# Copy and Paste Shortcut Keys: Windows 11 & 10 Cheat Sheet > Every copy and paste shortcut key on Windows: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + X, Ctrl + V, Win + V, paste as plain text, and Ctrl + V + a number for ten saved copies. URL: https://clipten.com/copy-and-paste-shortcut-keys Updated: 2026-09-28 About ClipTen: https://clipten.com/llms.txt ClipTen (https://clipten.com/) Copy and paste shortcut keys ## Copy and paste shortcut keys for Windows 11 and 10 The ones everybody knows, the ones almost nobody does, and the one Windows forgot. ### Quick answer Checked September 2026 by the founder The copy and paste shortcut keys on every Windows PC: CopyCtrl + C CutCtrl + X PasteCtrl + V Clipboard historyWin + V Paste as plain textCtrl + Shift + V Paste a saved copy with ClipTenCtrl + V + 1 The last one is the key Windows is missing: a shortcut for one particular earlier copy. ClipTen (https://clipten.com/) adds it. Ctrl + C + 1 saves to key 1, Ctrl + V + 1 pastes it back, for ten keys from 1 to 0. ### The everyday ones | Press | What it does | | Ctrl + C | Copy what is selected | | Ctrl + X | Cut: copy it and remove it | | Ctrl + V | Paste the last thing you copied | | Ctrl + A | Select everything, usually right before a copy | | Ctrl + Z | Undo a paste that went wrong | | Ctrl + Y | Redo it | The clipboard holds one thing. Every copy replaces the last, which is why the next two sections exist. There is more on that in how to copy multiple things at once (https://clipten.com/how-to-copy-and-paste-multiple-things). ### Clipboard history: Win + V | Press | What it does | | Win + V | Open clipboard history. The first time, click Turn on | | ↑ / ↓ then Enter | Move through the list and paste the one you chose | | Win + . | Opens the emoji panel, which also has a clipboard tab | It keeps your last 25 copies, up to 4 MB each, and empties when the PC restarts apart from items you pin. Everything about Win + V (https://clipten.com/clipboard-history-windows-11), and what to do when it will not open (https://clipten.com/clipboard-history-not-working). ### Pasting without the formatting | Press | What it does | | Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste as plain text in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Slack, Teams and many other apps | | Ctrl + Alt + V | Paste Special in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Choose Unformatted Text or Values | | Ctrl after pasting, in Office | Opens the paste options for what you just pasted | ### The older keys that still work | Press | What it does | | Ctrl + Insert | Copy | | Shift + Insert | Paste. Handy where Ctrl + V is taken, such as some terminals | | Shift + Delete | Cut in text. In File Explorer it deletes a file permanently, so be careful | | Ctrl + Shift + C / Ctrl + Shift + V | Copy and paste in Windows Terminal, where Ctrl + C stops a running command | ### Copy and paste shortcut keys on a Mac The same moves, with ⌘ (Command) where Windows uses Ctrl: | Press | What it does | | ⌘ + C | Copy | | ⌘ + X | Cut | | ⌘ + V | Paste | | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + V | Paste and match style (plain text) | | ⌘ + Space then ⌘ + 4 | Clipboard history in Spotlight, on macOS Tahoe 26 and later | | ⌘ + V + 1 | Paste the copy you saved on key 1, with ClipTen for Mac (https://clipten.com/mac) (available now) | ### Screenshots straight to the clipboard | Press | What it does | | Win + Shift + S | Drag out any part of the screen; it is copied, ready for Ctrl + V | | Alt + PrtScn | Copy just the window in front | | PrtScn | The whole screen. On Windows 11 it may open Snipping Tool instead, depending on your settings | ### The shortcut Windows is missing Every shortcut above works on the clipboard: one item, or a list you open and read. None of them lets you say “paste the address I copied ten minutes ago” without opening something and looking for it. That is the gap ClipTen fills. It is the same Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, with a number on the end: | Press | What it does | | Ctrl + C + 1 … Ctrl + C + 0 | Save what is selected to slot 1 to 0. Keep Ctrl held through the number | | Ctrl + V + 1 … Ctrl + V + 0 | Paste slot 1 to 0, in any app, with no window opening | | Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V | Unchanged. Plain copy and paste work exactly as before | Slots hold formatted text, links, images and several files at once, and stay put after a restart. ClipTen is available now for Mac. See it working (https://clipten.com/how-it-works). Last checked September 2026, on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 10 22H2. ### Questions What is the shortcut to copy and paste on Windows? Ctrl + C copies what you have selected, Ctrl + X cuts it, and Ctrl + V pastes it. The older Ctrl + Insert (copy) and Shift + Insert (paste) still work in most apps. What is the shortcut to see everything I copied on Windows? Win + V opens clipboard history on Windows 10 and 11. The first time, click Turn on. It keeps your last 25 copies until the PC restarts; pinned items stay. How do I paste without formatting on Windows? Ctrl + Shift + V pastes as plain text in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and many other apps. In Word and Excel use Ctrl + Alt + V for Paste Special and choose Unformatted Text, or right-click and choose Keep Text Only. Is there a shortcut to paste several different things without copying each again? Not built into Windows. Win + V lets you pick each item from a list. ClipTen adds fixed keys: Ctrl + C + a number from 1 to 0 saves a copy to that number, and Ctrl + V + the same number pastes it, so ten things are each one shortcut away. How do I copy a screenshot to the clipboard? Win + Shift + S lets you drag out an area and copies it to the clipboard. Alt + Print Screen copies just the active window. Paste it with Ctrl + V. What are the copy and paste shortcut keys on a Mac? ⌘ + C copies, ⌘ + X cuts and ⌘ + V pastes. ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + V pastes as plain text. With ClipTen for Mac (https://clipten.com/mac), ⌘ + C + 1 saves a copy to key 1 and ⌘ + V + 1 pastes it. ### Keep reading - Copy multiple things at onceWin + V, the Office Clipboard, and slots (https://clipten.com/how-to-copy-and-paste-multiple-things) - Clipboard history on WindowsTurn it on, and what it will not do (https://clipten.com/clipboard-history-windows-11) - The best clipboard managers for WindowsSeven compared, honestly (https://clipten.com/best-clipboard-manager-for-windows) - Copy paste app for PCWhat ClipTen is, in two minutes (https://clipten.com/copy-paste-app-for-pc) Download forMac (https://clipten.com/mac#install) - All ten slots free for 30 days - No card, no subscription - From $10 once, or stay free On a Mac, it installs in about a minute with one line in Terminal (https://clipten.com/mac#install).