Android Copy Text to Clipboard Programmatically – JAVA/KOTLIN

Hi Guys, Welcome to Proto Coders Point, In this Android Tutorial will learn how to copy a text programmatically into clipboard in android apps, Source Code below for both JAVA & KOTLIN developer.

Copy text to clipboard android programmatically

Below is complete source code to learn how to copy and paste on android programmatically (copy to clipboard android).

To Implement the same, we will use android clipboard manager

clipboard manager in android

Basically, android clipboard manager is a interface to a clipboard services, use to easily save any text in clipData and to retrieve the text global in a mobile device.

The ClipboardManager is best, easily to use & understand: it contains some methods by which we can get & set the current clipboard data as primary copyed text.

Snippet Code For Java

  ClipboardManager clipboardManager = (ClipboardManager) getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE);

  ClipData clipData = ClipData.newPlainText("label","The Text you want to copy in clipboard");  // Example: In real-time, Value from textview

  clipboardManager.setPrimaryClip(clipData);

Snippet Code For Kotlin

  val clipboardManager = getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE) as ClipboardManager

  val clipData = ClipData.newPlainText("label", txtview2cpy!!.text.toString())

  clipboardManager.setPrimaryClip(clipData)

Clipboard manager android example with source code

Note: Below code is just an example, Use it to implement in real-time projects. ALL THE BEST.

Code Explaination in brief

Below I have 2 views (TextView & a Button). In TextView I have a text that I want to copy into android clipboard as PainText data, Then I have a button that simply copy the text from textview and get saved into clipdata (so that I can paste the copied text somewhere else easily).

activity_main.xml – UI Design

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/txtview2cpy"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginBottom="32dp"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:text="On Click, This TextView Text get Copyed in clipboard programmatically...!!"
        android:textSize="22dp"
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/bCopyText"
        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintHorizontal_bias="0.0"
        app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="1.0" />

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/bCopyText"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Copy"
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />

</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

MainActivity.kt – For Kotlin Developer

package example.on.androidtextcopy

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import android.widget.TextView
import android.os.Bundle
import example.on.androidtextcopy.R
import android.content.ClipData
import android.content.ClipboardManager
import android.view.View
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.Toast

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    var txtview2cpy: TextView? = null
    var bCopyText: Button? = null
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
        txtview2cpy = findViewById<View>(R.id.txtview2cpy) as TextView
        bCopyText = findViewById<View>(R.id.bCopyText) as Button
        val clipboardManager = getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE) as ClipboardManager
        bCopyText!!.setOnClickListener {
            val clipData = ClipData.newPlainText("label", txtview2cpy!!.text.toString())
            clipboardManager.setPrimaryClip(clipData)
            Toast.makeText(this@MainActivity, "Text Copyed", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
        }
    }
}

MainActivity.java – copy to clipboard android programmatically

package example.on.androidtextcopy;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.content.ClipData;
import android.content.ClipboardManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    TextView txtview2cpy;
    Button bCopyText;
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        txtview2cpy = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txtview2cpy);
        bCopyText = (Button) findViewById(R.id.bCopyText);
        ClipboardManager clipboardManager = (ClipboardManager) getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE);
        bCopyText.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                ClipData clipData = ClipData.newPlainText("label",txtview2cpy.getText().toString());
                clipboardManager.setPrimaryClip(clipData);
                Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this,"Text Copyed",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            }
        });
    }
}