Since the dawn of computers entering universities and offices, copy & paste has become the most important command in any computer system. This feature also found its place on various computer platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. But, wait. Where are the “copy” and “paste” buttons on Chrome OS?
If you are like me, and perhaps many others who tried Chromebook for the first time might get a little confused when navigating the system. The copy and paste options that are usually located within a context menu seem missing. As a matter of fact, the entire context menu is not accessible the way it is on Windows or Mac.
Don’t worry, Chrome OS has a proper context menu and it does have copy and paste. Here’s how to use it.
Table of Contents
#1 How to copy and paste on Chromebook with touchpad
To reveal the copy function on Chromebook, hover the pointer on top of a select text or item. Then, use your pointing and middle fingers to tap the touchpad simultaneously.
It will open the context menu and you may click Copy. After that, the same method can be used to Paste the text or item onto a destination.
#2 Copy and paste by combining keyboard and touchpad
If you are unable to reveal the context menu with two fingers, consider utilizing a keyboard button to make the process easier.
Just hover the pointer over the select item, press and hold the Alt button on the keyboard and then followed with a tap or click on the touchpad.
#3 Copy and paste just using the keyboard
The universal way of copying and pasting is thankfully also exists on Chromebook. You may use the shortcut Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste. Additionally, Ctrl+X is served for the cut function.
#4 Copy and paste with a connected mouse
When there is a mouse connected to your Chromebook device, you can open the context menu for Copy and Paste by right-clicking on it. There is no need to use a double-tap or the Alt button.
#5 Copy and paste on tablet mode (touchscreen)
For a device with a touchscreen capability, it’s possible to tap and hold the screen to show an option to copy and paste. Especially for copying a piece of text, the copy button would only appear after the text is being selected.
These are five different methods to perform the basic copy and paste function on a Chromebook device. As many Chromebook devices opt-in for a single-button touchpad, a wireless mouse could be the best addition especially if your work frequently uses the copy-paste command.
