SubscribeI have never had to cut, copy or paste text on a phone, but it seems that many other people really value this feature on the Motorola Droid. Here’s how it’s done.
1. Tap and hold your finger on the text box you are copying text from for about 2 seconds.
2. A menu appears where you can select Select text.
3. Drag your finger across the text you wish to copy.
4. Hold your finger down on the text area again.
5. Select Copy or Cut.
6. Navigate to where you want to paste the text.
7. Press and hold the text field for 2 seconds.
8. Tap Paste.
by MK, on November 9 2009 @ 5:17 pm
This doesn’t work.
If I want to copy content from a webpage in the internet browser, it appears I SORT OF can do so using the caps key and then tracing text on the screen with a finger. But it is very very inexact. It’s a sloppy mechanism.
Whatever you were suggesting above simply doesn’t work.
It never occurred to me that a basic function like copy-and-paste would be so difficult to use on the Droid. Thinking of going back to Blackberry now.
by Eagleville, on November 10 2009 @ 8:46 am
I just tried to cut/paste from an email and it won’t work. This is a critical defect – anyone found a work-around yet?
by MK, on November 10 2009 @ 12:30 pm
It is indeed a critical defect. Copying from the web and copying from an email apparently require different keys, but I can’t get either to work well.
by gz, on November 10 2009 @ 7:56 pm
Its killing me too. One of the downfalls of preorder- not able to test. Very important oversight..
by admin, on November 10 2009 @ 8:33 pm
I did these steps in a text message. Looks like the browser steps are a bit more tedious.
by rob, on November 12 2009 @ 1:48 pm
You can copy from email by using the slide out keyboard. Hold the shift key and then slide your finger over the text you want to copy. As soon as you lift your finger you get a message that the text was copied to the clipboard.
by paul, on November 13 2009 @ 8:26 am
Using the keyboard shift key and dragging my finger to select, I was able to get the “text copied to clipboard” message to pop up. But after pressing nearly every key combination, I can’t find the paste function. Help! Anyhone???
by Berlin Madison, on November 13 2009 @ 5:39 pm
I’ve been on several sites trying many things and I can’t get the Droid to copy what I want. When it does copy, it usually only copies from ONE line. I was convinced to drop the Blackberry Storm 2 (which I didn’t find any real problems with in the week that I had it), but I migth also be going back to Blackberry.
by scott, on November 17 2009 @ 10:41 am
Once copied, select where you want to paste. Then use menu key on keyboard. Hold it down and press the v key. Should have pasted.
by rob, on November 17 2009 @ 5:54 pm
Paul,
Go to the area you want to past to. Press and hold your finger on the screen until the menu pops up…..paste will be one of the options.
by Berlin Madison, on November 18 2009 @ 7:25 am
I should correct my comments. Paste is NOT an issue. Paste works. It’s COPYING that the Droid that SUCKS! I can copy what I type (and thats ALL you can copy using the manual instructions people keep spamming), but it’s very difficult to copy from the browser with any accuracy and impossible to copy from email, text messages and other places.
by Paul, on November 18 2009 @ 10:24 am
Thanks Rob – you’re right that works. With that last question of mine answered, I pretty much can do everything I want to on Droid now. Really happy thus far. I would like to be able to delete annoying unused icons like Facebook and Amazon, . . .
Berlin – I think you’ll find that holding down the shift button on the keyboard while highlighting a section with your finger works pretty well. True, it’s not great but it does work.
by Berlin Madison, on November 18 2009 @ 10:45 am
You guys spouting off those generic user manual statements about how easy it is to copy are definitely employees of Motorola and you job is obviously to discredit anyone who says anything negative about the Droid. I can NOT copy from emails (i just tried a few more times) and I can NOT copy from text messages (i just tried a few more times). And it takes me a dozen time to copy a paragraph from webpages (i just tried a few more times). All it wants to copy is a random few characters in the same – not multiple – line.
I also don’t like that contacts and calendar aren’t integrated like on Palms. Annoying that I can’t forward a text message. And the operating systems hangs several times a day, and sometimes hangs so long that i have to reboot. I only reboot 2-4 times a week instead of 2-4 times a day because I am cautious about taking my bodyglove case off because it doesn’t come off that easily. I’m most likely going to dump this phone before my 30 days are up . . . if all the help i can find are disappointed people and generic planted statements by Motorola employees. I just need to decide between the Palm Pre and the Blackberry Storm 2.
by Brandon, on November 20 2009 @ 5:50 pm
Where on the Droid do you access the clipboard? I was able to copy the text and it said Saved to clipboard….but where is the clipboard?!?
by paul, on November 23 2009 @ 5:27 am
See comment number 10 above. Tap and hold your finger on the message body and the edit / paste menu will pop up. Hard to figure out, but its there.
by Berlin Madison, on November 23 2009 @ 7:41 am
Sometimes my Droid does copy from text messages if I hold down my finger on the text long enough. Most of the time it locks up when I try to copy from a text message, but it does copy sometimes. Even after I reboot, the Droid still locks up more than it copies from text messages. I still can’t figure out how to copy from an email. Hopefull your Droid does not hang and lock as much as mine.
by Droid Annoyed, on November 23 2009 @ 9:54 am
Why are we not able to get an answer to where the clipboard is and how to access the clipboard on the droid once text is saved to the clipboard. I know how to copy/paste but still would like to know how to access the clipboard. Does anyone know and if so can we get a clear, concise, straight to the point simple answer to that question. Thank you!
by Paul, on November 23 2009 @ 12:19 pm
Berlin – “I feel your pain” A few years ago I had major crashing and freezing issues with a Palm Treo 700p. Verizon must have known they were buggy because they let me exchange and replace my Treo 4 times in 3 months. Finally got one with fewer issues. Actually the 755p was the real final “bug free version,” I really did like that PDA a lot.
RE: Copying text from text messages – I just tried it and worked okay on mine. Didn’t need to use the keyboard, I just tapped and held my finger on the message and the pop up said “Copy message from text” I selected it and then pasted it into an email. Again, some of these shortcuts aren’t intuitive, but they are there.
I have not had any crashing or freezing issues with my Droid. One time I got stuck on a web page with a pop up but I just clicked on “menu” “windows” and just closed the problem windows. I have also taken to periodically checking to see which apps are “running” and closing them. Not sure if that would help you or not, but it is something to check perhaps.
sorry that your unit is buggy, I know how frustrating that is
by Paul, on November 23 2009 @ 12:40 pm
Lastly – I don’t want to be accused of being a Moto cheerleader. The Select/Copy text function as described at the top of this post does not work for emails. I think its accurate to say the copy function has limited functionality.
I am not able to reliably copy more than one line of text from an an email I am reading because every time I try to slide my finger down the text, it scrolls down in the email (as if I were trying to scroll down and read) but it doesn’t expand the selection area. Strangely, the copy function works a little better if you try to copy text you just typed into a new email you are composing. In an email I compose I am able to select all, copy, and paste, but not able to select only a line or two (ironic?).
However, I was able to easily copy multiple lines from a web page.
MOTO / Google needs to fix this email copy problem. I consider this to be a major area of concern.
by Droid Annoyed, on November 24 2009 @ 12:53 pm
how can the clipboard be accessed? does anyone know?
by chris ehrke, on November 26 2009 @ 6:32 am
I am able to copy just fine from browser of txt msg just by holding down the shift and swiping my finger “ant to past to. Press and hold your finger on the screen until the menu pops up…..paste will be one of the
by chris ehrke, on November 26 2009 @ 6:34 am
I am able to copy just fine from browser of txt msg just by holding down the shift and swiping my finger “ant to past to. Press and hold your finger on the screen until the menu pops up…..paste will be one of the” see copied from this window and pasted that was easy! Paste is as simple as holding down finger for two seconds and scrolling down to paste.
by paul, on November 27 2009 @ 1:59 pm
Right Chris, but selecting text in incoming mails doesn’t work.
by Jason D. CLinton, on November 29 2009 @ 1:17 pm
Yes, selecting text in incoming mails DOES work. HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY ON THE KEYBOARD while you drag.
Admittedly, this is hardly an ideal situation. Copy and paste needs a whole lot of work in Android. Unfortunately, Apple has patented just about everything about the way the IPhone does it.
by Berlin Madison, on November 29 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Saying that selecting text in incoming emails DOES work is like saying a new car works without a steering wheel. Technically, it moves and everything that IS on it works perfect; it just doesn’t move where you want it to move. Applied to copy from incoming email: holding down the shift key only captures RANDOM characters from one or two lines. And like a car without a steering wheel, I have NEVER been able to direct copy to exactly what I want — unless what I want is short, simple and in a straight (i.e. single) line.
FYI: I swapped out my memory locking/crashing Droid for another one, and many things (not copy) work a lot better than they used to.
by jodi, on December 4 2009 @ 1:13 pm
You can fwd texts. Tap and hold on the msg you want to fed and the option will come up
by confused, on December 17 2009 @ 1:30 pm
Can anyone tell me where I can find the clipboard??????
by mark, on December 18 2009 @ 1:37 pm
Okay I’m actually typing this from my droid, where is the clipboard? I can’t find it for the life of me.
by Eric, on December 21 2009 @ 6:06 pm
Gang I found something. Try hitting shift on the keyboard, then dragging off the screen into a footer or some area of the window without text. Seems to select all. It’s a jank solution, but somewhat helpful.
by bawby sooch, on December 29 2009 @ 4:57 pm
Wtf? Where is the clipboard located? Everyone seems to know where it is, but no one wants to help!
by PW, on January 1 2010 @ 11:45 am
What is wrong w/ you people who keep asking where the clipboard is? Who CARES? There is no application called “clipboard” if that’s what you’re asking. It’s done differently on Android from whatever you’re thinking of (Windows?). Just do what is said here – you can copy one (and only one) thing into memory (the clipboard), then navigate to where you want to paste it, then paste it there. Accessing the copy function varies on where you’re doing it, unfortunately. In a window where you’re editing your own text, you can just long-press in that window usually and you’ll get something like “Select all” and “Copy all”. In a window where the text is already there and not editable (browser, received emails), you slide the keyboard out and hold the shift key, then drag your finger on the screen to highlight the text you want to copy. There are serious limitations to the latter approach as described above because it’s a) hard to nail the right starting and ending points when using your finger like that and b) it seems to be limited to just a line or two before the screen starts scrolling instead of continuing to pick up additional letters in your highlighting. Keep making an issue of that on the androidforums and other places that Google developers actually read and hopefully it’ll get fixed in an upcoming software release.
by Berlin, on January 1 2010 @ 6:55 pm
PW, don’t be bitter that the I-Phone is still king.
All I really heard you say is that people should keep looking for solutions and keep complaining so they can find solutions and or help foster improvements.
We’re just looking for the Droid to live its to some of its hype.
by phonequeen, on January 3 2010 @ 8:31 pm
First off u guys have no patience. I simply sat here and figured out how to forward (as one person complained) and copy and paste. Before u go complaining, how about simply exhausting all options?? Anyway, u forward a text by putting your finger on the line u want to forward for a second or two the option to foward comes up. To copyfrom web press the menu key and e and the cursor will turn into a mouse highlite what u want. Once it says copy to clipboard go to wherever u r pasting put ur finger in txt field and voila! Paste appears….
On another note the iphone can’t hold a candle to the droid…its just a trend…
by Karen, on January 6 2010 @ 4:59 am
I just tried to copy text from email and it took a while but I got it to work finally. ***You must be in the message that just came in, not have already hit ‘reply’.*** Then you shift and select (as many lines of text as you want). It’s that easy. I’m no guru but finally figured it out. Then you ‘reply’ to the message and tap the message window and the paste menu will pop up.
They could have done this better many different ways. I’m not a ‘paste and cut’ reply person so it’s no big deal to me but I can see how it’s awful for those who are. It’s not intuitive at all. Why can’t the paste option be available in the quoted text after you hit the ‘reply’? Just plain weird.
by tarra, on January 17 2010 @ 6:29 pm
How do you send a text message to multiple people???
by Bruce Wagner, on January 19 2010 @ 11:23 am
Just wrote a blog item to explain it all simply. See http://is.gd/6BZBA
by Danny, on February 2 2010 @ 10:08 pm
Berlin,
I’m not an employee of Motorola and I can copy paste just fine… You’re just… Slow… TAKE THAT!
by Justin., on February 6 2010 @ 5:16 am
It isn’t hard to copy and paste and god forbid you don’t get it automatically, you people cry for something to be done. Which is just sad. Berlin, the iPhone is garbage compared to the Droid. In every way, shape, and form. Just because the Droid doesn’t copy and paste perfectly doesn’t really matter. It works perfectly fine, I’ve never had a problem doing it in any program (including gtalk, which is the most difficult) You can simply hold your finger or click the menu button and hit select text or menu+e (for the Browser) or simply hold the shift button in e-mails. Which if you can’t operate selecting text on such a responsive screen then you should probably not have a touch screen capable phone. All the functions work fine, just stop trying to have everything spoon fed to you. The Droid will always be faster, smarter, more attractive, less expensive, and all around a superior phone (hence 4G and other soon to be available things that iPhone won’t get even though apple no longer owns it) than the iPhone.
by PW, on February 6 2010 @ 7:26 pm
You are a moron. There are differences in how each application behaves when holding shift and trying to select by dragging onscreen. Browser and gmail work perfectly. Email in the built_in email app (needed for yahoo/etc) and touchdown (needed for complex exchange email support) does not work well at all with that method. This is what we’re talking about. I am keeping my phone and generally love it but it’s idiotic to ignore faults and not ask google/motorola to address them in future fixes.
For the record iphone didn’t have copy/paste functionality at first, and for years if I remember right. It’ll get there on android but not unless people complain. If you don’t know, thing don’t get fixed in the software world if people aren’t irritated with (and vocal about) the existing functionality. See iphone copy/paste and mms if you don’t believe that.
by Bruce Wagner, on February 6 2010 @ 7:35 pm
How do you copy text from Gtalk app? That’s the only one I haven’t yet mastered….
by Berlin Madison, on February 7 2010 @ 8:45 am
I didn’t expect the Droid to be an IPhone killer (I’m not a kid looking for a overhyped trendy cute phone), but I expected Droid to “do” the basic things that it “don’t.” Copy/Paste is as basic as being able to search your system.
Yes, the Droid also fails in the search category. Before my first smartphone 3 years ago (which could search contacts, calendar, documents, etc. for any word or phrase), I kept my contacts and calendar seperately in PDAs since like 1995.
Apparently, I was spoiled for 15 years with being able to copy/paste and search my entire system for a word or phrase. The Droid is my first device that can’t copy/paste, and my first device that can’t search my entire system. I can’t always remember people or event names, but I can always remember something I can search for to find a person or calendar entry because I write plenty of notes.
So while I love my Droid, I’m eagerly waiting for fixes and I’m a little sour about not being able to do basic things I have ALWAYS been able to do.
The Droid people suck for lacking functionality available since 1995! Maybe I’m missing something, but I have only gotten one OS upgrade. IPhone folks were jumping hoops like crazy to satisfy customers when the IPhone came out with its limitations.
At one point, I had my contacts and calendar in devices made by Casio, Texas Instruments and Psion. Those technologies lost. I hope I have not chosen another loser.
by PW, on February 7 2010 @ 9:21 am
What was this magic phone from 1995 that let you search for terms across all files on the device, Berlin? I’ve never heard of anything like that.
I’m sure there are probably Android Market apps you can download that let you do a more thorough search across all your files. I’ve not heard of anything from iPhone that does this so who knows. Personally I am pretty aware of the market and thought the Android search function was pretty slick and advanced compared to what I know out there (it searches contact names, music, etc, though as you said, maybe it misses the notes you’re storing within the contacts, which I’d agree ought to be addressed in a future release if not there already).
Android has only been out for two years. In that time there have been several major software releases (1.0 to 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1) and other minor releases (as 2.0.1 is on Droid now). If you look back at iPhone’s releases, it took them from June 2007’s initial 1.0 until June 2009’s release 3.0 to add such basics for a music device as A2DP (stereo sound on Bluetooth headsets), this copy/paste functionality we’re talking about and MMS (sending picture/video messages). You had to know that Android was somewhat new still and wouldn’t be fully complete, but that you’d be getting updates as they come out (we’ll get Nexus One’s 2.1 soon). I’m not saying it’s perfect, because I’m obviously disappointed in the inconsistently implemented copy/cut/paste, but as I said, with more time they’ll fix that too. You see they’re adding multitouch already (if you haven’t already, go get the update to Maps) and will do the same for other apps in 2.1. That’s at least partially because people complained that multitouch wasn’t there yet so it went to the top of the list.
by Bruce Wagner, on February 7 2010 @ 9:56 am
It took three years for the iPhone to finally get Copy & Paste. Give Droid a month or so… to be fair.
by Stephen, on February 13 2010 @ 8:01 am
I have had droid since day one and I have never had any trouble copy and pasting.my droid also has multi touch.My droid also allows met to search for anything on my device threw the pre loaded search widget.
by paul, on February 13 2010 @ 11:40 am
Berlin is right – searching for any word anywhere in your device is an important feature that is not yet on the Droid. Yes Stephen we can search contacts for a name, but not by company, partial phone number nor other elements. Calendar not searchable at all. Palm search used to work like Google Desktop search does. Hopefully that update is coming. Love my Droid, but sorry Stephen it doesnt yet do everything you said.
by Roberto, on February 16 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Reading through the thread I think I now see the reason why some have difficulty using the shift+finger select method. It works perfectly for me when using gmail, but it absolutely sucks when I’m using the corporate email application. Once I forwarded the email from corporate to gmail I was able to finger-select as described. Why the two aren’t identical in terms of capabilities is a different question, but at least I have something that now works…even if it is a bit cumbersome.
by nate, on February 16 2010 @ 7:20 pm
Copy&paste works on gmail, but not juno. If you want better accuracy, Zoom In!
by Tricky, on February 18 2010 @ 2:49 pm
Sorry, but using shift and selecting with your finger does not work if you’re trying to select a large portion of text that is not visible on the screen. There’s no scroll with this selection method.
It’s fine of you want to select small portions of text, but not an option at all if you want to select anything that runs off of the screen.
by kelly, on February 24 2010 @ 4:59 pm
People ilove the droid. You can paste from the physical keyboard on both emails and internet. Its as simple as this! Slide the physical key board open, hold down the shift key(to the right of the letter “z”). While holding the shift drag your index finger over the area you want to copy. Its automatically copy to clipboard. Go to wherever you want paste, hold finger down on screen, menu pops up with what you want to do, click paste. My droid I consider the best phone ever and before I was a complete blackberry fan!
by PW, on February 24 2010 @ 8:48 pm
GOD D*MN IT for you people who keep posting “Oh but it’s so easy!1!! Just do this!”…. PLEASE read the other 20 posts that make it clear just why you’re wrong. Your solution works fine for some cases (browser, gmail) but NOT for other cases (the main email app that you have to use for yahoo/hotmail/whatever). It’s that discrepancy that is what we’re talking about. Otherwise I love my phone too (it’s not a droid problem, it’s a google problem).
by Patrick, on February 28 2010 @ 3:48 pm
SOLUTION – I had to forward my email to my gmail then copy there! It is a freaking nightmare to figure out.