How to Manage Your Windows Clipboard Like a Pro
What Is The Clipboard?
The Windows Clipboard is your ally for any cut, copy, or paste operation. Use these tips to learn how to manage your clipboard.
The clipboard is a function that enables you to copy unlimited amounts of information and/or images; although it will probably slow your system down if you attempt to copy and paste hundreds of pages. It isn't something unique to Windows. Other operating systems have a clipboard as well, albeit with different key combinations.
On Windows, you can copy something by highlighting the desired text, then activating the clipboard with the keyboard function CTRL + C. To paste the copied content, press CTRL + V.
The Clipboard does have its limitations though. Without some tweaks in the Settings menu, it can only save one thing at a time. Therefore, when you copy something, the clipboard automatically wipes the previous entry. The clipboard is also wiped when the computer is switched off or restarted.
How To Save And View Clipboard History
In mid-2018, Microsoft finally rolled out an all-new Windows clipboard. It lets you turn on clipboard history on a per device basis, or even sync your clipboard history between all the Windows devices connected to your Microsoft account.
To turn on the new features, head to Settings > System > Clipboard. Flick the toggles under Clipboard history and Sync across devices to suit your preferences.
Once enabled, you can press Win + V at any time to see your clipboard history images and text are supported. If you leave both settings disabled, the native Windows clipboard will continue to work in the same way as it did pre-2018.
How To Clear Clipboard History
Assuming you've enabled Windows' new clipboard features, you can clear items on an individual basis by pressing Win + V, clicking the three dots next to the entry you want to remove, and choosing Delete.
If you want to remove your entire clipboard history, open the Settings app and go to System > Clipboard > Clear Clipboard data > Clear.
Other Methods
Let's assume you don't want to turn on the new features. Perhaps, for privacy reasons, you'd rather not keep a complete record of everything you've copied. Can you still see what's currently copied to the clipboard? And how can you wipe that item to make your clipboard blank?
Use A Windows XP Trick To See Your Clipboard
In Windows XP and Windows Vista, entering the command clipbrd.exe in the Run dialog would bring up the clipboard and its contents. Microsoft retired the feature in Windows 7.
However, if you can get access to either XP or Vista, the clipbrd.exe method still works; just move the EXE file over to Windows 1o. It's easy to do. On either XP or Vista, go to the %windir%ystem32 folder, highlight the EXE file, press CTRL + C, and move it to the same path in your Windows 10 installation.
If the downloaded file doesn't work, try running it in Windows XP Service Pack 2 compatibility mode. To make the change, right-click on the EXE file, go to Properties > Compatibility, mark the checkbox next to Run this program in compatibility mode for, and make the selection.
Wiping Your Clipboard
To quickly wipe your clipboard from prying eyes, there are three quick fixes you can use.
- Shutting down or restarting the system.
- Highlight some plain text and press CTRL+C to wipe anything you copied previously.
- Press the Print Screen key whilst looking at a blank document or similar.
There are also a couple of more advanced tricks you can try.
1. Create A Dedicated Shortcut
First, you could create a shortcut on the desktop which, when clicked, will wipe your clipboard.
Follow these steps to get a dedicated shortcut set up:
- Right-click on the desktop and choose New > Shortcut.
- In the shortcut box, type cmd /c "echo off | clip
- Click Next and give it a name, such as "Clear Clipboard".
- Click Finish.
If you right-click on the new shortcut and choose Properties, you can also give the shortcut a logo and a keyboard shortcut. However, it's not necessary for the shortcut to work.
2. Use A Registry Hack
The second option involves editing the Windows registry. Remember, changing the wrong values in the registry can brick your system. It is advisable to make a backup of your registry settings before proceeding.
If you're feeling confident, you can add an option to the right-click context menu on the desktop to clear the clipboard. Use the steps below to see how it's done:
- Press Win + R to open the Run tool.
- Type regedit and press Enter.
- Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\.
- In the left-hand pane, right-click on Shell and select New > Key.
- Give the new menu item a name, such as Clear Clipboard.
- Right-click on the new Clear Clipboard item, go to New > Key, and name it Command.
- In the right-hand panel, double-click on Default and choose Modify.
- In the Value Data box type cmd.exe /c echo off | clip.
- Click OK.
- Press F5 to refresh the registry and shut it down.
You will now see the Clear Clipboard entry in the desktop context menu. Again, you may have to restart the system to get it to work for the first time.
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