Copying and pasting on a tablet works differently than on a computer, but the steps are straightforward once you know where to look
On a tablet, you copy text or images by selecting them with your finger, then tapping a menu that appears. The copied item stays in your tablet's memory until you paste it somewhere else — into an email, a document, a text message, or another app. The process is the same whether you use an iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, or any other tablet running Android or iPadOS. You do not need a keyboard or mouse, though both can speed up the work.
The main difference from a computer is that tablets do not have a right-click menu. Instead, your tablet shows options when you hold your finger on text or an image for a moment, or when you double-tap to select a word. Once you see the menu, you tap "Copy". Then you move to where you want the text to go, tap and hold again, and tap "Paste".
Key Takeaways
- To copy text on a tablet, tap and hold on the text until a menu appears, then tap "Copy" from that menu.
- To select more than one word, tap and hold, then drag the blue handles at the start and end of your selection to expand it.
- Pasting works by tapping and holding in the spot where you want the text, then tapping "Paste" when the menu appears.
- On an iPad, you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste if you have a keyboard connected.
- Your tablet keeps only one copied item in memory at a time, so copying something new replaces what you copied before.
How to copy text on an iPad
Start by opening the app or document that contains the text you want to copy. Tap and hold your finger directly on the word you want to start with. After about half a second, the word highlights in blue and a menu appears above it with options including "Copy".
If you only need that one word, tap "Copy" and you are done. If you need more text, do not tap "Copy" yet. Instead, look for the blue handles (small circles or lines) at the start and end of the highlighted word. Drag these handles to expand your selection to include all the text you need. Once the selection is correct, tap "Copy".
How to copy text on an Android tablet
The process on Android tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab is nearly identical. Tap and hold on the text you want to copy. A menu appears with "Copy" as one of the options, and the word or phrase highlights in blue.
To select more text, drag the blue handles at either end of the selection until you have highlighted everything you need. Then tap "Copy". Some Android tablets also show a "Select All" option in the menu if you want to copy every word on the screen at once.
How to copy images on a tablet
Copying an image works almost the same way as copying text. Tap and hold on the image until a menu appears. You should see a "Copy" option in that menu. Tap it, and the image is copied to your tablet's memory.
Some apps handle images differently — for example, a photo app might show different menu options than a web browser. If you do not see "Copy" in the menu, look for options like "Copy Image" or "Save Image". If neither appears, the app may not allow copying that particular image.
How to paste on a tablet
Once you have copied something, open the app or document where you want to paste it. This might be an email, a note-taking app, a text message, or a document editor. Tap and hold your finger in the spot where you want the copied text or image to appear.
A menu pops up with "Paste" as one of the options. Tap "Paste", and your copied content appears at that location. If "Paste" is grayed out or missing, it means you have not copied anything yet, or the app does not allow pasting in that particular spot.
Using keyboard shortcuts on a tablet with a keyboard
If you have connected a keyboard to your iPad, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts you would use on a computer. Press Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste. This is faster than using the tap-and-hold method, especially if you are copying and pasting many times in a row.
On Android tablets with a connected keyboard, the shortcuts are Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste. These work in most apps, though some older or specialized apps may not support them. If the shortcuts do not work, fall back to the tap-and-hold method.
What happens when you copy something new
Your tablet stores only one copied item at a time in what is called the clipboard. When you copy a second piece of text or an image, it replaces the first one. This means if you copy text, then copy an image, the text is gone and you can only paste the image.
If you need to keep multiple pieces of text or images to paste later, you have a few options. You can paste each one when ready into a temporary document, then copy and paste from there. Or you can use a clipboard manager app — these are available on both iPad and Android and let you save multiple copied items to access later. Search your app store for "clipboard manager" to find options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy and paste between different apps on my tablet?
Yes. You can copy text from a web browser and paste it into an email, or copy from a document and paste into a note-taking app. The clipboard works across all apps on your tablet, so anything you copy in one app can be pasted into another.
What if the paste option is grayed out?
This usually means either you have not copied anything yet, or the app does not allow pasting in that particular location. Try copying something again, or try pasting in a different spot in the app. Some apps also do not allow pasting into certain fields for security reasons.
How do I copy an entire paragraph without selecting it word by word?
Tap and hold on the paragraph, then drag the blue handles to select all of it. Alternatively, if your tablet has a keyboard connected, you can use keyboard shortcuts: triple-tap to select an entire paragraph in many apps, or use Command+A (iPad) or Ctrl+A (Android) to select all text on the screen.
Can I undo a paste if I made a mistake?
Most apps support undo. Look for an undo button (usually an arrow pointing left) in the app's toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcut Command+Z on iPad or Ctrl+Z on Android if you have a keyboard connected. Swipe with three fingers to the left on iPad to undo quickly.
Does copying use up battery or storage space?
No. Copying stores the item temporarily in your tablet's memory, not on the storage drive, and uses negligible battery. The copied item disappears when you restart your tablet or copy something else, so it takes up no permanent space.