Copying and Pasting Text

Maintained on October 2, 2026

When using Command Prompt, you often want to copy text shown on the screen or paste a command you copied elsewhere.

How copy and paste works in Command Prompt depends on your Windows version and settings. This article explains the operations and what to do when copying does not work.

Quick Answer

Action	Keyboard	Mouse
Copy	After selecting, `Ctrl` + `C` or `Enter`	After selecting, right-click
Paste	`Ctrl` + `V`	Right-click with no selection

チェック

In Windows 10 (version 1703 or later) and Windows 11, Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V work by default. On older Windows, or if “Enable Ctrl key shortcuts” is turned off in the console settings, use the Enter key or right-click instead.

How to Copy Text

First, select the text by dragging with the mouse. To use only the keyboard, press Ctrl + M to enter mark mode, then select with the arrow keys and Shift.

After selecting, copy with any of the following:

Ctrl + C (newer consoles)
Enter
Right-click

The console shown is a sample.

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>Select a range, then press Enter or right-click to copy.

チェック

If you press Ctrl + C with nothing selected, it interrupts the running command instead.

How to Paste Text

Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert)
Right-click with no text selected

If you right-click while text is selected, it copies instead of pasting.

The console shown is a sample.

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>Right-click with nothing selected to paste the text.

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When Copy and Paste Does Not Work

Right-click the title bar and open “Properties”
On the “Options” tab, check “QuickEdit Mode” (required for selecting and copying)
Check “Enable Ctrl key shortcuts” (Windows 10 and later)

In Windows Terminal, the default terminal in Windows 11, Ctrl + C copies the selection and Ctrl + V pastes.

Copy Command Output to the Clipboard

Instead of selecting text on screen, the clip command copies a command’s output directly to the clipboard.

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>ipconfig | clip

You can then paste the result into Notepad or another app with Ctrl + V.

Summary

Copy: select text, then Ctrl + C, Enter, or right-click
Paste: Ctrl + V, or right-click with nothing selected
If it does not work, check “QuickEdit Mode” and “Ctrl key shortcuts” in Properties