When you buy a new Mac, you get to utilize all the advanced features offered by macOS Sonoma. Though, before getting started with those, you may want to familiarize yourself with the basics of this operating system. These include two of the most used tools across all platforms: copy and paste. What's so great about macOS is that there are several ways to copy or cut and paste, and we've listed them below.

Four ways to copy after selecting the desired item

1. Hit Command + C.
2. Hit Edit > Copy from the Menu bar.

3. Hold Control > Left-click > Copy from the shortcut menu.
4. Right-click, then tap Copy from the shortcut menu.

Four ways to cut after selecting the desired item

1. Hit Command + X.
2. Hit Edit > Cut from the Menu bar.

3. Hold Control > Left Click to open the shortcut menu, then hit Cut.
4. Right-click, then tap Cut from the shortcut menu.

Five ways to paste

1. Hit Command + V.
2. Hit Edit > Paste from the Menu bar.

3. Hold Control > Left Click > Paste from the shortcut menu.
4. Right-click, then tap Paste from the shortcut menu.

5. You can also drag and drop the selected item from one place to another instead of using Copy/Paste. ​​​​​​

Two ways to paste and match style

Copying and pasting text can preserve the formatting from the original source, which isn't always ideal. If you want to paste while also removing the formatting, there are two ways to do it.

1. Hit Option + Shift + Command + V.
2. Hit Edit, then Paste and Match Style from the Menu bar.

Bonus: Copy and paste between different devices

Thanks to Universal Clipboard, you can copy one item from your iPhone or iPad and paste it on your Mac, and vice versa. And it's easy to set up. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have to be on for both devices, and they should be in close proximity. You don’t need to be connected to the internet for this to work. Then, just copy text or an image on one device and hit paste on the other.

If it doesn’t work, make sure you’re signed in to the same Apple ID on both devices. Handoff, which Universal Clipboard is part of, should be turned on in the device settings by default, so if it's not, make sure it's also enabled.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to copy, cut, or paste on macOS. Some methods rely primarily on your mouse or trackpad, while other ones require keyboard input. No matter what your workflow looks like, you likely will find a combination that is fast and accessible to you. If you're interested in even more keyboard shortcuts on macOS, then you can head to our dedicated guide.