Clipboard History Is The Best Windows Feature You're Probably Not Using

Key points:

- Clipboard History stores up to 25 items in Windows 10 and 11; press Windows+V to access it.
- You can use the Clipboard to store text, HTML, links, and images.
- You can pin frequently used items for quick access.

If you're like me, chances are you've never used one of the features of productivity most underrated feature of Windows, even if you’ve been using Windows PCs for decades. The feature is called “Clipboard” and we should all start using it immediately to improve efficiency.

That is the clipboard history?

The Clipboard is a space that stores recently copied items. The feature is available in both Windows 10 and 11. Once you enable Clipboard History, you can access it by pressing Windows+V instead of Ctrl+V to paste. The Clipboard can hold up to 25 items, as long as they don't exceed 4 MB.

You can use it to temporarily store text, HTML, hyperlinks, and images. Unfortunately, the Clipboard is somewhat limited, as it cannot hold files or folders. The limitation includes image files, but you can get around it by right-clicking the image and choosing “Copy.” This works with all types of images, including files on your PC and images in your computer. web browserThe most notable drawback is that it doesn't let you paste unformatted text like Ctrl+Shift+V does, but you can always paste your text into Notepad first to remove the formatting.

Say Goodbye to copying and pasting one element at a time

If you tend to copy and paste large amounts of data as part of your workflow, you should forgo Ctrl+V in favor of the powerful Clipboard History interface. We could forget about this feature because the previous version, called “Clipboard viewer,» was removed with Windows Vista. The new and improved Clipboard did not return to Windows until October 2018 Update, which makes it easy to overlook.

Instead of Ctrl+V, as you're probably used to, you have to make the conscious effort to press Windows+V, but the effort is worth it. You can copy and paste numerous images, text snippets, and links simultaneously, potentially saving you 20-30 minutes of your workday that you would have wasted flipping through tabs. Oh, and did I mention that you can sync the Clipboard with your phone and other Windows devices?

Set frequently used items

I see you, fellow writers, programmers and specialists in customer service. If much of your work involves copying and pasting the same templates, code snippets, and links, it's time to optimize your workflow. The Clipboard lets you pin frequently used items so they persist even after you shut down your PC or clear the Clipboard History.

So there you have it. If you haven't enabled Clipboard History yet, or you always forget to use it like I do, consider this article a reminder to take advantage of it. It's a great trick to productivity small but incredibly useful.