How to Use Clipboard History on Windows

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Enable Clipboard History in Settings

   Open Settings by pressing Windows + I. Navigate to System > Clipboard. Toggle on 'Clipboard history' under the Clipboard history section. Windows will now begin storing multiple copied items.

   Note: Enable 'Sync across your devices' to access clipboard history on other Windows devices signed into the same Microsoft account.
2. Ongoing

   Copy items to build your clipboard history

   Copy text, images, or other content normally using Ctrl + C or right-click and select Copy. Each copied item adds to your clipboard history. The history stores up to 25 items by default.

   Note: Clipboard history works with most content types including formatted text, images, and HTML, but excludes large files over 4MB.
3. 30 sec

   Open the clipboard history panel

   Press Windows + V to open the clipboard history panel. The panel displays all recently copied items with previews. Click anywhere outside the panel or press Escape to close it without selecting an item.

   Note: The first time you press Windows + V, you'll see a prompt to turn on clipboard history if it's not already enabled.
4. 30 sec

   Select and paste from clipboard history

   Click any item in the clipboard history panel to paste it at your cursor position. The selected item becomes your active clipboard content. The most recent item appears at the top of the list.

   Note: Use arrow keys to navigate the clipboard history and press Enter to paste the highlighted item.
5. 30 sec

   Pin frequently used items

   Hover over any item in the clipboard history and click the pin icon. Pinned items remain in your clipboard history permanently and appear in a separate Pinned section at the top. Unpin items by clicking the pin icon again.

   Note: Pin commonly used text snippets, email signatures, or addresses for quick access without re-copying them.
6. 30 sec

   Delete items from clipboard history

   Hover over any item and click the X button to remove it. To clear all clipboard history, click the three dots menu at the top right and select 'Clear all'. Pinned items remain unless individually deleted.

   Note: Use 'Clear all' regularly to remove sensitive information like passwords or personal data from clipboard history.