This tutorial shows how to cut, copy, and paste in Word for Mac.
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Hello, my name is Erin.
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Today’s tutorial shows three ways to cut, copy, and paste in Word for Mac.
First, we’ll use keyboard shortcuts.
Second, we’ll use the tools in the ribbon.
Third, we’ll use the shortcut menu.
Plus, the bonus section shows how to choose a pasting option after pasting text.
Lastly, we’ll troubleshoot what to do if your Paste Options button is missing.
If you’re on a PC, please see the corresponding tutorial
“How to Cut, Copy & Paste in Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
That tutorial includes a section defining what it means to cut, copy, and paste.
Today I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac.
These steps should also work in older versions of Word for Mac.
However, your interface may look slightly different than the interface shown here.
The following keyboard shortcuts work in the MacOS across all Microsoft Office apps, Adobe Acrobat,
Google Docs, and most other locations where text or images can be inserted.
To begin, select the text or image you want to cut or copy.
And then press the keyboard shortcut Command + X to Cut.
Or, Command + C to Copy.
Your text or image should now be cut or copied.
To paste, place your cursor where you want to insert the text or image.
And then press Command + V.
The ribbon method requires more steps than the keyboard shortcuts.
However, it offers the most customization options for pasting.
To begin, select the text or image you want to cut or copy.
Next, select the Home tab in the ribbon.
And then select the Cut button
or the Copy button.
Your text or image should now be cut or copied.
To paste, place your cursor where you want to insert the text or image.
An once again, select the Home tab in the ribbon if you’re not already there.
Then, select the Paste button to paste the text or image without additional options.
Alternatively, you can select the Paste menu arrow for additional options.
Keep Source Formatting maintains the formatting,
such as font, size, color, etc. of the pasted text.
Match Formatting changes the formatting of the pasted text to match the formatting of the new location.
Note that this option is called Merge Formatting on a PC.
If you’re using Microsoft 365, you’ll also have the option to Paste as Picture,
which pastes the text or other content as an image.
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Finally, Keep Text Only removes the formatting of the pasted text and adds the formatting of the new location.
Match Formatting and Keep Text Only provide similar, but not identical, functions,
so let’s take a quick look at their differences before we move on.
Match Formatting matches the formatting of the pasted text to the formatting of the new location.
However, it doesn’t remove existing emphasis formatting, which are boldness, italics, or underlining from the pasted text.
For example, if you paste a paragraph with black font and several bold words into a location with red font,
the entire paragraph will turn red.
But, the bold words will maintain the bold format.
Keep Text Only removes all formatting from the pasted text, including emphasis formatting,
and then adds the formatting of the next location to the pasted text.
Therefore, if you use Keep Text Only to paste that same paragraph with black font and several bold words
into a location with red font, the entire paragraph will turn red
and the bold words will lose the bold format.
You can also select Paste Special to open the Paste Special dialog box with additional options including
pasting as HTML format and unformatted Unicode text.
The in-text shortcut menu lets you cut, copy, and paste from inside the document.
To begin, select the text or image you want to cut or copy.
And then right-click or Control-click the selected text or image.
Now, select Cut or Copy from the shortcut menu.
Your text or image should be cut or copied.
Next, right-click or Control-click the location where you want to insert the text or image,
and then make a selection from the shortcut menu.
The Paste option is the same as the Keep Source Formatting option in the ribbon,
which pastes the text or image with its current formatting.
Notice that the shortcut menu doesn't offer an option to match formatting, paste as a picture, or keep text only.
The Paste Special option opens the Paste Special dialog box with additional advanced options,
as shown in the previous section.
After making your selection, the text or image should be pasted into the new location in your document.
Don’t worry if you can’t decide how you want to paste you content.
Word lets you choose a pasting option immediately after you have pasted your text into its new location.
To do so, select the Paste Options button that appears after pasting your text.
Then, select Keep Source Formatting, Match Destination Formatting, or Keep Text Only from the shortcut menu.
The Match Destination Formatting option is the same as the Match Formatting option in the ribbon,
even though the labels are slightly different.
Your pasted text should change formatting according to your selection.
It’s important to note that The Paste Options button will disappear
once you perform another function such as typing or pressing the Return key,
so if you want to use this button, you must do so immediately after pasting your text.
If your Paste Options button is missing, you can turn it on through the Word Preferences dialog box.
To do so, select the Word menu.
Followed by Preferences from the drop-down menu.
And then select Edit in the Word Preferences dialog box.
Now, select Show Paste Options buttons.
When you’re finished, select the Close button to close the dialog box.
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As always, remember to save your file to save your changes.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word including “How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Word for Mac.”
And, “How to Use the Format Painter in Microsoft Word” for both Mac and PC.
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,”
which is linked in the description box below.
The companion blog post for this video showing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com, along with all my other step-by-step document software tutorials
to help you succeed at work and in the classroom.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
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And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
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