Cutting and pasting some text to and from an email is pretty straightforward. You can use the right mouse button to highlight the text on which you want to apply a menu function or use the keyboard "shortcuts": the combination Ctrl + X allows you to cut the text, that Ctrl + C to copy it and finally Ctrl + V paste it. Alternatively, many e-mail services simply allow you to highlight parts of the text, click on them and drag them into the processing program. Follow the easy instructions in this article to learn how to do it!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Highlighting the Text
Step 1. Open your email program
Find the text or images you want to cut or paste. If you plan to transfer sentences from another source to the email, remember to open a draft where you can transfer the text. If you are cutting and pasting within a single email message to change its arrangement, open the email.
- When you cut part of a text, you don't have to worry about pasting it immediately; the computer automatically saves most of the recently copied or cut sections in the "clipboard" memory. You can still copy that piece of text until you restart your computer or copy / cut something else.
- If you opened the Microsoft Word program while cutting and pasting, the clipboard is capable of storing several sections of text at once.
Step 2. Decide where you want to transfer the text
Before you cut and paste anything, examine both the words you want to cut and the space you want to move them to. Read the message to evaluate how it flows and ask yourself where is the best place to insert the new piece. For example, if you are pasting a section of another email into a long-winded message, you shouldn't put it at the beginning without any introduction and at the same time you shouldn't leave it in the middle of a sentence. Evaluate the point in the message where the text can be most effective and consider which words or tenses you need to modify to make the section uniform with the rest of the document.
Step 3. Highlight the section you want to cut
Press the left mouse button while the pointer is at the beginning of the text you want to select, hold down while dragging the cursor to the end of the section; this way, you should be able to highlight the phrases that interest you with a blue background. Release the mouse button when you have selected all the part of your interest.
If you want to copy the entire document, press Ctrl + A on a PC keyboard or ⌘ Command + A on a Mac computer
Part 2 of 3: Cutting the Text
Step 1. Use the predefined key combinations to cut the text
If you are using a PC, use the "shortcut" Ctrl + X to "cut" the highlighted section and temporarily save it to the clipboard; if you have a Mac computer, press ⌘ Command + X. To activate the key combination you have to press the Control key at the same time (recognizable as Ctrl and X. The highlighted words will disappear.
- On the last row of the keyboard are two Ctrl keys - look for them in different places to the left and right of the space bar. Likewise, there are two [command] keys directly adjacent to the spacebar on the Apple keyboard.
- If you are using a smartphone, press your fingertip on the words you want to highlight. Once selected, you can cut, copy and paste them.
Step 2. Consider copying the text instead of cutting it
If you want to leave the message section right where it is, but still want to save it to the clipboard for pasting, press the key combination Ctrl + C to copy the text. Keep in mind that you can almost always copy text, but you can only cut it if you are using a word processing program: a platform or application that allows you to write and delete words. For example, you cannot cut sections from a "read-only" document or from a web page.
Step 3. Underline, click and drag the text to the desired position
Modern operating systems allow you to drag and drop sections between programs. If you are working with a word processor, this method allows you to cut and paste the piece you want; if you are dragging sections from a "read-only" document or web page into an e-mail message, this technique only allows you to copy and paste. First, highlight the section you want to move; then click with the left mouse button while the pointer is on the highlighted text. Do not release the pressure and, in a single motion, drag the text across the page to the desired location. When you release the left mouse button, the computer pastes the words where the cursor is.
Step 4. Click the right mouse button while the pointer is on the highlighted phrases and then select the "Cut" function
Drag the cursor along the pop-up menu that appears - there should also be "Cut", "Copy" and "Paste" options. Choose either "Cut" (which makes the selected song disappear) or "Copy" (which saves the text without removing it). You shouldn't be able to activate the "Paste" function, unless you already have something in the clipboard.
You can only paste the last sentence you cut or pasted. If you have multiple actions to do, such as aggregating some text together and copying / pasting all at once, cut and paste the sections one at a time
Step 5. Click on the "Edit" menu located in some text boxes of the emails
This feature is only useful if you need to cut and paste some text from one message to another. After highlighting a section, depending on the email program you are using, a multiple choice menu may appear at the top of the text box, identified as "Edit". Click on it and select the "Copy" or "Cut" function, as needed. Move the cursor to the appropriate place, click on the "Edit" menu again and choose "Paste".
Part 3 of 3: Paste the Text
Step 1. Click with the left mouse button on the point where you want to paste the text
When you are working with a word processing program, regardless of whether it is Word or your e-mail program, you may notice a vertical blinking bar within the document. As you type, the line shows where the text appears. The same principle applies to pasting sections: when you transfer something into a text program, the pasted content appears where the vertical line flashes.
This detail is especially important if you are using key combinations. If, on the other hand, you are clicking with the right mouse button and selecting "Paste", you can simply press the right button of the mouse where you want to transfer the sentences. The menu with the "Paste" function appears and the flashing dash moves to the correct position
Step 2. Paste using Ctrl + V
Move the cursor and click on the point where you want to transfer the section of the document; then, press the Ctrl + V keys to paste the words. The text appears right where you want it.
Step 3. Paste by pressing the right mouse button inside the text box of the email and then selecting the "Paste" function
When you have moved the cursor and clicked on the point where you want to insert the words, click once again with the right button and select "Paste"; in this way, the cut or copied text appears in place of the blinking bar.
Step 4. Paste the text using your smartphone
Press a finger on the screen and select where you want to transfer the section. After a while a small menu appears with the "Paste" option. Release the pressure and tap "Paste" to insert the phrases you have cut or copied. Make sure you've opened a word processing application. You should be able to edit emails with an application or browser.
