Cut and Paste ?

Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
259
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Utah
Your Mac's Specs
Imac 27"12.2.1 Monterey.1phone 13, iwatch,ipad air
Until very recently I used command 'C' and command 'V' to cut and paste.Now it will not do it. In fact when I hit command 'V', it pastes something random from a few times back I had copied. I can still hilite and right click copy/paste, but I am so used to doing it the other way I want it back.

Any fixes? Yes I rebooted,even unplugged,waited and plugged back in and turned back on- nope.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Command C and Command V still work here with High Sierra 10.13.6. I just used it on some Pages documents and in Word.

Are you by chance using a clipboard app that remembers previous pastes? Also, when using Microsoft Office, it too remembers previous pastes but will usually ask first.
 
OP
royalpei
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
259
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Utah
Your Mac's Specs
Imac 27"12.2.1 Monterey.1phone 13, iwatch,ipad air
Command C and Command V still work here with High Sierra 10.13.6. I just used it on some Pages documents and in Word.

Are you by chance using a clipboard app that remembers previous pastes? Also, when using Microsoft Office, it too remembers previous pastes but will usually ask first.


It certainly makes sense, nut no. I wish I had,would be an easy fix. Nope nothing on here office related :(
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
If your Cut and Paste ever freaks out, pastes old stuff or doesn't copy anything at all, you might want to restart the clipboard. You can do this from the Activity Monitor, from the CPU tab, search (on top right) for pboard and when it appears, click on it and hit the X on the left and choose Force Quit. Don't worry about it, the system is configured to restart this component if it ever dies. Now try out your CMD+c, CMD+v again and see if you are back in business.
 
OP
royalpei
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
259
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Utah
Your Mac's Specs
Imac 27"12.2.1 Monterey.1phone 13, iwatch,ipad air
If your Cut and Paste ever freaks out, pastes old stuff or doesn't copy anything at all, you might want to restart the clipboard. You can do this from the Activity Monitor, from the CPU tab, search (on top right) for pboard and when it appears, click on it and hit the X on the left and choose Force Quit. Don't worry about it, the system is configured to restart this component if it ever dies. Now try out your CMD+c, CMD+v again and see if you are back in business.

OK, I found that and did it, do I need to reboot? That did not fix it. Ignore the attachment, I found the correct place.

pboard.jpg
 
Last edited:

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
You've clicked the (i) button to get more info about the process, you can hit Quit there but the (x) is right next to the Info button on Activity Monitor.

Screen Shot 2018-09-24 at 9.39.03 AM.png
 
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
10,702
Reaction score
1,158
Points
113
Location
Rhode Island
Your Mac's Specs
M1 Mac Studio, 11" iPad Pro 3rdGen, iPhone 13 ProMax, Watch S7, 2018 15" MBP, AirPods Pro
I think you can also click on Quit, and that should offer the Force Quit option.
 
OP
royalpei
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
259
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Utah
Your Mac's Specs
Imac 27"12.2.1 Monterey.1phone 13, iwatch,ipad air
I think you can also click on Quit, and that should offer the Force Quit option.

I found it and did it, it did not fix the problem. Weird, I can CMD + X and then CMD + V and THAT WORKS. Just not CMD+V will not work.
 
Last edited:
OP
royalpei
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
259
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Utah
Your Mac's Specs
Imac 27"12.2.1 Monterey.1phone 13, iwatch,ipad air
I changed key boards and it works, but I do not like the smaller blue tooth only full key board. Guess i'll be on the hunt for a new one. THANK YOU GUYS for all of your help.
 
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
10,702
Reaction score
1,158
Points
113
Location
Rhode Island
Your Mac's Specs
M1 Mac Studio, 11" iPad Pro 3rdGen, iPhone 13 ProMax, Watch S7, 2018 15" MBP, AirPods Pro
I changed key boards and it works, but I do not like the smaller blue tooth only full key board. Guess i'll be on the hunt for a new one. THANK YOU GUYS for all of your help.
Were you using a bluetooth keyboard, before you switched them out, or was it a USB keyboard?

Did you try this, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063?
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2016
Messages
373
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
Derby England.
Your Mac's Specs
21 inch iMac - Ventura. iPhones 8 and MacBook Air - Catalina.
Hi everyone, after twenty odd years on computers, Windows first then Mac, I have NEVER been able to get to grips with 'cut, copy and paste'. My youngest daughters spent what must seem like hours trying to teach me the art but it just will not engage in my brain. She has spent so long at trying to teach that me if I mention it she leaves the room with a look of dismay on her face. It is Black Magic as far as I am concerned and keyboard short cuts come out of the same drawer.

Very best regards from Keith in Derby England.
 

IWT


Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
10,218
Reaction score
2,175
Points
113
Location
Born Scotland. Worked all over UK. Live in Wales
Your Mac's Specs
M2 Max Studio Extra, 32GB memory, 4TB, Sonoma 14.4 Apple 5K Retina Studio Monitor
Hey Keith,

Knowledge, like good wine, takes time to reach full maturity. We old chaps know that.

Command +

X is like scissors = cuts
C = Copy
V is like an inverted arrowhead, pointing down = paste

Ian
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2016
Messages
373
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
Derby England.
Your Mac's Specs
21 inch iMac - Ventura. iPhones 8 and MacBook Air - Catalina.
Hi Ian, understand the meaning of the letters X C & V but how, where and why, that is THE question. Without that they (XCV) are meaningless.

Keith in Derby.
 

IWT


Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
10,218
Reaction score
2,175
Points
113
Location
Born Scotland. Worked all over UK. Live in Wales
Your Mac's Specs
M2 Max Studio Extra, 32GB memory, 4TB, Sonoma 14.4 Apple 5K Retina Studio Monitor
Hi Keith,

Now you have me confused, which is not difficult these days.

Reading the bit about:
I have NEVER been able to get to grips with 'cut, copy and paste'. My youngest daughters spent what must seem like hours trying to teach me the art but it just will not engage in my brain.

I assumed the meaning of C, V, X was the problem, but no, you said, you understand that fine but:
how, where and why, that is THE question

That's the bit I don't quite follow. Do you mean how do you do it?

Forgive if I've got that wrong as I wander into an explanation.

On your Mac, normally within Documents in your Home Directory, you will have Folders (contains Files, Photos, PDFs, whatever); separate Files on their own which, again could be data, PDFs, even a single picture (JPEG) - and you want to:

1. Move one or more Folders or individual Files from Position A to Position B. One way is to select all the thing you want to move, Left Click and drag them from A to B. But requires a steady hand and also that A and B are both visible to you - Not always the case if A is buried within some Folder structure and B in a different Folder structure.

So instead, you highlight the articles needing moving and hold down the Command Key and whilst still holding it down, Click on X. Then navigate to position B and whilst holding the Command and V keys, it pastes them to the new location.

2. Alternatively, you may want to Copy items from A to B. Select the items by highlighting them, hold down the Command key and keep doing so whilst you hold down the C key. Off you go to position B and it's Command + V together that pastes them there.

I prefer this method for moving things rather than Command + X, because if I copy something from A to B, I can verify that everything is where it should be - and then go back to position A and Delete the items. Belt & Braces approach.

Is that what you were after? Or have I misunderstood you?

Ian
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
15,452
Reaction score
3,808
Points
113
Location
Winchester, VA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 16" 2023 (M3 Pro), iPhone 15 Pro, plus ATVs, AWatch, MacMinis (multiple)
Keith, when you have something you want to manipulate in one of those ways, you click and drag over it to highlight it. Then the CMD keys work to do the function. So, to copy that last sentence, I will highlight it, then CMD-C and then CMD-V to copy and paste it here-->Then the CMD keys work to do the function

About all it saves is some keystrokes. Instead of having to re-type that entire sentence, I highlighted, then two key combinations and it's done. For small amounts of text, that's not terribly useful, but for large sections of text, or images, it's brilliant.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
863
Reaction score
52
Points
28
Hi Ian, understand the meaning of the letters X C & V but how, where and why, that is THE question. Without that they (XCV) are meaningless.

Keith in Derby.

Use CUT when you want to MOVE something. Use COPY when you want to DUPLICATE something. Use PASTE to insert what you just moved or duplicated.

If it's still as clear as mud, then perhaps you could give an example or two of specific situations in which you need to use these commands but are not sure how.
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2016
Messages
373
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
Derby England.
Your Mac's Specs
21 inch iMac - Ventura. iPhones 8 and MacBook Air - Catalina.
Good morning Ian and Jake, Believe me I get the drift of what you are both saying and describing, I really do. Putting it all into action is a different thing altogether, as my youngest daughter says "absolutely useless". Somethings just do not gel in my mind at all and "cut, copy and paste" seems to be one of those things for me. I have never had any success in the operation, I know it is a simple thing but, and I make a weak excuse here - it is much too simple for my complicated mind to grasp. I thank you both very much indeed for trying but I think it is best left alone - perhaps one day IT WILL HAPPEN! I will not be holding my breath though as I think I would collapse whilst doing so!

Very best regards from Keith in Derby England.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Messages
7,295
Reaction score
301
Points
83
Location
Wisconsin
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini (Late 2014) 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
Think of your document as a physical page in a magazine, and you want to take something from that page to put in a scrapbook (on a page, right?).
So, you get a pair of scissors, and CUT out the piece you want to save. Then, you actually PASTE it onto the scrapbook page, with paste or glue.

That's sort of what CUT and PASTE do electronically. When you CUT something it will no longer be in your document, but there won't be a hole left behind like in the magazine. It will just be an empty spot.

Electronically, you have an advantage. The same thing can be in two places. That's what COPY will do. It leaves the original behind, but lets you PASTE a copy of it somewhere else. Magic!
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2016
Messages
373
Reaction score
31
Points
28
Location
Derby England.
Your Mac's Specs
21 inch iMac - Ventura. iPhones 8 and MacBook Air - Catalina.
Good morning to everyone, it is so easy to describe how to do something you are familiar with, I know because I have done it many times in my life, I used to be a driving instructor. Now we come to a thick twit like me in my old age and I plead Old Age and Senior Moments on a lot of mistakes; but "cut copy paste" seems to be beyond my comprehension! It has gone way past Old Age and Senior Moments to a complete Mental Block, I see all the advice given here and understand it but when it comes to the point of "putting it all into practice" now that is a different thing all together. To voice my father's saying "It is a different gether all to matter". So please do not get cross because I am thick, just accept it as fact and move on. I will continue to stumble on regardless.

Thank you all for your advice and have a good day.

Very best regards from Keith in Derby England.
 

IWT


Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
10,218
Reaction score
2,175
Points
113
Location
Born Scotland. Worked all over UK. Live in Wales
Your Mac's Specs
M2 Max Studio Extra, 32GB memory, 4TB, Sonoma 14.4 Apple 5K Retina Studio Monitor
Excellent reply, Keith.

The most important thing is to enjoy what you can do and not get hung up on what you can't.

We shall await your next question with eager anticipation.:D

Ian
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top