Tech Reference

How to easily copy and paste on your Android phone or tablet

Written by Steven John
How to hide photos on Samsung Galaxy s10
It's simple to copy and paste on an Android phone or tablet. Henry Nicholls/Reuters
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If there's one feature of the modern world that's made life dramatically easier, it's the ability to copy and paste text.

Long gone are the days when you had to manually retype everything. Copy and paste is now available on nearly every device — including your Android phone or tablet.

However, figuring out how to copy and paste on an Android device can be confusing at first. Luckily, it's a simple process.

Here's how to do it.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)

How to copy and paste on an Android device

If you have experience copying and pasting text on an iPhone, you'll likely find these steps familiar. It's essentially the same process.

1. Find the text you want to copy and hold a finger down on any word in that text.

2. Two blue bubbles will appear. Drag the two text bubbles as far left, right, up, and down as you wish to highlight the text you want to copy. You can also hit "SELECT ALL" to highlight all of the text and images on the page.

3. Tap "COPY" from the pop-up menu to copy everything you've highlighted.

Copy Paste Android 1
Highlight the text you're looking to copy, then tap "COPY."  Steven John/Business Insider

4. Navigate to the place you want to paste the copy (an email, e.g.) and tap and hold in any area where text can be entered.

5. Tap "PASTE" when the pop-up menu appears.

Copy Paste Android 2
Some places will let you paste as "plain text," which will remove all the formatting from what you've copied.  Steven John/Business Insider

If you're trying to copy the URL of a website you're on or a hyperlink in text, the process is much easier. You don't have to highlight anything — the URL will be copied automatically when you tap and hold your finger on it in the address bar at the top of your browser, or if you tap and hold on a hyperlink. 

Copy Paste Android 3
Tap and hold on a URL or hyperlink to copy it.  Steven John/Business Insider

And that's it — you're now ready to copy and paste on Android devices.

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.