How to copy and paste on Chromebooks [tutorial videos included]

[wpsm_stickypanel][contents h2][/wpsm_stickypanel]

Even simple actions are done differently on Chrome OS. Want to learn how to copy and paste on Chromebooks? Then sit tight and follow my procedures.

Chromebooks are cheaper, faster, and more straightforward, but they can be a bit confusing to people who come from other operating systems. Copying and pasting are likely some of the most commonly used features on any PC, so let me help you figure out how it’s done.

How to copy and paste on Chromebook devices using keyboard combos

The way to copy and paste on Chromebook is very similar to what you may have experienced using Windows machines. Simply use a keyboard combination.

• Highlight the text you want to copy and paste.
• Press and hold the Ctrl button (usually located in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard), then press the letter c.
• To paste, press and hold the Ctrl button and then press the letter v.

Performing the keyboard combinations above will copy and paste on Chromebook computers while keeping the text’s formatting intact. 

To copy only text with no links or other formatting elements, follow the instructions below:

• Highlight the text you want to copy and paste.
• Press and hold the Ctrl button (usually located in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard), then press the letter c.
• To paste, press, and hold Ctrl and Shift simultaneously, then press the letter v.

How to copy and paste on Chromebook devices using the trackpad

Those who are not fans of button combinations can also use the trackpad to copy and paste on Chromebook devices. It’s arguably more intuitive and requires less memorization.

• Highlight the text you want to copy and paste.
• Place the cursor over the highlighted text.
• Tap on the trackpad with two fingers.
• Select Copy.
• Move the cursor to where you want to paste the text and tap on the trackpad with two fingers.
• Select Paste.
• If applicable, you’ll see another option that says Paste without formatting.

You can also use a mouse to copy and paste

Chrome OS has full support for your mouse, which means you can copy and paste on Chromebooks the traditional way.

• Highlight the text you want to copy and paste.
• Put the cursor over the highlighted text.
• Right-click using your mouse.
• Select Copy.
• Move the cursor to where you want to paste the text and right-click using your mouse.
• Select Paste.
• If applicable, you’ll see another option that says Paste without formatting.

How to see the last 5 things you copied

Here’s a neat extra trick for you. Google has recently added the ability to paste more than the last text you copied. Now you can access the last five instances you used the copy function with! To do this, follow the steps below.

• Copy any text using any of the methods listed above.
• Copy at least one more piece of text.
• When you’re ready to paste, press the Search and V keys simultaneously.
• You’ll get a list of up to five copied texts.
• Select one and see the magic happen. 

Copy and paste animated GIFs and memes

Memes and GIFs can be a fun way to express yourself, whether you’re texting a parent or connecting with friends on Facebook. The ability to add animated GIFs or memes is popular with many of the most popular communication tools, including texting and social media. You can also copy and paste GIFs or memes in the most popular applications.

Copy and paste GIF

GIF, short for Graphical Interchange Format, has been around since the late 1980s. Developed by CompuServe, it was a big part of the early days of the Internet. Its popularity has outlived platforms like Geocities and MySpace, and it remains popular to this day.

Difference between GIF and memes

The main difference between an animated GIF and a meme is that memes are usually still images that reference current or pop culture, and animated GIFs are simply moving images.

As with most things, GIFs and memes work best together. Take an animated GIF and paste in some current Word app, and voila, you have an animated meme.

A great source for animated GIFs or memes is GIPHY, which Facebook owns. Type a word in the search box, and you will see pages of results. You will also receive suggestions for similar search terms to broaden your search if you can’t find what you like.

Copy animated GIFs

Copying GIF is easier than you think. When you see a GIF you like, be it a web search or social media search, right-click on it and select “Copy Image.” If you don’t see this option, click the image to open it on a separate page and choose Copy Image From There. If you don’t have this option, the image likely has built-in protection against easy downloads.

If you are having trouble copying and pasting GIFs, right-click the image and select Copy Image Address. This will take you directly to the URL of the image, where you can copy it if you cannot do so on the website where you originally viewed the image. You can also right-click and save the image, then drag it into your document or message. This is usually the best approach when using GIFs on web platforms.

Insert animated GIFs

Copying a GIF to email is easy, as long as you can copy it from the source. Just go to the source and paste your image. After pasting it, you can edit it like any other image.

When you copy a GIF to an email or document, it may lose its animated properties. This is the copy-paste problem. For this reason, it is best to right-click on the image, save it to your computer, and then drag and drop it wherever you want. But while it works fine for Gmail and other web resources, it may not work well on all platforms.

For this reason, it is always best to work with the tool you are using. If available, use the Insert Image feature and paste the downloaded photo to your computer. If your GIF always appears as a still image instead of an animated image, the feature may not be supported on the platform you are using. 

Best prices for Chromebooks [Buy Now]

[content-egg module=Ebay template=custom/slider]

Copy and paste images

There are quick and easy ways to copy images so that they can be reused in other applications or as wallpaper for your computer. The methods vary depending on where the original item is and where you want to paste a copy of it.

Copy and paste a picture in a Word application

Step 1: Click on the image you want to copy.

Step 2: Choose “Edit / Copy” (Ctrl + C or right click and “Copy”) from the menu.

Step 3: Open the app you want to paste the image into.

Step 4: Choose “Edit / Paste” (Ctrl + V or right click and “Paste”) from the menu.

Option 1: copy and paste an image from a web browser

Step 1: Find the image you want to copy.

Step 2: Right-click on it and choose Copy (Ctrl + C).

Step 3: Open the app you want to paste the image into.

Step 4: Choose “Edit / Paste” (Ctrl + V or right click and “Paste”) from the menu.

Option 2: copy and paste an image from a web browser

Step 1: Right-click on the image and select “Save Image As”.

Step 2: Find a folder in which to save the image and click Save. Do not change the file extension (.gif, .jpg, .png).

Step 3: Open the app you want to add the image to.

Step 4: Go to “Insert / Image” (for a Word application) or “File / Import” (for an image editor).

Step 5: Find the folder where you saved the image and double-click it. You will see your photo on the side.

How to copy and paste a screenshot

Step 1: Take a screenshot by clicking on the “Prt Sc” button on your keyboard.

Step 2: Open the app you want to paste the screenshot into.

Step 3: Choose “Edit / Paste” (Ctrl + V or right click and “Paste”) from the menu.

Copy the active window and paste it into a screenshot

Step 1: Navigate to the active window you want to copy.

Step 2: Press “Alt + PrintScreen” on your keyboard.

Step 3: Open the app you want to transfer the image to.

Step 4: Choose “Edit / Paste” (Ctrl + V or right click and “Paste”) from the menu.

Option 1: Copy and paste an image from the web browser for background use

Step 1: Find the image you want to use as the background.

Step 2: Right-click on the image and click “Save Background Image As”.

Step 3: Find the folder where you want to save the image.

Step 4: Name the image but keep the file extension (.gif, .jpg, .png). Then click on “Save”.

Step 5: Right-click on your Windows desktop and choose Properties.

Step 6: In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Desktop tab and click Browse.

Step 7: In the Browse dialog box, locate the folder where you saved the image.

Step 8: Double click on the image you want to use. This will take you back to the Display Properties dialog box.

Step 9: Choose a “position” for the image (stretched to fit the screen, centered, etc.) and press OK.

Option 2: Copy and paste images from the web browser to use them in the background

Step 1: Find the image you want to use as the background.

Step 2: Right-click on the image and click “Set as wallpaper”.

Step 3: Close or minimize your web browser to view your Windows desktop. You should see the background image you saved.

Copy and paste an image from a PDF document

Step 1: Open the document you want to use in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Step 2: Click on the “Snapshot Tool” (just below the menu) and use it to draw a frame around the image.

Step 3: After the message: “The selected area has been copied to the clipboard”, click “OK”.

Step 4: Open the document in which you want to use the image.

Step 5: Choose “Edit / Paste” (Ctrl + V or right click and “Paste”) from the menu.

Chromebook capture tool (how to use it)

Do you want to efficiently take screenshots on your Chromebook? Fortunately, the Chrome OS Capture Tool allows you to take a partial screenshot of your Chromebook’s screen, so you don’t have to crop it later with an editor.

The Chromebook recording tool

To see the recording tool on Chrome OS, press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows. The Show Windows button is the one with a stack of rectangles representing a series of windows. This is usually the fifth or sixth button in the top row, located between the Full Screen and Dim Buttons. Some keyboards may have the F5 key instead of Windows Show.

As soon as you press the hotkey, the screen will darken slightly and the mouse pointer will turn into a cross for the recording tool.

Click and drag the crosshair over the area of ​​the screen that you want to capture. Once you release the button, the cropped screenshot will appear in a preview window in the lower right corner of the screen.

By default, the screenshot is saved in the Downloads folder. To view them, click the preview pane and then double-click the highlighted file to open it.

Screenshot of a specific window

It is also possible to take a screenshot of a specific window on Chrome OS. To do this, press Ctrl + Alt + Show Window.

Again, the cursor arrow changes to a cross. Now click on the window you want to capture, and the capture tool will take a screenshot automatically.

Keyboard shortcuts for the Chrome OS capture tool

In short, these are the keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots in Chrome OS, including one to capture the entire screen:

Action	Key Combination
Specific Area Snip	Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows
Particular Window Screenshot	Ctrl + Alt + Show Windows
Full Window Snip	Ctrl + Show Windows

Take screenshots on Chrome OS

Now you know how to use the capture tool in Chrome OS to take screenshots of selected areas and individual windows. As mentioned above, the Downloads folder contains the screenshots as PNG files with a timestamp. You can save them to a USB memory or share them using standard data transfer methods.

Conclusion

If you’re new to Chrome OS, its unique user interface and Android-like workflow may seem daunting at first. The best way to learn it is to get started yourself with your new Chromebook device.