# Releasing clipboard text **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786 "2014-09-07T18:05:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/1 "2014-09-07T18:05:56Z")
How do I get text from such-and-such thread, which I copied onto a clipboard (the time to edit ran out), released so I can use it in another Reply box? p. S. I’m posting from a smartphone, not my computer. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/2 "2014-09-07T18:14:08Z")
Can’t you paste it into the new reply box? That’s what I do. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/3 "2014-09-07T18:39:00Z")
No. I said I was using a smartphone. No copy-and-paste buttons. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/4 "2014-09-07T19:02:00Z")
I’m using an iPhone. It has copy and paste. It would help if you said what kind of phone you have. Android? Windows 8? Then you’d get more helpful replies. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/5 "2014-09-07T19:10:03Z")
I’m actually using a Samsung Tablet 3. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/6 "2014-09-07T20:06:34Z")
This seems to be more of a General Questions kind of thing, so am moving. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/7 "2014-09-07T20:24:33Z")
In general, hold your finger on a word to pop up the selection cursor and copy/paste functions. To make this forum easier to use, get the Tapatalk app. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/8 "2014-09-07T22:05:25Z")
What do you mean by “released”. I’ve never heard that word used in the context of cut and paste. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/9 "2014-09-07T22:57:23Z")
Cut and paste are accessed by the keyboard software you’re using, rather than the current app. On my swype keyboard, it’s in a separate section accessed by swiping from the swype key to the symbols key (used to switch from letters to numbers to symbols). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/10 "2014-09-07T23:03:22Z")
How did you copy it into a clipboard, if your phone has no copy and paste 😕 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/11 "2014-09-07T23:04:48Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > No. I said I was using a smartphone. No copy-and-paste buttons. Many smartphones and tablets do have copy and paste functions. If yours doesn’t, how’d you get it onto the clipboard? Would a paste function be also available? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/12 "2014-09-07T23:50:55Z")
[Here are illustrated step-by-step instructions](http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00056462/71776/SM-T217AZKAATT) for using Copy and Paste on a Samsung Galaxy 3. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/13 "2014-09-08T00:39:11Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > Cut and paste are accessed by the keyboard software you’re using, rather than the current app. On my swype keyboard, it’s in a separate section accessed by swiping from the swype key to the symbols key (used to switch from letters to numbers to symbols). Wow, I’ve been using Swype for like three years and never knew that. I’ve always long pressed. That menu gives much finer control though. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-clipboard-text/697786/14 "2014-09-08T17:47:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > [Here are illustrated step-by-step instructions](http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00056462/71776/SM-T217AZKAATT) for using Copy and Paste on a Samsung Galaxy 3. Yep, that’s the way I do it on my android phone.