Copying and pasting is a long-standing Windows tradition through which you can paste text, images, links, and other objects from one location to another.
In the past, the Windows clipboard limited you to copying and pasting only one item at a time.
This forced you to make a series of round trips between your source and destination if you needed to cut or copy a whole lineup of items.
The Windows 10 October 2018 Update introduced a clipboard history feature that can store multiple items and even sync them among different computers.
The clipboard tool certainly gets the job done, but if you want more powerful options or are still using an older version of Windows, a clipboard utility can store and help you manage multiple items in your clipboard.
Most Windows clipboard utilities work the same way.
You use the standard Cut keystroke (Ctrl+X) or menu command if you wish to move an item to another location.
You use the Copy keystroke (Ctrl+C) or menu command to copy an item.
Then you use a special Paste keystroke via the utility itself or you click on the program's shortcut or system tray icon.
That maneuver pastes a certain numbered item from the list or displays a menu of all items in the clipboard so you can choose which one you want to paste.
Let’s look at the clipboard history feature and three clipboard utility programs for Windows 10.
You should have the new clipboard by now, but the easiest way to check is to go to Settings > System.
If you see a setting called Clipboard, you’re good to go.
If not, go to the Windows Update screen in Settings and download the latest updates.
At the Settings screen for Clipboard, turn on the switch for Clipboard history if it’s not already enabled.
If you run Windows 10 on more than one computer and want to sync your clipboard entries across all of them, turn on the switch to Sync across devices.
Under Automatic syncing, choose your preferred option; “Automatically sync text that I copy” is the easier one as your synced items are automatically available.
Now, open a document, web page, or other piece of content and copy one item after another via the usual Copy command or Ctrl+C keystroke.
You can copy text, images, and hyperlinks.
Go to a blank document or page.
Press Win key+V.
Click the item you wish to paste.
Continue until you’ve pasted each of the items you want.
Next, you can control the items you’ve pasted.
Press Win key+V again.
Click the ellipses icon next to an entry in the list.
You can delete that entry, pin it so it’s always available, or Clear all items.
If you clear all items, any ones that you’ve pinned remain available.
Next, you can try the same maneuvers on another Windows 10 computer with the same feature.
Move to another PC with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update or higher.
Go to Settings > System > Clipboard.
Make sure the options for Clipboard history and Sync across devices are both turned on.
Go to a blank document or file and press Win key+V.
You should see the same entries that you copied on the other computer.
Now let’s look at some third-party clipboard utilities you can use if you’re not running Windows 10 or just want a more powerful clipboard program.
ClipX
An oldie but a goodie, ClipX can reside as an icon in your Windows system tray, automatically capturing everything you copy—text, URLs, and images alike.
To paste items that have been captured, you can create a series of hotkeys—one to paste the last item copied, another to paste the second-to-last item copied, and still another to display a menu of pasted items from which to choose.
For example, pressing Win+Z may display a menu of pasted items.
Alternatively, you can just click the ClipX system tray icon to access the menu.
From there, click on the item you wish to paste or press its number in the list, and voila, it's pasted into your current file or document.
ClipX can store as many as 1,024 pasted items.
That list can also be purged once it grows too big, then start a new one from scratch.
You can view, manage, and even save lists of pasted items to continue using the same ones.
Ditto
Filled with features and customization options, Ditto is an advanced clipboard manager that can reside in your system tray so it's accessible with just one or two clicks.
Clicking on the icon can load a menu of all pasted items and let you view and tweak all available options or delete the current clipboard.
As with most clipboard managers, you can cut or copy and then paste text and images.
You can create your own keystrokes to display the menu of copied items, paste objects, and save the current clipboard.
Custom keystrokes unique to each application can also be created.
You can decide what type of formatting to use for a pasted object.
For example, HTML can be pasted as a hyperlink or as straight text.
Ditto also encourages sharing of copied items, so you can send your clipboard to another person over a network.
Clipboard Master
Another clipboard utility is Clipboard Master, which sets up shop in your Windows system tray and automatically keeps track of copied text and images.
Click on the system tray icon or press a hotkey, such as Win+V, and up pops a list of your clipboard entries.
From there, choose the item you wish to paste.
A dedicated menu offers specific functions, such as the ability to paste the last copied piece of text, the last image, or the last URL.
The software already offers an array of keyboard shortcuts, and you can add to the list by devising your own.
You can choose whether to capture text with its original formatting intact or as just plain text.
Clipboard Master can even serve as a screen capture tool to snap an image of your current window or a selected area of the screen.
