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Copy and paste selections
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn to copy and paste selections to duplicate and move image content in Adobe Photoshop.
You can copy and paste selections within or between images using the Move tool or commands like Copy, Copy Merged, Cut, and Paste. Dragging with the Move tool avoids using the clipboard, saving memory.
Copy a selection
Select Edit > Copy or Edit > Copy Merged.
Copy a selection while dragging
Select the Move tool from the toolbar.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag the selection you want to copy.
If nothing is selected, the entire active layer is copied. As you drag the selection over another image window, a border highlights the window if you can drop the selection into it.
Paste a selection
Select Edit > Copy or Edit > Copy Merged.
Select Edit > Paste to paste the copied selection as a new layer in the destination image.
Tip
When pasting between images of different resolutions, the pasted content retains its pixel dimensions, which may cause size mismatches. To fix this, match the image resolutions beforehand or use Free Transform to resize.
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