How to Copy and Paste in Windows

By / Windows 10, Windows 11 / 5 minutes of reading

Copy and paste is one of the most important computer skills for beginners to learn.

It’s a simple way of duplicating a file (like a document, a picture, or a video) or an entire folder, and placing that duplicate somewhere else on your computer.

For example, if you want to put some holiday pictures onto a USB stick but still keep the originals on your computer, you can Copy and Paste them.

Think of it like photocopier: the original stays exactly where it is, and you walk away with an identical copy to put somewhere else.

Table Of Contents
  1. Step 1: Find and Select Your File
  2. Step 2: How to Copy a File in Windows
  3. Step 3: How to Paste the File
  4. You’ve Done It! Understanding the Result
  5. Summary

Step 1: Find and Select Your File

Before you can copy anything, you have to tell Windows exactly what you want to copy. For this example we’ll copy a picture from the Pictures folder. Use File Explorer to find your file.

  • Open File Explorer and navigate to the file you want to duplicate (for this example, click on your Pictures folder on the left side of the screen).
  • Find the picture you want to copy.
  • Left-click on the file exactly once. A colored highlight will appear around it. This means the file is selected and ready.
Selecting a file ready to be copied in Windows.
Select the file that you want to copy by left clicking it once.

Step 2: How to Copy a File in Windows

Copying and pasting files is very slightly different depending on whether you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 11. We’ll look at both operating systems below.

Once your file is selected, you have a few different ways to make a copy. Choose whichever method feels most comfortable for you.

Option A: You’re Using Windows 11

Windows 11 features a clean, simplified look at the top of your folders. With your file highlighted, you can copy it in three ways:

  • The Top Menu: Left-click the Copy icon (it looks like two tiny sheets of paper stacked together) on the toolbar at the very top of the window.
  • The Right-Click Menu: Right-click on your highlighted file. A small menu will pop up—left-click the Copy icon at the top or bottom of that menu.
  • The Keyboard Shortcut: This is the quickest way! Press and hold the CTRL (Control) key down, tap the letter C once, then let go of both.c
Copy icon in Windows and keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C.
Copy the file in Windows 11 using either the copy icons or keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C.

Option A: You’re Using Windows 10

If your computer runs Windows 10, the process is just as easy:

  • The Right-Click Menu: Right-click on your highlighted file to open the menu. Look down the list and left-click the word COPY.
  • The Keyboard Shortcut: Just like Windows 11, you can use the classic windows copy and paste keyboard shortcut. Hold down the CTRL key and press the letter C.
How to copy a file in Windows 10.
In Windows 10 right click the selected file and then left click Copy, or use the shortcut Ctrl + C.

What Just Happened?

Even though nothing changes on your screen, Windows has saved a copy of that file into its temporary invisible memory, called the Clipboard.

This does catch beginners out, since they’re are often looking for some sort of confirmation or indication that the file has been copied. You just have to trust it.

Step 3: How to Paste the File

Now that your file is safely waiting on your computer’s clipboard, you need to choose where its new home will be. This process is called Pasting.

For this example, we’ll paste the file (picture) onto the Desktop (your main computer screen).

  • In the navigation panel on the left side of File Explorer, left-click on Desktop. (If you wanted to move it to a flash drive or your Documents, you’d click that instead).
  • Look at the main area of the folder window. This is called the File View area.
File View area in File Explorer
Click on the folder where you want the file to go.

Option A: Pasting in Windows 11

  • The Top Menu: Left-click the Paste icon (it looks like a small clipboard with a sheet of paper) on the toolbar at the very top of your screen.
  • The Right-Click Menu: Right-click inside any empty space in the middle of the screen. On the menu that appears, left-click the Paste icon.
  • The Keyboard Shortcut: Hold down the CTRL key and tap the letter V on your keyboard.
Paste icon in Windows 11. Also the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V.
Click the Paste icon or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V.

Option A: Pasting in Windows 10

  • The Right-Click Menu: Right-click inside any empty space in the middle of the screen to open the options menu. Left-click on the word PASTE.
  • The Keyboard Shortcut: Hold down the CTRL key and tap the letter V at the same time.
Paste a file in Windows 10.
Pasting a file in Windows 10.

You’ve Done It! Understanding the Result

Look at your screen—you should now see your file sitting safely in its new location, in this example it’ll be on the desktop.

Because you used Copy and Paste, you created a true duplicate. If you go back to your Pictures folder, the original file is still sitting there completely untouched. You now have two identical versions of the same file in two different places on your computer.

Try to get used to using the keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste, CTRL + C to copy and CTRL + V to paste.
I know from experience that as a beginner it feel much easier to rely solely on the mouse, but believe me, using the keyboard shortcuts really does speed things up and make it a lot easier.

The file that was copied and pasted in the example above is highlighted on the desktop
Here’s the file that you copied and pasted.
The original file is still in its folder.
While the original is still where you left it.

This same method works perfectly for individual files, music tracks, videos, and even massive folders containing hundreds of items.
Practice it a few times using the keyboard shortcuts—it’s a computer skill that’ll save you hours of time!

Summary

Learning how to use copy and paste comes down to four simple steps:

  1. Left-click the item once to highlight it (select it).
  2. Press CTRL + C to copy it.
  3. Open the folder or drive where you want it to go.
  4. Press CTRL + V to paste it.

Lesson 12

How to Cut and Paste

Similar to Copy & Paste but with one very big difference.
Absolutely essential skill to have.

Next Lesson

Course Progress – 11 of 36

Part of the At Home Basic Computer Course — free computer guides for beginners.

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You can find this and other related step by step guides in – At Home Computer Guides

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