How to Cut and Paste in Email

Use the preset keyboard shortcuts on your computer to cut text. On a PC, use the shortcut Ctrl+X to "cut" out highlighted text and save it temporarily to the computer's clipboard; if you are using a Mac, press ⌘ Command+X. To activate the shortcut, press the Control key (labeled Ctrl and the X key at the same time. The highlighted words will disappear.^[2]

• There are two Ctrl buttons on the bottom row of the keyboard – look for each button several spots to the right and left of the space bar. Similarly, there are two [command] buttons directly flanking the space bar on an Apple keyboard.
• If you are using a smartphone, hold your fingertip against the words you want to highlight. Once you've selected those words, you should be able to cut, copy, and paste them.

Consider copying the text in lieu of cutting. If you want to leave a section of text where it is, but you still want to save it to the clipboard for pasting, use Ctrl+C to copy the text. Bear in mind that you can almost always copy text, but you can only cut text if you are working within a text editor: any box or application in which you can write and delete words. For instance, you cannot cut text from a read-only document or webpage. Keep the copy function in mind for when you cannot cut.^[3]

Highlight, click, and drag the text to the desired location. Modern operating systems allow you to simply drag-and-drop text into and between text editors. If you're working within a text editor, this method will cut and paste the text; if you're dragging something from a read-only document or webpage into an email editor, then this method will only copy and paste the text. First, highlight the text that you want to move. Then left-click on the highlighted portion, hold the button down (in the same motion as the left-click), and drag the highlighted text across the page to where you want it. When you release the left mouse button, you will paste the selected words where the cursor is.

Right-click the highlighted phrases, then select Cut. Drag your cursor through the dropdown menu that appears – there should be options for Cut, Copy and Paste. Select either Cut—which, again, will erase the highlighted words from where they are—or Copy, which will save the text for pasting without removing it. You should not be able to select the Paste option yet unless you already have something saved to your clipboard.

• You can only paste the most recent phrase that you have cut or copied. If you have more than one thing to do, either lump the text together and cut/paste it all at once, or cut and paste the text-patches one at a time.

Click the /edit/ menu at the top of some email textboxes. This is only useful if you are cutting and pasting text from one part of an email to another. After highlighting, depending on the email service you are using, there may be a menu choice on the top of the email edit box that says /edit/. Click /edit/. When the menu drops down, select the Copy or Cut choice. Move the cursor to the correct spot, then click the /edit/ menu again to paste.

Left-click the spot where you want to paste the text. When you are working in a text editor—whether it's Word or your email editor—you will see a blinking vertical line amid the text on the page. When you type, the blinking line shows you where the text will appear. Pasting text works on the same principle: when you paste something into a text editor, the pasted content will appear where the vertical line is blinking.

• This is especially important if you are using keyboard shortcuts. If you are right-clicking and selecting "Paste", however, you can simply right-click where you want the text. The action box to Paste will appear, and the blinking line will also move to the proper location.

Paste with Ctrl+V. Move your cursor and click on the spot where you want the text. Then, press Ctrl+V to place the words. The text should appear where you want it.

Paste by right-clicking in your email editor, then selecting Paste. Once you move your cursor and click where you want to paste the words, right click again and select the Paste option. The cut/copied text will appear at the blinking line.