How to Disable Ctrl + C in JavaScript ?

Last Updated : 02 May, 2024

Disabling Ctrl+C in JavaScript involves intercepting the keyboard event and preventing the default action associated with the combination.

There are several approaches to disable Ctrl+C in JavaScript which are as follows:

Table of Content

Using Event Listeners
Modifying the clipboard event

Using Event Listeners

Connect an event listener to the keydown event for the document or particular elements.
When the event is triggered by pressing Ctrl + C, disable the default behavior.

Syntax:

// Add an event listener to the keydown event for the document or specific elements
document.addEventListener('keydown', function(event) {
    // Check if Ctrl + C is pressed (key code 67) and Ctrl key is also pressed
    if ((event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey) && event.keyCode === 67) {
        // Prevent the default behavior (copying)
        event.preventDefault();
    }
});

Example: To demonsrtate disabling the Ctrl+C in JavaScript using the event listner in JavaScript.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" 
          content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Document</title>
</head>
<style>
    p {
        font-size: xx-large;
        font-weight: bold;
    }
</style>

<body>
    <p>This text cannot be copied using Ctrl+C.</p>
    <script>
        document.addEventListener('keydown', function (event) {
            if (event.ctrlKey && event.key === 'c') {
                event.preventDefault();
                alert("Copying is disabled.");
            }
        });
    </script>
</body>

</html>

Output:

Document-GoogleChrome2024-04-3020-48-00-ezgifcom-video-to-gif-converter — Browser's Ouptut

Modifying the clipboard event

Intercept the clipboard event (`copy` event).
Prevent the default action of copying the content when `Ctrl + C` is pressed.

Syntax:

// Add an event listener to the copy event on the document or specific elements
document.addEventListener('copy', function(event) {
    // Prevent the default action of copying the content when Ctrl + C is pressed
    event.preventDefault();
});

Example: To demonsrtate disabling the Ctrl+C in JavaScript by modifying the Clipboard event.