The clipboard is a handy tool and even handier than you may realize. Sure, using Ctrl + V for pasting is a staple, but you can get so much more out of this feature. In this article, we’re going to show you 5 hidden Windows clipboard features you might not know about, but really shouldn’t do without.
Your Guide to Hidden Windows Clipboard Features
Listed below, we’ve got 5 advanced Windows clipboard tricks for you to test out. Let’s get started:
Clipboard History
Let’s start in relatively familiar territory. By default, the Windows clipboard stores one copied item at a time, but Clipboard History can also keep a record of previously copied items. Here’s how to enable it:
Step 1. Open “Settings” (Win + I) and select “System” in the sidebar.
Step 2. Select “Clipboard” and click it.
Step 3. Toggle “Clipboard History” to “On.”
Step 4. Now, whenever you press Win + V, you’ll be presented with a list of copied items to choose from. Clipboard History can store up to 25 entries, with older unpinned items being removed to make room for new ones.
Pin Your Favorite Copies
Now that you have Clipboard History enabled, did you know that you can also pin your favorite copies for use whenever, ensuring they won’t get deleted or moved to the bottom of the list? All you have to do is open Clipboard History with Win + V and select the pin icon next to the copied item you want to keep.
Sync Clipboards Across Devices
If you have multiple devices linked by the same Microsoft account, then you can also sync clipboard data across them, thanks to the Cloud (and a working internet connection, of course). All you have to do is ensure you’re signed in and enable “Sync across your devices” in the “Clipboard” section of settings where you enabled Clipboard History. You can select “Clear all” in Clipboard History to remove unpinned items and start fresh.
Clipboard History in Office
It’s useful to know that Office has its own version of Clipboard History that can be accessed right from your Home Tab in any Office app. On the Home tab, select the Clipboard dialog box launcher in the Clipboard group to open the Clipboard task pane. This is useful for working solely within Office.
PowerToys Enhancements
PowerToys is an optional Windows download to make everything that much better. Case in point, if you’ve ever had to copy data from one app to another, you know that formatting can be a nightmare. Just think about your last Word doc. Advanced Paste is a PowerToys tool that makes the clipboard even better. Here’s how to use it:
Step 1. Open PowerToys (download it from the Microsoft Store if you haven’t already) in the System Tray.
Step 2. Toggle “Advanced Paste” to “On.”
Step 3. Copy your data in the normal way (Ctrl + C) and open the location where you want to paste it.
Step 4. To paste with Advanced Paste, press (Win + Shift + V), which will open the preview window. This shortcut can also be redefined if you want.
Step 5. Choose how you would like your content pasted. Depending on the content and your PowerToys settings, you can select options such as plain text, Markdown, or JSON.
Step 6. Your text will be pasted.
Step 7. If you want data from further back, simply click the History icon at the right of the box to see the list.
