Out of the box, Windows remembers only the last thing you copied. Clipboard history changes that by keeping a short list of recent items, so you can copy several things and paste each one where it belongs. It takes one shortcut or one toggle to switch on, and this guide covers both, plus pasting, pinning, clearing and syncing.
Turn on clipboard history with Win + V
The shortcut is fastest, and Windows asks the first time you press it.
- Press the Windows logo key + V.
- When the clipboard panel offers to start saving items, select Turn on.
- From now on, the same shortcut opens your list of copied items.
Turn on clipboard history in Settings
Use this route if the shortcut does nothing or you want to check the current state.
- Press Win + I to open Settings, or search for Settings on the taskbar.
- Go to System, then pick Clipboard further down the list.
- Switch the Clipboard history toggle to On.
Open the list and paste an item
Copy a few things as usual, then press Win + V in the place you want to paste. Click any entry and it is inserted at the cursor. The same panel also offers GIFs, emoji and symbols. Ctrl + V still pastes only the most recent item, so use the panel when you want an older one. More combinations like this are in Windows 11's keyboard shortcuts.
Pin, delete or clear saved items
Pinned items stay put when the list is trimmed or your PC restarts, which suits things you paste all the time, such as an address or a standard reply.
- Press Win + V to open the panel.
- Select the ... button beside an entry.
- Choose Pin to keep it, or Delete to remove just that one.
- To empty the list, select Clear all in the panel.
Clear everything from Settings
Go to Start > Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear under Clear clipboard data. This removes every unpinned item on the device and in the cloud. Pinned items are kept until you remove them yourself.
Sync your clipboard to other PCs
Sync runs through your account, either a personal Microsoft account or a work one, so every device must be signed in to the same account.
- Open Start > Settings > System > Clipboard.
- Turn on the option to sync across your devices. The first time, you may need to select Get started and confirm the account.
- Pick Automatically sync text that I copy to upload everything, or Manually sync text that I copy to choose.
- With the manual option, open the panel with Win + V and select the sync button on an item to send it.
What clipboard history keeps
- The list holds up to 25 entries. When it is full, the oldest unpinned item drops off.
- Each item can be up to 4 MB, in text, HTML or bitmap form.
- The list is wiped on every restart, except for pinned items.
- Copied passwords and other private text sit in the list too, so clear it on a shared PC.
If Win + V does nothing or items are missing
- Open Settings > System > Clipboard and make sure Clipboard history is On.
- If an app's copy does not show up, close and reopen the app, then copy some plain text to test.
- If an item vanished, remember the 25-entry limit and the wipe at restart. Pin what you need to keep.
- On a work or school PC, an IT policy may block clipboard history or sync. Ask your IT team.
- If sync is not working, check that every device uses the same account and that the automatic sync option is selected.