JavaScript Free

Copy to Clipboard Utility

A more robust clipboard helper that supports strings or DOM elements, tries the modern clipboard API first, then falls back for older contexts. Good for code blocks, share links and admin UI actions.

1 min read 31 lines Beginner Updated: March 2026

Use case

Clipboard actions

Best for

Copy buttons, snippet tools, admin dashboards

Drop-in level

Drop in

Stack / dependencies

Vanilla JS

Compatibility

Modern browsers Fallback for older execution contexts

Code snippet

Full version with formatting intact. Use “Copy stripped version” when you want a leaner base.

export async function copyToClipboard(input) {
  let text = input;

  if (input instanceof HTMLElement) {
    text = input.innerText || input.textContent || '';
  }

  if (typeof text !== 'string') {
    text = String(text ?? '');
  }

  if (navigator.clipboard && window.isSecureContext) {
    await navigator.clipboard.writeText(text);
    return true;
  }

  const textarea = document.createElement('textarea');
  textarea.value = text;
  textarea.setAttribute('readonly', '');
  textarea.style.position = 'absolute';
  textarea.style.left = '-9999px';
  document.body.appendChild(textarea);
  textarea.select();

  try {
    document.execCommand('copy');
    return true;
  } finally {
    document.body.removeChild(textarea);
  }
}

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