How to use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V in Apple Mail.
Pressing Ctrl C and Ctrl V in Apple Mail does nothing, because a Mac expects the Command key. 4AM is a small Mac menu bar app that fixes that: ⌃C copies, ⌃V pastes and ⌃X cuts in Apple Mail, just as they did on Windows.
Free for 7 days with everything working. One-time purchase of USD$9.99, no subscription. Requires macOS 27 or later.
Getting started
How to turn on Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V in Apple Mail
It takes about a minute. 4AM lives in your menu bar, with no Dock icon and no window to manage.
- Install 4AM
Open the download and drag 4AM into your Applications folder, then open it. - Allow Accessibility
macOS asks you to let 4AM control your Mac. Choose Open System Settings and switch 4AM on. If it isn’t in the list, add it with the + button. - Choose Outlook for Windows
Click the 4AM icon in the menu bar and choose Outlook for Windows under Shortcut Set. ⌃C, ⌃V and ⌃X now copy, paste and cut in Mail.
With 4AM
Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, plus the rest of your Windows shortcuts
4AM’s Outlook for Windows set puts the Ctrl shortcuts you know on the Mac’s Control key, which sits where Ctrl does on a PC keyboard.
Copy, paste and cut
⌃C ⌃V ⌃X work anywhere in Mail, including in a message you’re writing. The Mac’s own shortcuts keep working too.
Reply, forward and send
⌃R replies, ⌃F forwards, ⌃N starts a new message and ⌃↩ sends. See every Outlook for Windows shortcut.
Only in Mail
4AM acts only while Apple Mail is the app in front. Control keeps its usual meaning everywhere else, such as in Terminal.
Nothing you type is recorded
4AM checks each key against the shortcut list and forgets it. Nothing is logged or stored.
Free for 7 days with everything working. One-time purchase of USD$9.99, no subscription. Requires macOS 27 or later.
Questions
Copy and paste in Apple Mail, answered
Short answers to the common ones.
Why doesn’t Ctrl+C work in Apple Mail?
On a Mac, copy and paste use the Command key, not Control: Command-C copies and Command-V pastes. Control-C does nothing in Apple Mail unless you remap the keys or use an app such as 4AM.
How do I make Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V work in Apple Mail?
Install 4AM, click its icon in the menu bar and choose the Outlook for Windows set. Control-C then copies, Control-V pastes and Control-X cuts in Apple Mail.
Does it change Ctrl+C in other Mac apps?
No. 4AM only acts while Apple Mail is the app in front, so Control keeps its usual meaning everywhere else, such as in Terminal.
Do Command-C and Command-V still work?
Yes. 4AM adds the Control shortcuts alongside the Mac’s own, so both work in Apple Mail.
Is 4AM free?
4AM is free for 7 days with everything working. After that it is a one-time purchase of USD$9.99, with no subscription.
4AM is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple, Google or Microsoft. Apple Mail and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Gmail is a trademark of Google LLC. Outlook and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 4AM privacy policy · 4AM license terms