Element: copy event

{{APIRef}}

The copy event of the Clipboard API fires when the user initiates a copy action through the browser’s user interface.

The event’s default action is to copy the selection (if any) to the clipboard.

A handler for this event can modify the clipboard contents by calling {{domxref("DataTransfer.setData", "setData(format, data)")}} on the event’s {{domxref("ClipboardEvent.clipboardData")}} property, and cancelling the event’s default action using {{domxref("Event/preventDefault", "event.preventDefault()")}} .

However, the handler cannot read the clipboard data.

It’s possible to construct and dispatch a synthetic copy event, but this will not affect the system clipboard.

This event bubbles up the DOM tree, eventually to {{domxref("Document")}} and {{domxref("Window")}} , is cancelable and is composed.

Syntax

Use the event name in methods like {{domxref("EventTarget.addEventListener", "addEventListener()")}} , or set an event handler property.

addEventListener("copy", (event) => { })

oncopy = (event) => { }

Event type

A {{domxref("ClipboardEvent")}} . Inherits from {{domxref("Event")}} .

{{InheritanceDiagram("ClipboardEvent")}}

Examples

Live example

HTML

<div class="source" contenteditable="true">Copy text from this box.</div>
<div class="target" contenteditable="true">And paste it into this one.</div>

div.source,
div.target {
  border: 1px solid gray;
  margin: 0.5rem;
  padding: 0.5rem;
  height: 1rem;
  background-color: #e9eef1;
}

JavaScript

const source = document.querySelector("div.source");

source.addEventListener("copy", (event) => {
  const selection = document.getSelection();
  event.clipboardData.setData("text/plain", selection.toString().toUpperCase());
  event.preventDefault();
});

Result

{{ EmbedLiveSample('Live_example', '100%', '120px') }}

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

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