Multiple processes are used to copy and paste websites, and it does not require much time to complete the task. The reasoning behind your copy and paste is important, however, because plagiarizing and stealing copyrighted work is illegal. When you are preparing to copy the information, keep in mind that text-based webpages are easy, while graphics require a few extra steps to paste somewhere else.
Keep it Legal
Feel free to copy website content from your own site or from anything available in the public domain. Do not swipe information that is owned by others without explicit permission to use that content. Plagiarizing and stealing photos, graphics and text is illegal and comes with serious legal penalties.
One common reason for copying website content is to save or move that content to a new location. For example, you may have published an article or been interviewed by a website and want to store that information for a portfolio or personal reference point. Copying and pasting that information into a private place is perfectly fine, but sharing or reposting that information without permission from the publisher is not a good idea.
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Before executing any copy-and-paste sequence, take a minute to consider your reasoning and if the action is ethical and legal. If you have a good reason to copy the information, move forward with the process.
Copy and Paste Text
A simple copy-and-paste sequence works great for moving content from a webpage to another location. You will, however, need a place to paste websites in a text-style format. Begin by opening a blank Word document or other medium that will accept the content. Next, open the webpage to access the content you want to copy.
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After opening the webpage, hover your mouse over the beginning of the content, then click and hold while dragging downward to highlight all the desired text. Graphics may also group into this highlighted content. Ask Leo says you can use the Ctrl+A keyboard command to select everything on the page, then Ctrl+C to copy everything.
After copying the content, open your document and right-click to access a menu. Next, click "Paste" to add all of the copied content. You can also use the Ctrl+V command to paste everything. Keep in mind the formatting will not transfer perfectly, and things may end up out of order. Copying only the text is the easiest way to maintain reasonable formatting.
Copy Images
Images are easy to copy and paste, but you also have the option to save the image directly to your computer. To copy and paste, first create a document or folder where you want to move the image. Next, open the webpage and locate the image you wish to copy. Right-click and choose "Copy," then navigate to your new location to paste as described above.
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Alternatively, you can use the same right-click process and choose "Save Image As" to save the photo. Select the folder you want, and click "Save" to keep that photo on your computer.
Save vs. Copy
Copying is only one way to save a webpage. You can actually copy the entire source code or HTML if you have access to the website back-end. This gives you everything on the website itself, including the content and design, but it will not display in a normal, readable format.
An easier and more efficient way to preserve a webpage is by saving it directly, not copy and pasting its content separately. This will save the formatting and all of the information as a PDF or HTML document. According to CNET, simply open the webpage and right-click a blank space on the page. Click "Save As" to open your file manager. Choose a location and click "Save" to keep the entire webpage on your computer.
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You can open the webpage at anytime - while it's not an interactive website, the content is preserved.
References
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Tips
- When copying and pasting an entire Web page, what you paste may not look like the Web page from which you copied it. The copy function doesn't copy the Web page's stylesheet, which determines how the page looks when viewed in the Web browser. Without the stylesheet, the information will paste but without its formatting.
- If you want an exact image of what you see on the Webpage, copy the page using "Print Screen" on your keyboard and then perform one of the paste functions to put that image into a word processor or graphics program.
- If copying and pasting the entire page crashes your program or your computer, there may be too much underlying code in the page for your destination program to handle, especially if you're pasting to a word processor document. After selecting and copying the page, click "Edit" on the word processor's menu bar and then click "Paste Special." Select "Unformatted Text" to paste the page's text without formatting or select "HTML Format" to paste the Web page's content.
Warnings
- Copying a Web page to retain the information it contains is a useful tool for your business. Be aware, however, that reusing the information without proper credit to the source may violate copyright laws. Don't violate copyrights by reusing content found on Web pages that don't belong to you or your business.
