# Mac copy and paste keyboard shortcuts

> Command and C copies, Command and X cuts, Command and V pastes. Apple's list also covers paste and match style, copy style and moving files in Finder.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/mac-copy-paste-keyboard-shortcuts/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

On a Mac, `Command-C` copies, `Command-X` cuts and `Command-V` pastes. Apple's keyboard shortcuts article lists these and several more clipboard shortcuts, checked on 4 November 2026. They use the Command key, not Control as on Windows.

## The basic three

| Shortcut | What Apple says it does |
|---|---|
| `Command-X` | Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard |
| `Command-C` | Copy the selected item to the Clipboard. This also works for files in the Finder |
| `Command-V` | Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app |
| `Command-Z` | Undo the previous command. Press `Shift-Command-Z` to redo |

## Formatting shortcuts

| Shortcut | What Apple says it does |
|---|---|
| `Option-Shift-Command-V` | Paste and Match Style: apply the style of the surrounding content to the pasted item |
| `Option-Command-C` | Copy Style: copy the formatting settings of the selected item |
| `Option-Command-V` | Paste Style: apply the copied style to the selected item |

Read [how to paste without formatting](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/paste-without-formatting-on-mac/) for the first one in detail.

## Files in Finder

Copy files in Finder with `Command-C` and paste them with `Command-V` in another folder to make copies. Apple adds that `Option-Command-V` in Finder moves the files in the Clipboard from their original location to the current location. This is how you move instead of copy.

## A separate text clipboard

`Control-K` cuts text to a clipboard that Apple says "is available only to the app from which it was cut". `Control-Y` pastes it back into the same app. It does not replace the normal clipboard.

## Screenshots to the clipboard

Adding `Control` to a screenshot shortcut puts the image on the clipboard, so `Command-V` pastes it. See [screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-to-clipboard-on-mac/).

## Mouse and trackpad

Apple's shortcuts article does not cover the right click menu. Most apps also offer Cut, Copy and Paste in their Edit menu, which you can use when you do not remember the keys.

## Between devices

Copy on one device and paste on another nearby device works with Universal Clipboard. See [copy and paste between Macs](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/copy-paste-between-macs/).

NotchStar's [Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) keeps the 50 most recent copies in memory, so you can click an earlier one to copy it again. Clicking a row copies that item again, ready to paste with `Command-V`.

## Keep reading.

- [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again.
- [How to paste without formatting on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/paste-without-formatting-on-mac/): Press Option, Shift, Command and V to paste and match the style of the text around it. Apple's shortcut list, with a limit to know.
- [How to take a screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-to-clipboard-on-mac/): Add Control to any screenshot shortcut, for example Control, Shift, Command and 4, then paste with Command and V. Steps from Apple.
- [What is clipboard history?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/clipboard-history/): Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for.

## More in Screenshots.

- [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26.
- [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sonoma](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sonoma/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Sonoma 14, with the Options menu, the floating thumbnail and how to copy to the clipboard.
- [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go.
- [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides.
- [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Ventura](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-ventura/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Ventura 13, with Options, the floating thumbnail, copying to the clipboard and recordings.
- [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there.