How to copy and paste in Google Docs: 3 methods

Copying and pasting in Google Docs should be the simplest thing in the world. But Google Docs is a web app—not a desktop app—which means it doesn’t always play nicely with your clipboard. Depending on your browser and whether Mercury is in retrograde, you might run into a cryptic error message when you try to paste using the toolbar.

But there are three reliable ways to copy and paste in Google Docs. And at least one of them will work regardless of your setup. Here’s how to use each one. 

Table of contents:

1. How to copy and paste in Google Docs using keyboard shortcuts

The fastest and most reliable way to copy and paste in Google Docs—and the one Google itself recommends—is by using your keyboard shortcut. Here’s how to do it. 

1. Highlight the text (or image) you want to copy. 

2. Press command + C (Mac) or Ctrl + C (Windows) to copy. 

3. Click where you want to place the copied text or image, and then: 

   • Paste without re-formatting: Press command + V (Mac) or Ctrl + V (Windows) to paste text the same way it’s formatted by the source.

   • Paste to match new formatting: Press command + shift + V (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows) to avoid bringing over all the wacky source formatting. 

Note: These shortcuts aren’t specific to Google Docs. They’re system-wide shortcuts handled by your operating system, which is exactly why they’re the most dependable option.

2. How to copy and paste in Google Docs using the right-click menu 

Another way to copy and paste in Google Docs is by using your right-click menu. I personally find it ever-so-slightly less convenient than using the keyboard shortcut. The way to do it varies depending on your browser due to clipboard permissions and extensions—the details of which I won’t bore you with here (but I will bore you with here).   

Google Chrome

1. Highlight the text you want to copy, and right-click it. 

2. Click Copy. 

3. Click where you want to place the copied text in Google Docs, right-click, and then click Paste or Paste without formatting. 

Other browsers (Safari, Firefox, Edge)

If you’re using Google Docs in a browser other than Chrome—like Safari, Firefox, or Edge—the way to copy and paste is nearly identical to Chrome, but with one added step. 

1. Highlight the text you want to copy, and right-click it. 

2. Click Copy. 

3. Click where you want to place the copied text in Google Docs, and right-click. 

4. Click Paste, and then click Paste a second time to confirm. 

If you’re not using Chrome and find the double-click paste annoying, keyboard shortcuts are your best bet.

3. How to copy and paste in Google Docs using the edit menu (Mac only) 

If you’re a Mac user, there’s another trick you can use: the menu bar at the top of your screen. 

1. Highlight the text you want to copy.

2. Click Edit in the menu bar at the top of your screen.

3. Click Copy.

4. Click where you want to place the copied text in Google Docs. 

5. Click Edit in the menu bar again, and then select Paste or Paste and Match Style if you want to strip the source styling.

Automate Google Docs with Zapier

If you spend a lot of your day in Google Docs, save yourself some time by automating all your Google Docs workflows. When you use Zapier’s Google Docs integration, you can connect it with thousands of other apps so you can build intelligent, multi-step workflows across your entire tech stack. 

For example, you can automatically populate a Google Docs template based on new Google Forms submissions. Zapier can also pull in lead data from your CRM to personalize your document further, have AI polish the tone and formatting, and then send the finished doc to a Slack channel for review. Learn more about how to automate Google Docs, or try one of these pre-made workflows.

How to copy and paste in Google Docs: FAQs

Now that you know the basics of how to copy and paste in Google Docs, here are answers to a couple of related questions that tend to come up.

Why can’t I copy and paste in Google Docs?

If you’re seeing a message that says something like “To copy, cut, and paste using the Edit menus, install this Google Chrome extension to your browser,” here’s what’s happening.

Websites don’t have direct access to your operating system’s clipboard. This is a security feature, not a bug. (Imagine if every website you visited could read whatever you last copied, including passwords? Not great.) Browsers restrict clipboard access, which means Google Docs can’t offer a working Paste button without a workaround.

In Chrome, that workaround is the Google Docs Offline extension, which grants Google Docs (and only Google Docs) access to your clipboard. It’s typically included with Chrome by default, but if you’ve removed it, reinstalling it should fix the issue. 

If you’d rather not install the extension, there are always the keyboard shortcuts. You could also install a clipboard manager to make it easier to copy and paste with those shortcuts.

Note: The keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting are offered by your operating system, not the website you’re currently using, so they’re not impacted by the security issues I talked about above. That’s why Google suggests you use them.

How do I copy and paste a table in Google Docs?

Copying and pasting a table in Google Docs is the same as copying and pasting any other text. Use any of the methods listed above (keyboard shortcut, right-click menu, or the Edit menu if you’re using a Mac) to copy and paste in Google Docs. 

How do I copy and paste formatting in Google Docs?

You can use any of the methods listed above to copy text from one source and paste it into Google Docs while preserving the format—just be sure to select the Paste with formatting or Paste and Match Style option. 

Google Docs also has a Paint format tool (the paint roller icon in the toolbar) that lets you copy formatting from one block of text in Google Docs and apply it to another. 

1. Highlight the text with the formatting you want to copy. 

2. Click the Paint format icon.  

3. Immediately highlight the text you want to apply the copied formatting to.

If you need to apply the same formatting to multiple sections, double-click the Paint format icon to lock it in, and then click it again (or press Esc) when you’re done.

Related reading:

This article was originally published in June 2021 with contributions from Justin Pot and Melissa King. The most recent update was in March 2026.