Whether you are using Android or iOS, all of you must be familiar with the conventional way of copying and pasting, right?

You long-press on the text you want to copy, drag the cursor to select the text, and hold for a few seconds before the pop-up menu appears. It has copy, cut, and paste options to choose from.

We have to say, the copy and paste option has to be one of the most helpful tools. It makes things so much easier. Not only can you copy/paste text on an iOS device but also copy pictures, URLs, emails, and whatnot.

So, in this article, we will talk about various options for copying and pasting on an iOS device. So keep reading!

What Sort of Content Can I Copy and Paste on iPhone?

On iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can copy and paste a whole variety of content that includes:

  • Website address
  • Text
  • Photos
  • Documents
  • All the messages you receive in different apps

Anything and everything that you decide to copy on your iPhone can be pasted in apps that use a keyboard, such as:

  • Messenger app
  • Notes app
  • Various social media and communication applications

We will tell you how you can copy-paste images, texts, and URLs and become an expert.

How to Paste on iPhone

You might not know this, but there are plenty of ways to copy and paste text on an iPhone. Before we indulge in the details of how you can copy/paste URLs and images on your iPhone. Let’s first talk about all the methods through which you can paste the text.

Double-tap or Single-tap Paste to Get the Pop-Up Menu

This is probably the most conventional way to paste copied text on an iPhone and iPad. Instead of performing long-press on the screen, you can get the paste option through single tapping.

This will instantly give you the option to paste copied text. Once you single-tap on the screen, you will get the copy/paste option and a few other options.

Remember that the text box might not respond to a single tap on some iPhones. In this case, you can double-tap on the screen, and the pop-up menu should appear.

You can tap paste on the menu across the area where you want to paste your text.

Using Three-fingers Gesture to Paste Text

Apart from using the conventional tap and hold method, another way to paste copied text on iPhone is by using hand gestures. This makes pasting text very easy.

You can copy all the text from your iPhone’s clipboard and drop it on any other app, new document, or other parts of the same app.

Follow the step-by-step guide

  • To make the process seamless, copy text from the text field from one app and leave the other app open where you want to paste the text. This way, you can do it quickly (Apple suggests you shouldn’t take a lot of time between copying and pasting text).
  • After copying, switch to the page where you want to paste the text.
  • Now, perform the pinch-open or pinch-out gesture using three fingers (most likely your index finger, middle finger, thumb or index finger, middle finger, and ring finger). For example, to pinch out the screen, you need to move your fingers away from the screen. It will feel like you’re trying to pull something from the screen.
  • This process might seem a bit technical, but it is not. It will instantly paste the text you copied from the clipboard onto the other app you have already opened in the iPhone tray. A bubble will also appear at the top, indicating where you have copied the text from.

Pinch out Gesture

Pinch-out can also paste images, links, and other content. However, pinching-out only works for images available in the Photos app.

To copy and paste pictures from browsers, they need to be converted into URLs and then dropped down into other apps.

Go for Share-sheet; when the Pop-up Menu Appears

If you don’t like the idea of using the multi-finger gesture to copy-paste the text from one app to another, you should perhaps get out of the iOS Share-Sheet.

The Share Sheet is an incredible feature on iPhone that doesn’t just allow you to share meaningful content with your contacts. But you can also use it to copy and paste important information when needed.

Here is how to do it

  • To paste important text on iOS Share-Sheet, you need to select text then tap and hold it for the menu to appear.
  • Once the pop-up menu shows up, tap share, and it will launch the iOS Share-Sheet. Next, you can opt for the iOS app on which you want to paste the text.
  • If you cannot see the desired application in the pop-up menu, tap More and select the app you want to use.
  • Now you will have to follow the steps being shown on screen. Pasting highlighted text through the share-sheet is different for all the iPhone apps. So, you will have to follow the instructions given on the screen.

Drag and Drop text

With the iOS 15, Apple has introduced a new feature in the iPhone that allows users to drag and drop anything they want between different apps, whether text or photos.

By using the drag and drop method, you can select the data you want to copy, whether it is text, voice notes, images, links, or anything that is shareable. Then drop it on the destination app.

This ensures that you will not rely on the universal clipboard for copying valuable data. For those who are used to performing gestures on the iPhone, iOS makes copy-paste much more functional.

How to drag and drop content on iPhone

First, select the text you want to copy from an app. Then, tap and hold that particular word and select the sentence or the paragraph you want to copy by dragging the cursor.

If it is non-text content, simply tapping and holding will do the trick.

Once you have selected the content, keep dragging the cursor until it creates a white bubble around your selected area. This indicates that your selected content can now be dropped wherever you want to paste it.

While dragging the content across the screen, don’t lift your finger until you reach the destination app.

Now move the content to the other apps on Home Screen. Or, you can go to Recent Apps and drop the copied content where you want to paste it.

That’s it. Your text will be pasted!

How to Copy and Paste URLs on iPhone?

Website URL is another important thing you should copy on your iPhone. Website addresses are lengthy and very hard to remember. So, if you know how to copy one, you will be able to share information with your friends and family with utmost convenience.

Steps to Follow

  • Start by opening your preferred web browser and tap the webpage address to highlight it.
  • Tap it once again to get the pop-up menu. It will show you options for Copy or Paste.
  • Tap Copy.
  • Tap on the destination field where you want to paste the URL, and tap the text field.
  • Tap Paste.

The URL will be copied to the desired location. You can do this in any app that uses a keyboard.

How to Copy Message from the Messages app?

If your iPhone or iPad runs iOS 10 or the latest update, you can conveniently copy iMessages or regular messages from the device.

Steps to do it

  • Press and hold the message that you would like to copy
  • A menu will appear after a short while on the iPhone. It will have different options, including Copy.
  • Tap Copy and then go to your destination app.
  • On the text field, tap and hold the cursor until a menu appears again.
  • Tap Paste, and it should paste your text in the field.

You can see how simple and easy it is.

Conclusion

Copy-pasting text, images, links, or other content is simple. However, people often look for more tricks to impress their friends. If you’re one of them, especially an iPhone user, this post must have provided sufficient information.

So, learn these tricks to optimize your iOS experience.