How to View and Clear Clipboard History in Windows 10
How to PC Tips SponsoredViewing, saving files in, and clearing the clipboard history is very simple if you understand everything under the hood. All you need is to follow this article keenly.
To view and clear clipboard history on your computer, you can undertake 5 main routes.
These include paths through the graphical user interface. Alternatively, you can use the command line. Using the command line may (and mostly) require computer programming skills.
However, all you need (here) is to copy and paste the commands as I shall outline in this article. What is more? Let us get started.
Highlights
of Viewing and Clearing the Clipboard
For easier understanding, l shall group the commands into 2 categories, depending on the permanency of clearing the clipboard history.
To access and clear the history, use two short-cuts. This entails pressing the Windows and V keys, or Windows key + V.
The long route entails accessing it through Settings when you start by clicking the windows button. Once at the clipboard you can clear the history.
Alternatively, you can restart your computer. If you want to permanently clear the history, use the command line or Notepad.
Before undertaking the above processes chronologically, here’s all you need to know about the clipboard and its history.
Why
You Should Use or Clear the Clipboard
The clipboard enables you to cache various pasted items. It has improved efficiency since even if you delete or accidentally discard a copy of an item, you can trace it in the clipboard.
The clipboard saves a maximum file size of 4MB, averaging 25 items. If the number of saved items exceed 25 items, new saves auto-replace old ones.
Another reason to clear the clip history is the possibility of a hacker accessing and maliciously using it. That is why you may need to read more about malware software.
Having known what a clipboard entails and why it is important to you, let us have a look at how to use it. Here is the most explicit procedure to view and clear the Clipboard.
Way
No. 1 of Viewing and Clearing the Clipboard History
Click the Windows Key. Type settings in search (autofocus) bar. The Settings App avails to you a myriad of options, the first one being system. Click on it.
This lands you in a long dropdown menu. Scroll down the bar until you see Clipboard. Tap it.
On the Clipboard interface, you will see if the clipboard is on. If it is on (already) it means the clipboard has some history. You can clear the history by tapping Clear, down the interface.
If it is Off, turn it On, then proceed to make several copies of a file(s). This takes us to another step, viewing and clearing your clipboard history.
Way
No. 2 of Viewing and Clearing the Clipboard History
Simultaneously press Windows Key + i,
on your keyboard. This leads to the settings menu. Move to system, Clipboard,
and finally clear the history, as in step 1 above.
Way
No. 3 of Viewing and Clearing the Clipboard History
Press Windows key and V. This lands you into clipboard history. On each of the saved copies, click on ellipses (3 dots) followed by delete or Clear all.
If you Pin it, you will not clear the copy permanently until you unpin it and redo the process of Delete or Clear all.
The following are other ways of clearing clipboard history permanently.
Way
No. 4 of Clearing the Clipboard History
Type CMD in the search bar. On the
command line presented, paste and run this command: %windir%\System32\cmd.exe /c "echo off | clip". Then, close the command line. To confirm successful history
clearance, try pasting a former copy.
Way
No. 5 of Clearing the Clipboard History
Open Notepad. Copy, paste, and save
the following file with a .bat extension:
“
%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /c "echo off | clip"
wmic service where "name like '%%cbdhsvc_%%'" call
stopservice
wmic service where "name like '%%cbdhsvc_%%'" call
startservice
“
Reopen the saved file from the File
Explorer or search bar. The clipboard history should be cleared.
Conclusion
The shortcuts to viewing (and temporarily
clearing) the clipboard history are:
1.
Windows key + V => Clear all
2.
Windows key + I => System
=> Clipboard => Clear Clipboard data => Clear
