If your Lenovo ThinkPad’s copy paste is not working or want to know how to Copy and Paste or cut and paste on a Lenovo laptop, then this brief post is for you.
The copy and paste feature was introduced to save your energy and put it towards other useful tasks like research, creativity, or brainstorming. Imagine if you had to write a few sentences or paragraphs again and again, how you could do creative tasks.
It is important to know about these features, and we’ll discuss them in brief detail. We’ll cover text, images, video, and other files using the copy paste method.
Before diving into how to copy and paste on a Lenovo laptop?
How Do Copy and Paste Features Work?
It is a technical question but the answer is simple. Every operating system like Windows 11 or 10 and MacOS has specified a memory for this operation, which is called “Clipboard”.
Whenever someone copies or cuts text or an image, clipboard saves a copy and when and where it gets pasted, data is copied from clipboard and moved or reproduced in a new place.
All operating systems support these basic features, and it is a requirement for every OS. In order to copy and paste text, you have to select it first.
How to Highlight Text On Lenovo Laptop?
In order to perform any operation on text or images, you have to highlight or select it first to indicate your Windows operating system, it is the desired text to be copied.
In Windows you can highlight text by just holding and dragging the left click of the mouse from start and drop it to the end of a sentence of word.
If you are using a trackpad then do the same process with the left button of the track pad.
Highlight or Select Text with Keyboard
If you don’t want to use a mouse or trackpad, then the keyboard is helpful.It is also easy and as simple as a click.
- By using arrow keys or navigational keys bring the cursor to desired location.
- Press and hold Shift key and move right, up, or down up to where you want to select text.
- Once the desired highlight or selection is done, release the Shift key. Your text has been selected.
What to do When Lenovo ThinkPad Copy Paste is Not working?
Normally, it’s not a laptop computer’s fault when the copy and paste feature isn’t working properly. It could be the keyboard, Windows or MacOS (operating system), a virus, corrupt system files or related issue.
Laptops and Lenovo PCs just act as they are instructed by softwares. Thats why its more likely a softwares based issue rather than hardware. If your copy and paste feature isn’t working then try these solutions.
- Check Keyboard: Check the “C” and “V” and “Ctrl” keys of the keyboard by typing in any text editing softwares to ensure their functionality. If these keys are working then the keyboard is okay, fault is software based.
- Restart “rdpclip.exe” Process: RDP Clip process handles copy-paste between local PCs and remote desktops. End it from Task manager>Details Tab. Now go to File > Run New task and type “rdpclip.exe” in the next box and hit enter.
- Update Windows or to latest version, to remove a possible “system file glitch” from previous update has occurred.
- Disable Antivirus or Windows Security Temporarily: Yes it could be a core issue, as your OS might have disabled copy paste due to suspected virus.
- Run Windows Check Disk Utility: In order to trace corrupt Windows files, you should run Windows Check Disk Utility once, it could repair or trace suspected corrupt system files. Type ‘chkdsk” in the Run box.
These are possible ways to fix when Lenovo’s laptop or PC computer copy paste feature is not working.
How to Copy and Cut Paste On Lenovo Laptop?
As discussed before, copy and paste is not the laptop’s responsibility, its Windows or operating system functionality and/or the software you are using right at the moment.
It doesn’t matter whether you have a Lenovo Thinkpad, IdeaPad or any other brand laptop.
You can copy any content like text, image, audio or video files through this method.
Copy and Paste in Windows
Whatever edition of Windows you’re running on your laptop or PC computer (like Windows 7,8,10 or Windows 11 etc.) method is simple and the same.
- Select the desired text or highlight (as mentioned above) and press “Ctrl + C” to copy and click wherever you want to paste and press “Ctrl+V” to paste a new copy of content.
- If you are using software then apart from the above method, you can copy and paste through the “Edit” menu, or Windows explorer Under “Home” Tab.
- Alternatively, right click after selection of text, or images then click copy from the menu. To paste, right-click and select Paste from menu.
Pro Tip:
If you want to select multiple files randomly or then press and hold the “Ctrl” key for random multiple file selection. Then right-click > copy and its done.
Cut and Paste in Windows
Whenever you want to shift or move your content from one location to another, follow these steps.
- Select the desired text or highlight (mentioned above) and press “Ctrl + X” to copy and click wherever you want to paste and press “Ctrl+V” to paste a new copy of content.
- Alternatively, you can use the “Edit” menu of software or Windows explorer Under “Home” Tab.
Copy and Cut Paste in MacOS
The method of copy paste and cut paste in MacOs or MacBook is not much different. Just follow the above instructions and replace ‘Ctrl’ with the “Command” key.
For easy understanding, watch this short video.
How to Copy and Paste on Lenovo Chromebook?
The method of copy and paste is the same i.e. Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. The difference comes from the text selection method. In the Chrome OS, you can select text a little differently.
Copy and Paste Without Keyboard and Mouse on Touchscreen Chromebook
In the touchscreen chrome book you can select or highlight text through the mouse trackpad and touch screen.
In the touchscreen double tap the starting word of desired text and drag the right corner of highlighted text to the end of text.
You can copy and paste content using the above method on a Lenovo tablet as well.
If there are files to be selected rather than text then tap and hold any file, when it’s selected then tap other files.
Once selection is complete, copy, or cut and paste through shortcut keys, from the tooltip menu that appears over text, or right-click menu of Chrome OS or software you are working in.
How to Copy and Paste on Chromebook With Keyboard and Touchpad (Non-Touchscreen Chromebook)
In the non touch screen Chromebook you can select content and copy or cut it just like Windows. As explained above in the Windows section and the video below.
- First, click where you want to start copying text.
- Second, tap on the touchpad and hold with one finger, use another finger to drag the cursor over the text up to where you want to select or highlight.
- Once selection is complete then release both fingers.
- Now, press “Ctrl+C” to copy and click where you want to paste and press “Ctrl+V”.
In the video, you can see how to copy and paste on a Chromebook with a keyboard and trackpad.
How to Copy and Paste Pictures or Files on Lenovo Laptop?
While it is text or images, the copy and paste method is almost the same. In short select pictures first that you want to copy and paste to another location and then copy and paste through mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
In order to make a selection, click and drag with the left click of the mouse and release button where you want to end the selection.
If you want to select pictures with a keyboard, press tab key to reach and select the first picture in the folder.
Now hold the shift key and press the arrow keys to make your desired selection of images.
Press Ctrl+C to copy and open the folder where you want to paste and press Ctrl+V or right-click in the empty area of the folder and click paste.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, copy paste or cut paste is a simple and basic operation performed by the operating system. It has almost same universal shortcut key i.e., “Ctrl/Command + C”, “Ctrl/Command + V”, while paste is done through “Ctrl/Command + V”.
Either it’s Lenovo laptop or any other, it can be done through these shortcut keys or ‘Edit’ menu of any software. It also offers the same options.
Select or highlight desired text, picture, files or any other content before copying, and then press shortcut keys or select from the menu to copy and paste all types of content., that’s it.