Cut, Copy, Paste and Drag and Drop

Introduction


By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

• Cut, copy and paste
• Drag and drop

Cut, Copy, Paste

Often in word processing, you will need to transfer information from one document to another. Instead of having to re-type or replace this information, Word allows you to move a block of text (a word, sentence, paragraph, page, document, or graphic). Cut, Copy and Paste are extremely time-saving features. The Cut, Copy and Paste buttons are located on the Standard toolbar.

Cut and Paste:

• The Cut feature allows you to remove selected text from the document and temporarily place it on the Office Clipboard.
• The Clipboard is a temporary storage file in your computer's memory. Items placed on the Clipboard will remain there until you exit Word.
• The Paste feature allows you to get text from the Clipboard and place it in the same or even another document.

Copy and Paste:

• The Copy feature allows you to copy selected text from the document and temporarily place it on the Clipboard.
• The Clipboard is a temporary storage file in your computer's memory.
• The Clipboard can hold up to twenty-four items. Once you copy the 25th item, the first copied item is deleted.
• The Paste feature allows you to select any of the collected items on the Clipboard place it in the same or even another document.

You can Copy information from many different sources including Websites, Emails, and other Office applications like Excel and PowerPoint.

 Working with Blocks of Text


To Cut and Paste a Block of Text:

• Select the text you want to move.
• Click the Cut button on the Standard Toolbar.
• Place the insertion point where you want the text inserted.
• Click the Paste button.

To Copy and Paste a Block of Text:

• Select the text you want to move.
• Click the Copy button on the Standard Toolbar. 
• Place the insertion point where you want the text inserted.
• Click the Paste button. 
• Once the item has been pasted, you can determine the formatting by clicking on the Paste Options button that appears just below your pasted selection. Check or de-select any of the following options:

1. Keep Source Formatting - maintains the text formatting of the original document.
2. Match Destination Formatting - formats the pasted text to match the text formatting in the document in which it was pasted.
3. Keep Text Only - removes any graphics that you may have copied along with the copied text.
4. Apply Style or Formatting - allows you to choose a specific format from the Styles and Formatting menu.

Viewing the Clipboard items:

• Click Edit on the Menu Bar.
• Select Office Clipboard.
• The Clipboard will appear on the right side of the Word window in the Task Pane.
• The Clipboard will display any of the 24 items you have copied.

 Menu Commands:

• Edit  cut
• Edit  copy
• Edit  paste

Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Ctrl+C = copy
• Ctrl+X = cut
• Ctrl+V = paste

Become comfortable using the keyboard shortcuts to increase your speed in word processing.

If you cut, copy, or paste something you didn't mean to, use the Undo button or choose not to save changes to your document when you close your document.

Drag and Drop

The drag and drop method of moving text allows you to move selected text using your mouse.

This method is convenient for moving text when:

• Moving text from one location to another within a document.
• Moving text to another document.

To Drag and Drop Selected Text:

Drag:

• Select the text you wish to move.
• Place the mouse pointer anywhere on the selected text without clicking.
• Click and hold the right mouse button until the insertion point changes into a white arrow pointing up to the left.
• Right click and drag the selected text to the new location.

Drop:

• During this process, the mouse pointer changes to a box with a small white arrow over it, indicating you are dragging text.
• When you reach the new location, release the mouse button to drop the text into place.
• Once you release the mouse button a menu list will appear that offers you the following options:

1. Move Here
2. Copy Here
3. Link Here
4. Create Hyperlink Here
5. Cancel

(Be sure to remove the selection highlight before pressing any key, so that you do not delete your newly moved text. If you do accidentally delete, simply press the Undo button).

Challenge!

• Download and save the Personal Letter Word document to complete challenges 1 through 6. Need help?
• Open the personal letter document.
• Use the Drag and Drop feature to move the first sentence of the letter (“My daughter just got…”) to the end of the final paragraph of the letter.
• Use the mouse to select the paragraph you wrote (3rd paragraph).
• Use the Copy, Paste, and Cut features to move the 3rd paragraph so it is the second paragraph of the letter.
• Save and close the document.