Using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V (copy-paste) commands for different pieces of information, such as files, screenshots, URLs, or text blocks is a common thing for every PC user. All kinds of content that we operate during the day are stored to (and also derived from) the Windows clipboard - a system memory buffer, which 'remembers' only the latest item you move in and out.
That's why we have to be very careful with the Copy operation - by default, every piece of data, whatever it is, sent to the Windows clipboard surely replaces the previous one, so there is no easy way to restore this data.
Windows clipboard managers are used to overcome Windows 7 or Windows 10 clipboard limitations safely, including data protection and keeping your system stable without interfering with other its processes and services.
They work as the clipboard viewers and extenders that are able of holding long lists of the items you copied, aka clips, over prolonged periods of time, so you can get back to anything whenever you need it, as well as to track your previous actions back. Here we reviewed some of the best Windows clipboard managers we found out - you're welcome to download them and share your impressions below.
- ‘Auto-save’ allows you to safely reboot PC without loosing your clipped data from the last session.
- Encrypts text and other data you have placed on the clipboard.
- Edit the color of any text fragment and set a hotkey to quickly paste it.
- Add safety by assigning a display name for any fragment to hide its content.
- Filter fragments in the clipboard manager.
- Monitors all changes made to the clipboard and auto-saves them to the clipboard history.
- Advanced clipboard history with many useful details.
- Strong 448-bit Blowfish encryption.
- You can select several fragments in the clipboard manager and paste them with one click.
- Unlimited number of clips stored in the clipboard history.
- No multi-computer sync.
- Minor UI glitches.
- Customize tray menu.
- Supports multiple separate tabs to save and manage clips.
- Quickly navigate through the content items, edit and filter them.
- Directly paste to a selected window from the tray or main window.
- Searchable and editable history.
- Use custom shortcuts to call for functions, such as copy next/previous item, paste as plain text, etc.
- Add notes or tags to clips.
- Allows you to create a shared folder that can be used to sync clipboard content across systems.
- Advanced Vim-like console interface and scripting.
- Fully customizable appearance (colors, fonts, transparency).
- Supports multiple themes such as dark, forest, paper, etc.
- No help file inside.
- Provides clipboard sharing capability protected by 256-bit encryption.
- Allows sync between Android, iOS, Windows 10, and other via a Binary Fortress Account.
- Supports flexible triggers and hotkeys for a quick access.
- Supports multiple file types and previews.
- Lets you edit clips.
- Nullifies the сlipboard formatting and leaves you with a pure text at your option.
- Lets you find and replace the clipboard text with pre-defined strings.
- Use C# macros to run completely customized commands to amend your text.
- Sync is not available in free edition.
- No previews in the list.
- Keeps thousands of clips that you cut/copy to the clipboard.
- Allows you to re-format, edit, case convert, and spellcheck the clipboard content.
- Supports shortcuts for commonly-used clips.
- Clipboard history list.
- Portable version for any USB stick, including U3 Smart drives.
- Integration with Windows taskbar for easy access with a preview of the last clip.
- Allows clips to be printed out.
- A powerful search with agile filters.
- Turns the clipboard content into a plain-text.
- Lets you quickly paste a big set of clips or break apart a data array by comma, linebreak, etc.
- Uses a competent database engine that allows you to operate the clip repository fast.
- Deleted clips are moved to its own Trash Can, so they can be restored.
- 56-bit ARC4 encryption for selected clips.
- Does not run on any other system than Windows.
- No multi-computer sync.
- No previews in the list.
- Search/paste previous clip entries.
- Encrypted data transfer over the network.
- Can be called from the tray or using a global hot key.
- Open an entry by double-clicking or entering a key.
- Shows thumbnails of copied images.
- Customizable shortcut keys for immediate access to different functions.
- Full Unicode support / Powered by SQLite.
- Available at the Windows Store and positioned as an extension to the native Win clipboard.
- Stores all copied objects in its internal buffer for further restoration.
- Syncs/merges multiple clipboards from other computers/platforms.
- Supports text files in any language with UTF-8 support.
- UI elements look too small when shown on HDPI displays.
Conclusion
As you can see it's not hard at all to find a good pasteboard manager that can overcome inefficiency and limitations of the Windows 10 standard clipboard. There are free and paid solutions - some of them allow clipboard sharing or synchronization over the network, and others are capable of deep customization making them an exceptionally handy tool for those who work with big loads of data and text. So which one would you choose?
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