It’s easy to copy and paste various items, including text, web links, images, and messages, to your iPhone. We’ll show you how to copy and paste these items between different apps on your Apple smartphone.
Related: How to copy and paste on a Mac
Copy and paste text on iPhone
Copying and pasting plain text is the easiest thing to do on your iPhone. You select the text to be copied and choose the copy option.
To do this, first, find the text that you want to copy on your iPhone. This text can be on a website, in a note, or anywhere on your phone.
Tap and hold the text to copy it. Then, in the menu that opens, click “Select”.
Two wizards will appear around your text. Use these wizards to adjust the selection of words, lines, or paragraphs to copy. Then press “Copy” to copy the selected text.
The selected text is now available on your iPhone’s default clipboard. You can now paste this text anywhere on your phone. To do this, simply tap and hold on a text field, and from the menu that opens, choose “Paste”.
You are all set.
On your iPhone with iOS 13 or later, you can copy and paste text using gestures as well. To do this, find the text to be copied. Using three fingers, make a tap gesture on the text to copy it. Then paste your text with a pinch movement using three fingers.
Related: How to copy and paste text from a photo to your phone
Copy and paste web links (URLs) on iPhone
If you want to save or share a web link from a hyperlinked word or phrase on a website, you can copy the URL without having to open it first in your browser.
To do this, look for the hyperlink text.
Tap and hold the hyperlinked text. Then, from the menu that opens, choose Share.
In the lower right corner of the share menu, click Copy.
The full web link has now been copied to your iPhone’s clipboard. You can paste it just as you would normal text: tap and hold on a text field and choose Paste from the menu.
you are done.
Related: Why are iPhone apps pasted from other apps?
Copy and paste photos on iPhone
Like texts and links, you can copy and paste images between various apps on your iPhone. For example, you can copy an image from the Photos app and paste it into one of your notes in the Notes app.
To do that, first, launch the Photos app on your iPhone. In the application, open the photo you want to copy.
When your photo opens in full screen, tap the share icon in the lower left corner of your screen.
In the share menu, tap Copy.
Your iPhone has copied your photo. To paste it into an app (Notes, for example), tap and hold an empty edit area in the app and choose Paste from the menu.
And the image of your photos is now available in your app.
Related: How (and why) to switch to Apple Notes
Copy and paste messages on iPhone
Your iPhone allows you to copy entire messages from the Messages app. You can then paste these messages into your notes, websites, or wherever you want.
To do that, first, turn on Messages on your iPhone. Then find the message to be copied.
Tap and hold on your message. Then, in the menu that opens, choose “Copy”.
Your message has now been copied. To paste, open a text editor (such as Notes), tap and hold anywhere in the edit area, and choose Paste.
You now have a backup of your message outside of the Messages app.
Copy and paste all other items on iPhone
As you may realize by now, all it takes to copy an item on your iPhone is tap and hold on that item and choose Copy. In certain apps, you open the share menu and press Copy to copy your item.
This universal copy system works across many file types on your phone. This means that you can use it to copy and paste almost anything on your device. So feel free to use those methods in applications that we could not cover above.
Related: How to copy, cut and paste on Windows 10 and 11