copyandpaste

Copying places a duplicate of the selected content into the clipboard; pasting inserts that content into the target location without altering the source. The operation relies on a temporary storage area, the clipboard, to hold data until it is inserted elsewhere.

In practice, copy and paste is used for text in documents, images within editors, or files in file managers. The clipboard may hold data in multiple formats to accommodate different apps; many systems support plain text, rich text, or image formats.

History: The concept emerged with early graphical user interfaces. The term and its shortcuts widely spread with the Xerox Alto-derived systems and were popularized by the Apple Macintosh in the 1980s and by Microsoft Windows.

Usage and variants: keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V (Cmd+C Cmd+V on macOS). Some apps provide 'paste as plain text' to strip formatting; drag-and-drop is another method.

Impact and issues: Copy and paste speeds up editing but can introduce formatting inconsistencies or accidentally copy sensitive data. Clipboard content can be garbage if misinterpreted; clipboard hijacking by malware is a security concern; users should clear clipboard for sensitive data.

In computing, copy and paste remains a foundational technique used across programming, office productivity, and content creation.