How do I copy text from one part of a Mac at the same time?

Answered by James Kissner

To copy text from different parts of a Mac at the same time, you can use a simple keyboard shortcut. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open a text editor or word processing app on your Mac.
2. Locate the first part of the text you want to copy.
3. Hold down the Command key on your keyboard. It is usually denoted by the ⌘ symbol.
4. While holding down the Command key, click and drag your cursor to select the first part of the text. You’ll notice that the selected text is highlighted.
5. Without releasing the Command key, move your cursor to another part of the document where you want to copy additional text.
6. Click and drag your cursor to select the second part of the text. Again, the selected text will be highlighted.
7. Repeat the process for any additional parts of the text you want to copy. You can select non-contiguous text by holding down the Command key and clicking and dragging as many times as needed.
8. Once you have selected all the desired text, you can release the Command key.
9. Right-click on any part of the selected text and choose the “Copy” option from the context menu. Alternatively, you can press the Command+C keyboard shortcut to copy the text.
10. Now you can navigate to the destination where you want to paste the copied text.
11. Right-click on the destination or click inside the text field and choose the “Paste” option from the context menu. You can also use the Command+V keyboard shortcut to paste the text.

By using the Command key, you can make non-contiguous selections of text in a Mac text editor or word processing app. This feature can be particularly useful when you want to copy different sections of text from various parts of a document or even from multiple documents.

I have used this method numerous times when working on writing projects, research, or even just organizing information from different sources. It allows me to gather relevant text from diverse sections without the need for multiple copy-paste operations.

Remember that this technique works in most text-based applications on a Mac, including Pages, TextEdit, Microsoft Word, and even web browsers. However, it may not work in certain applications that have their own unique selection methods.

By holding down the Command key while making text selections, you can copy non-contiguous text from various parts of a Mac simultaneously. This method saves time and effort when you need to gather information from different sources or organize text from multiple sections within a document.