How to make Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V copy and paste on a Mac
By Wondering Works, maker of Windsify · Updated
On a Mac, Command+C copies and Command+V pastes. Ctrl+C usually interrupts a running command in Terminal. If you want the Windows Ctrl+C/V habit in ordinary apps, check how your chosen mapping treats Terminal before relying on it.
The one-line answer
Press Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste. Command is the key beside the space bar on an Apple keyboard. On a Windows keyboard plugged into a Mac it is the Windows key — note that this is one key further out than an Apple keyboard's Command, because a PC layout runs Ctrl, Win, Alt where Apple runs Control, Option, Command.
Cut is Command+X, select all is Command+A, and undo is Command+Z in many Mac apps. Some Windows Ctrl shortcuts have different Mac equivalents or app-specific behavior, so check the frontmost app's Edit menu.
Check your setup before changing keys
Use a disposable line of text in TextEdit and a separate Terminal window. Note which keyboard is selected in System Settings. An external Windows keyboard and the MacBook’s built-in keyboard can have different modifier settings.
- In TextEdit, select a word and try Command+C followed by Command+V. This checks that normal Mac copy and paste works.
- Open the standalone macOS Terminal app. Type
sleep 30, press Return, then press physical Control+C before 30 seconds pass. The command should stop and the prompt should return; the process changes no files. - After choosing a method below, repeat both checks with your intended physical keys. Test Finder file moves separately using disposable files.
The guide targets macOS 15 or newer and Windsify 1.4.18. These are reproducible checks for your setup, not a claim that every keyboard or application has been tested.
Why Ctrl+C doesn't copy
macOS uses Command+C for the Copy menu action. Control+C has a different role in a terminal.
In Terminal, Control+C normally sends an interrupt to the foreground process. In a text editor, it does not invoke the usual Copy menu action. A global modifier swap also changes the physical interrupt key, so test both contexts.
Option 1: swap Control and Command in System Settings
Open System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › Modifier Keys, choose your keyboard at the top, then set Control to act as Command and Command to act as Control.
Free, built in, about ten seconds. Ctrl+C now copies.
What it costs you: the swap moves the key itself, everywhere, in every app. So
- Control-click — the Mac's keyboard right-click — is now Command-click.
- App switching moves to physical Control+Tab. Shortcuts that previously used Control move to the physical Command key.
- In Terminal, the physical Command+C key combination now sends Control+C for interrupt. The physical Ctrl+C combination is Command+C for copy. Check the physical keys after making the swap.
- It is set per keyboard, so your laptop's built-in keyboard and your external keyboard have to be configured separately.
If you choose this swap, repeat the TextEdit and Terminal checks above on the selected keyboard.
Option 2: remap with hidutil
macOS includes hidutil, a command-line tool that remaps keys by their USB HID usage codes. It reaches keys that the Modifier Keys panel can't.
It has the same blind spot, though — it swaps keys, so it cannot distinguish Ctrl+C in a text editor from Ctrl+C in a shell. And a hidutil mapping is lost on reboot unless you write a property list and load it as a launch agent.
Option 3: translate the shortcut instead of the key
The alternative is to leave the physical keys exactly where they are and translate each shortcut on top, with the option to act differently depending on which app is in front.
That is how Windsify works. Physical Control stays Control — there is no system-level modifier swap. In ordinary apps, its Free layer maps Ctrl+C/V to copy/paste. In recognized standalone terminal apps, Ctrl+A through Ctrl+Z remain native control sequences, so Ctrl+C can still interrupt sleep 30. Pro adds Windows Terminal style app actions: Ctrl+Shift+C to copy, Ctrl+Shift+V to paste, and Ctrl+Shift+T for a new tab.
The same layer picks up the rest of the editing set you are missing:
| You press | What happens |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+C · Ctrl+V · Ctrl+X | Copy, paste, cut |
| Ctrl+Z · Ctrl+Y | Undo and redo |
| Ctrl+A · Ctrl+S · Ctrl+F | Select all, save, find |
| Ctrl+Insert · Shift+Insert | Copy and paste, the other way |
| Ctrl+Left · Ctrl+Right | Move by word |
| Home · End | Start and end of line, in text editors only |
The editing shortcuts in this table are in the Windsify Free feature layer, which stays available after the 14-day Pro trial ends.
Need custom per-device rules instead? The Karabiner-Elements comparison explains when a configurable remapper is a better fit.
Copying files in Finder
Worth knowing, because it surprises everyone: macOS has no cut-and-paste for files in the way Windows Explorer does. Command+C then Command+V copies a file. To move it you press Command+C then Command+Option+V.
Windsify maps Ctrl+X then Ctrl+V to move Finder files. This Finder file operation is Pro; Ctrl+X for ordinary text editing is Free.
Frequently asked questions
How do you copy and paste on a Mac?
Command+C copies and Command+V pastes. Command is the key immediately beside the space bar on an Apple keyboard, and the Windows key position on a Windows keyboard.
Why does Ctrl+C not copy on a Mac?
macOS assigns application shortcuts to Command and keeps Control for control characters. Ctrl+C already has a meaning on a Mac — in a terminal it interrupts the running process.
Can I change Ctrl+C to copy on a Mac?
Yes, three ways. Swap Control and Command in System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › Modifier Keys — free but all-or-nothing. Remap with the hidutil command-line tool. Or use a shortcut translation layer that leaves the physical Control key alone and can behave differently per app.
Do Ctrl+Insert and Shift+Insert work on a Mac?
Not by default — macOS binds nothing to the Insert key. Windsify maps Ctrl+Insert to copy and Shift+Insert to paste, and both are in the Free feature layer.
Will this break Ctrl+C in Terminal?
Not with Windsify. Standalone terminal applications keep Ctrl+A through Ctrl+Z as native control sequences, so Ctrl+C still interrupts. A global modifier swap does break it, because the Control key itself has moved.
What about VS Code’s integrated terminal?
Windsify Pro 1.4.16 treats the editor and terminal separately. With Windows keyboard shortcuts enabled, terminal support is configured automatically; no separate setup or window reload is normally needed. Ctrl+C copies and clears selected terminal text, or interrupts when nothing is selected. Ctrl+V pastes. Ctrl+Shift+C/V also work. This is a Pro feature for supported VS Code profiles on the internal disk. Free uses generic copy/paste mappings throughout VS Code, including its terminal, where Ctrl+C copies instead of interrupting.
Stop translating in your head
Windsify translates the shortcuts your hands already know — and manages your windows too — in one native menu-bar app. No telemetry, no account, and typed text is never collected or sent.
Every download runs full Pro for 14 days, then keeps every Free feature. macOS 15 or newer, signed and notarized.
References
Apple’s Windows-to-Mac terminology and shortcuts explains the native key differences.
Related guides
- How to use Windows keyboard shortcuts on a Mac
- Alt+Tab on a Mac: switching apps the Windows way
- The Windows key on a Mac: what it does and how to use it
- Every shortcut Windsify maps
VS Code terminal: copy, paste, interrupt and automatic setup →