Windows 11 Clipboard History: Turn On, Pin, Sync and Clear

The standard Windows clipboard only remembers the last thing you copied. Windows 11 clipboard history keeps a list of recent items instead, so you can copy several pieces of text or screenshots in a row and paste any of them later. It is built in, free and off by default on most PCs. Once it is on, one shortcut, Windows key + V, opens the list wherever you are typing.

This guide covers turning it on, pasting and pinning items, syncing between PCs, clearing what you copied, and what to check when the panel will not open. The steps apply to Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2 on Home and Pro.

How to turn on clipboard history

There are two ways, and both flip the same switch.

From the keyboard:

1. Press Windows key + V.
2. If history is off, a small panel explains that Windows can’t show history. Select Turn on.

From Settings:

1. Open Settings > System > Clipboard.
2. Switch on Clipboard history.

From now on, every item you copy with Ctrl + C, Ctrl + X, the right-click menu, or a screenshot tool goes into the history, as well as onto the normal clipboard.

How to paste from clipboard history

1. Click where you want to paste, in any app or text box.
2. Press Windows key + V.
3. Select the item you want. It is pasted at the cursor.

Ctrl + V still pastes the most recent item, as before. Microsoft states that it holds up to 25 entries and supports text, HTML and bitmap images up to 4 MB per item; when the list is full, the oldest unpinned item disappears.

The same panel has tabs along the top for emoji, GIFs, kaomoji and symbols, so Windows key + V doubles as a quick emoji and symbol picker. Windows key + period (.) opens the emoji tab directly.

Pin items you use all the time

Clipboard history is cleared every time you restart the PC, apart from pinned items. Pinning is handy for snippets you paste constantly: your address, a standard email reply, a reference number, a command you type often.

1. Press Windows key + V.
2. Find the item and select the pin icon next to it (on some layouts, select the three dots first and then Pin).
3. To unpin, select the pin icon again.

Pinned items also survive Clear all. To remove a single item, pinned or not, open its three-dot menu and choose Delete.

Sync clipboard across your devices

Windows can send copied text to your other Windows PCs signed in with the same Microsoft account or work account.

1. Go to Settings > System > Clipboard.
2. Turn on Clipboard history across your devices.
3. Choose how it syncs:

Option	What it does	Good for
Automatically sync text that I copy	Every piece of text you copy is sent to your other devices	Moving text between your own PCs often
Manually sync text that I copy	Text is synced only when you choose to sync it from the history panel	Mixed use, where some content is private

Sync works for text, and the other PC needs the same setting turned on. Think twice before enabling automatic sync on a shared or work PC: anything you copy, including account numbers or private messages, ends up on your other devices too. Our Windows 11 privacy settings guide covers other data that leaves the PC.

How to clear clipboard history

• Everything except pinned items: press Windows key + V and select Clear all, or go to Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear next to Clear clipboard data.
• One item: open its three-dot menu in the panel and choose Delete.
• Everything, including pinned items: unpin them first, then select Clear all.

Restarting the PC also clears unpinned items. If you copied a password or other sensitive data, clearing right away is a good habit, especially on a PC other people use.

Turn clipboard history off

Go to Settings > System > Clipboard and switch off Clipboard history. Windows goes back to remembering only the last copied item, and Windows key + V offers to turn history back on. Turning it off does not affect normal copy and paste.

When Windows key + V does not work

1. Check the setting. Open Settings > System > Clipboard and make sure Clipboard history is on.
2. Look for a managed setting. If the switch is greyed out with a note that some settings are managed by your organization, an administrator controls it on that work or school PC.
3. Test the keyboard. Try another Windows key shortcut such as Windows key + E. Some gaming keyboards have a Windows key lock (often called game mode) that disables the key; turn it off with the key combination in your keyboard’s manual.
4. Check the app. Some apps, remote desktop sessions and password managers block clipboard history for their own content. Try copying from Notepad to confirm the feature itself works.
5. Restart the PC. A restart clears a stuck clipboard in most cases. If problems persist after updates, run System File Checker to repair system files.

Getting more out of the clipboard

Clipboard history pairs well with screenshots: anything you capture with the Snipping Tool is copied and appears in the list, so you can grab several screenshots and paste them one by one into an email or document. For more time-savers like this, see our Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts list and the Windows 11 productivity guide.