macOS Big Sur For Dummies

Chapter 9

Comprehending the macOS Clipboard

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting a first look at macOS Big Sur’s Clipboard

Copying files and folders with the Clipboard

Pasting files and folders with the Clipboard

Introducing Big Sur’s Universal Clipboard

Before you start copying files, let me introduce you to the Clipboard. The Clipboard is a holding area for the last thing that you selected, and then cut or copied. That copied item can be text, a picture, a portion of a picture, an object in a drawing program, a column of numbers in a spreadsheet, any icon (except a drive icon), or just about anything else that can be selected.

Put another way, the Clipboard is your Mac’s temporary storage area.

Introducing the Clipboard

Most of the time, the Clipboard works quietly in the background, but if you want to know what it currently contains, the Clipboard will reveal itself if you choose Edit ⇒ Show Clipboard.

This command summons the Clipboard window, shown in Figure 9-1, which displays the type of item (such as text, an image, or sound) on the Clipboard, as well as either the item itself or a ...