Clipboard history will change how you work
The clipboard, used when copying and pasting, is one of the most useful features of any computer or smartphone. Most platforms also have an even more powerful add-on feature that’s easy to overlook, but a complete game-changer once you start using it. This is the clipboard history.
Clipboard history enables copy and paste
Turn it into a productivity tool
I primarily use macOS and Android, and both have a clipboard history feature so hidden you might not even know it exists. It saves everything you copied to the clipboard for a set period of time. So instead of the “copy and paste” approach, you can copy many items from many applications. You also avoid the classic copy-and-paste problem where you cut something and then inadvertently overwrite it before pasting it and it disappears forever.
This is ideal for multitasking. This means you don’t need to constantly switch between apps. You can copy multiple items from one app and then paste them all into another at once.
Better yet, clipboard history on some platforms lets you pin items you need to reuse, so you can keep them there semi-permanently. It’s perfect for repetitive tasks like filling out forms, creating boilerplate text for emails, or for research or coding tasks.
The downside, and perhaps the reason it’s hidden or disabled, is that clipboard history requires a bit of management from time to time. It’s very easy to end up with passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information stored there that you completely forget about. Windows stores the last 25 items you copy, and Mac saves everything for up to a week (although it’s only eight hours by default).
These limits help address some of the worst privacy or security risks, but people and even certain apps can still potentially spy on your clipboard, so you need to monitor it.
It’s integrated into your devices
You just haven’t turned it on yet
To use Clipboard history on your device, you may first need to enable it, or at least know where you can find it.
In Windows, you enable clipboard history through Settings, and the easiest way to find it is to simply type Clipboard in the search field. Once you see the History option, enable it.
From there you can access it by pressing Windows+V on your keyboard. Here you will see all the items in your history. Click on one of them to paste it into the app you’re using, or you can also pin or delete it from here. If you use this shortcut without first enabling clipboard history via Settings, you will be prompted to enable it.
Clipboard History is a new macOS feature introduced in Tahoe. It’s part of Spotlight, so you can access it at any time by tapping Command+spacebar then selecting the Clipboard icon. Double-click to paste an item, or right-click and select Copy to move it to the top of the clipboard, or DELETE to delete it.
Go to System Settings > Spotlight and use the Clipboard results option to enable or disable it. You can also set how long you want items to stay in history, which can be up to seven days.
For Android, the clipboard is built into the keyboard, so you get a different one depending on your device and the software you use. If it’s Google’s Gboard, you don’t need to enable history, but it’s a bit hidden. You can find the option in the keyboard toolbar. Tap the Settings button and drag the clipboard icon onto it. Tap now to see history. You can pin things here, add screenshots, and turn it off if you don’t want it.
The inevitable exception is iOS and iPadOS, which lack a clipboard history feature. You can try apps like Paste or PastePal, which promise to recreate it. But to get the best results, you’ll have to wait for Apple to implement it correctly.
Once you start using it correctly, you won’t go back
If you don’t already use your clipboard history, this is one of the simplest productivity improvements you can make. I pin email addresses and usernames for constant access, use them for images when working in graphics applications, and when moving data from a file to a spreadsheet. I also use it instead of the Cancel button. Instead of deleting text, for example, I cut it to the clipboard so I have it there if I need to get it back.
Before, I had to create temporary files or clutter my notes apps to cope. But once you get used to the clipboard holding more than one thing at a time, using it becomes second nature.
