# Cut and Copy across multiple lines

**URL:** https://the.fmsoup.org/t/cut-and-copy-across-multiple-lines/3517
**Category:** Tips and Techniques
**Tags:** macos
**Created:** [April 20, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/cut-and-copy-across-multiple-lines/3517 "2023-04-20T23:36:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/malcolm/32/196_2.png) [@Malcolm](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Malcolm)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/cut-and-copy-across-multiple-lines/3517/1 "2023-04-20T23:36:03Z")

</div>

@tonywhitelive [provided this tip for Mac users on Twitter way back in 2019.](https://twitter.com/tonywhitelive/status/1084843729532395524) but it deserves to be better known.

Hold down the option key to select a column of text that crosses many lines. When you hold the option key down in a text editor the cursor changes to a crosshair. Click and drag across multiple lines then cut or copy the text. Tony provides a video snippet that shows it in action.

It works in the FileMaker calculation editor.