4 easy ways to copy and paste text on Android

Most of us know how to copy and paste text on a computer. But when it comes to Android phones, things get complicated as there are no shortcuts or right-click menus. But don't worry! Copying and pasting text on Android phones is also very easy.

You can copy and paste text messages, links, or any other text on Android. You can even copy non-selectable text on Android phones. Here's how.

1. Copy text in browsers and other apps on Android

To copy text on your Android phone, select the text, choose Copy from the menu, and use the Paste button to paste it into your favorite app. Below are detailed steps to copy text from browsers, chat applications, etc.

Step 1: Press and hold the first word of the text you want to copy to select it.

Step 2: Two selection bubble icons will appear. Drag this bubble to select text. The selected text will start being highlighted. Then, click Copy from the menu that appears. The copied text will be saved in the phone clipboard.

On Samsung Galaxy phones, you may see Dictionary and other content in the menu that appears instead of Copy. Click the three-dot icon, then select Copy. You can also click Select all, then select Copy to copy all the text displayed on the page.

Step 3: To paste selected text, open your favorite app and hold your finger in the text space. Select Paste from the menu.

Tip: If you use Gboard, you'll see the copied text in the top bar of your keyboard. The Gboard app will also extract useful information like numbers, addresses, and email IDs from the copied text. You can paste this information directly without pasting all the copied text.

2. Copy and paste text messages on Android

You cannot select text messages on Android phones using the above method. Follow these instructions to copy text messages on an Android phone.

Step 1: In the Google Messages app, open the message conversation with the text you want to copy.

Step 2: Press and hold the message content and then click the Copy icon in the top bar to copy the entire message to your phone's clipboard.

Step 3: Open any app, long press on the text box. Select Paste from the menu.

Tip: Tap the Clock icon after selecting a message in the Google Messages app to set a reminder for the selected message.

Unfortunately, Google Messages doesn't let you select just a portion of text messages. You can do it manually by copying the entire message first, then you need to paste it in any app, such as a notes app. After pasting, delete the text you don't want to keep. Then copy the rest and paste it wherever needed.

Tip: You can also forward a message directly in the Messages app on any Android phone instead of copying and pasting the message. To do that, press and hold the message, then select Forward. If you don't see it, tap the three-dot icon, then tap Forward.

Copy text messages on Samsung phones

If you use the Samsung Messages app instead of Google Messages, follow these steps to copy messages there:

Step 1: Launch the Samsung Messages app on your phone and open the message you want to copy.

Step 2: Long press on the message. Select Copy text from the menu. The entire message will be copied to your clipboard.

If you want to copy part of a text message, select Select text from the menu instead of Copy text. Then, drag the blue selection bubble from each end to hold the part you want to copy. Select Copy from the menu that appears.

Tip: If you don't see Copy in the menu, tap the three-dot icon, then tap Copy.

Step 3: Once the desired message has been copied, open another message thread or any other application where you want to paste. Then, press and hold the text box and select Paste from the menu.

3. Copy the link

To copy a website link from the address bar in browsers like Chrome, Samsung Internet, etc., tap the address bar and tap the Copy icon. That will copy the link to your phone's clipboard.

To copy other links, press and hold the link and select Copy link address from the menu. If you want to copy the link text, select Copy link text instead. That will only copy the text of the link, not the actual link.

4. Copy text from an application that does not allow copying

Sadly, many apps like YouTube, Instagram, etc., do not allow you to copy text from things like comments, descriptions, etc. Similarly, even some PDF files do not allow you copy the text. In such cases, you must take a screenshot and then use Google Photos or Google Lens to copy the text from the image.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to copy non-selectable text on Android phones:

Step 1: Open an app that doesn't allow you to copy text.

Step 2: Take a screenshot of the content you need.

Step 3: Open the pre-installed Google app on your phone.

Step 4: Click the Lens icon on the search bar and select screenshot.

Step 5: Press and hold the text in the screenshot you want to copy. Then, use the selection bubble to highlight the text you want to select. Finally, click Copy in the menu.

Tip: Learn how to use Google Photos to extract text from photos.

Marvin Fry

Update 28 December 2023