap Paste, and the text you copied will appear in that spot. You can paste the same text multiple times into different places — copying something new is what clears it from your clipboard.

What to do if Paste is grayed out

If the Paste option appears but is grayed out (faded), it usually means your clipboard is empty — you either haven't copied anything yet, or your phone restarted and cleared the clipboard. Go back and copy the text again.

Sometimes Paste is grayed out because the app you're in doesn't allow pasting. This is rare, but it can happen in certain password fields or restricted apps. If you're trying to paste into a password box, most apps will let you paste there for security reasons, but a few don't. Try copying the text again and pasting into a different field, or type it manually.

Copying text from images and screenshots

On newer iPhones (iPhone 15 and later, or iPhone XS and later with iOS 16 or newer), you can copy text directly from a photo or screenshot without typing it out. Take a screenshot or open a photo in your Photos app, then tap and hold on the text in the image. A menu will appear with Copy Text as an option.

This feature is called Live Text, and it recognizes printed words in images. It works on photos you take, screenshots, and images you receive — but not on handwriting. Tap Copy Text, then paste it the same way you would paste any other copied text.

Using your clipboard history

Your iPhone's clipboard normally holds only one item at a time. If you copy something new, the old thing disappears. However, some keyboards and note-taking apps let you see a history of what you've copied recently.

If you use the built-in Notes app, you can open it and look at recent notes you've created — they act as a backup for text you've copied. Some third-party keyboards also show a clipboard history when you tap and hold the space bar, though this depends on which keyboard app you're using. The standard iPhone keyboard does not have this feature built in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy text from a video or audio file?

No, not directly. You can only copy text that appears as words on your screen — text in videos, audio files, or PDFs requires the text to be selectable. Some PDF readers let you select and copy text from PDFs, but video and audio files do not have copyable text unless captions are turned on and selectable.

What happens to my clipboard when I restart my iPhone?

Your clipboard is cleared when your phone restarts. Anything you had copied will be gone. If you need to save text permanently, copy it into Notes, a note-taking app, or send it to yourself in a message before restarting your phone.

Can someone else see what I've copied?

No, your clipboard is private to your phone. Other people cannot see what you've copied unless you paste it into a message or email and send it to them. If you're sharing your phone with someone, they can see what's in your clipboard by trying to paste, so be aware of that if you've copied something sensitive.

Why does my selection keep disappearing?

If you tap anywhere else on the screen, your selection disappears and the menu closes. To fix this, tap and hold on the text again to reselect it. Make sure you tap Copy before doing anything else, or you'll have to start over.

Can I copy text from apps that don't let me select it?

Some apps restrict copying for security or copyright reasons. If you cannot select text in an app, there's no way around it — the app developer has blocked that feature. You would need to type the text manually or find the information in a different app or website that allows copying.