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How to Clear Clipboard History in Windows 10

Manage the history of copied items on the much improved Windows 10 clipboard.

By Saikat Basu Saikat Basu Writer University of Pune (India) Saikat has been a technology writer for 12+ years. His writing has appeared at MakeUseOf, OnlineTechTips, GoSkills, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 16, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide

What to Know:

Press Windows key + V and click the three-dot menu next to an item and select Delete.Select Clear all from that menu to remove all items from the clipboard’s history.Windows 10 Clipboard requires the Windows 10 1809 (October 2018) update or higher. This article explains how to clear the clipboard history in Windows 10 as well as how to disable it. It also outlines the limitations imposed by Windows on the items you can keep on the clipboard.

How to Clear Your Clipboard in Windows 10

The Windows 10 Clipboard history stores up to 25 items. You can clear individual items from your clipboard or clear all the items together in Windows 10. Open Clipboard with the Windows key + V keyboard shortcut. To delete an individual entry, select the ellipses (three dots) on the top-right. Select Delete to clear a specific entry. If you want to pin something to your clipboard so it doesn't get erased, open the Clipboard history, click the three dot menu and then select Pin. This keeps the item on your clipboard until you unpin it. Select Clear all to remove all pasted items from the clipboard’s history. Clipboard won’t remove any pinned items. To remove a pinned item, select Unpin first and then choose Delete from the options again.

Tip:

You can also clear all your clipboard data from Windows Settings. Go to Settings > System > Clipboard and go down to the Clear Clipboard Data section. Select the Clear button to clear your entire Windows clipboard (except the pinned items) in one go. Windows also clears the clipboard history each time you restart your PC, except for those items you’ve pinned.

What Clipboard Data Gets Stored

The earlier Windows clipboard was basic as it stored only one item at a time. This made third-party developers introduce clipboard managers which could handle more than that. Microsoft introduced the new improved Clipboard in the Windows 10 1809 (October 2018) update. You can now copy and past more than one item and keep a history of items you paste frequently. You can also sync clipboard items between devices that are running Windows 10 with the 1809 update onwards. All items are synced to your Windows account. The Windows Clipboard supports text, HTML, and bitmap images when each is up to 4 MB in size. Clipboard history won’t store anything larger than the 4 MB limit. You can pin up to 25 items in the clipboard. When you pin more, older items are automatically pushed out to make room for new ones.

How to Disable Clipboard History

When Clipboard history is enabled, anything you copy will appear in the Clipboard history list. If you are concerned about cloud sync and privacy, you can disable the feature in Windows Settings. You also might not want to use the utility because you have mapped the key combination to another critical shortcut. To disable clipboard history, select the Start button, and choose the gear icon for Settings. Alternatively, use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut. In Settings, select System. On the System sidebar, scroll to Clipboard. Go to the section called Clipboard history and toggle the switch to Off. If you press Windows+V now, you will see a small window notifying you that Windows 10 cannot show your Clipboard history because the feature is turned off. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use the Clipboard on Android Phones How to Clear Your Search Bar History Use Office Clipboard to Copy Multiple Items in Excel How to Clear Cache on an iPad 16 Ways To Fix It When Print Screen Is Not Working in Windows How to Use the Clipboard in Windows 10 Search History: How to View or Delete It How to Fix It When Copy and Paste Isn't Working in Windows 10/11 How to Add Shortcuts to Windows 10 Desktops How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10 How to Clear Internet Cache in Every Major Browser How to Clear Your Instagram Search History How to Clear Your Internet Explorer History How to Change the Default Download Location in Windows 10 How to Clear a YouTube Queue With Chromecast on Android How to Delete Cookies in Every Major Browser Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies