The moment you copy anything on your PC, it goes to your clipboard. When you paste, the item is fetched from the clipboard and replicated in the new location. Unlike on Macs, your Windows PC ships with a competent clipboard manager, but it still falls short in a few areas. If you’re looking for a way to exercise greater control over the things you’ve copied, consider installing one of these clipboard manager alternatives for Windows.
You can use the default option
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On Windows 10 and 11, you can simply use the Windows-V keyboard shortcut to open up a floating menu where you can enable the clipboard manager. Alternatively, you can go to Settings > System > Clipboard > Clipboard History and enable it there. This clipboard manager can handle the most essential tasks, and stores multiple clipboard entries, including text and images. However, it’s limited to 25 entries only, and doesn’t let you easily edit what’s on your clipboard.
Ditto offers more customization
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
If you’re looking for a lightweight free alternative that does more than the built-in clipboard manager on Windows, Ditto is a good option. Ditto lets you customize how many entries you want to retain in your clipboard history and when these entries should be deleted. There’s a neat search feature that helps you locate anything you’ve copied previously, and you have the option to merge multiple entries together. Ditto will store anything that can be copied to the clipboard on Windows.
ClipClip keeps your clipboard organized
Credit: ClipClip
For power users, ClipClip is one of the better options on Windows. One of its biggest advantages over other options is organization—the app lets you sort your copied items into neat tree menus to make things easier to find later. If you’ve taken a bunch of screenshots, they’ll all appear in a separate folder. In fact, each type of entry will have its own folder, and ClipClip’s search feature will help you find what you need. This app also allows you to create your own workflows to automate tasks, such as quickly converting full URLs to shortened versions. You can take a look at ClipClip Actions on this page.
1Clipboard syncs across Windows and Mac
Credit: 1Clipboard
Those looking for a free clipboard manager that syncs across Windows and macOS should consider 1Clipboard. It uses your Google Drive account to sync your clipboard between devices, which means the data isn’t sent to unknown third parties. 1Clipboard stores your clipboard history, lets you mark favorite clipboard items, and syncs pretty well. It does lack automation or other advanced features, however.
ArsClip allows you to create your own macros
Credit: ArsClip
ArsClip is a lightweight, free clipboard manager with advanced features that are missing in some other free options. It allows you to record your own macros (a single command that runs multiple commands automatically) to automate copying and pasting, and even allows you to enable a feature that syncs your clipboard with Android and other Windows devices. ArsClip is a portable app that requires no installation, but its interface is rudimentary, and only supports up to Windows 10, which may be a dealbreaker.
Pasteboard has a clean user interface
Credit: Pasteboard
If a nice UI is your top priority, Pasteboard is the clipboard manager to choose. It has the basic features you need, such as an unlimited clipboard history and the ability to organize saved items. The app doesn’t support automation or syncing across devices yet, but it does look great, and is very easy to use.
Clipboard Fusion is an advanced cross-platform option
Credit: Clipboard Fusion
Clipboard Fusion is an advanced clipboard manager for people who want a cross-platform option. The paid version lets you sync your clipboard history between your Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, which is useful for those jumping between ecosystems. Note that this works via the company’s servers, which may be a privacy concern, as you’re trusting a third-party software developer with everything you copy. Notably, the apps on non-PC platforms aren’t as good as the Windows version, so the syncing feature works best if you primarily copy things on Windows first before pasting them via other non-Windows devices. Having said that, the Windows version has lots of great features, allowing you to set up triggers to automate clipboard management and write your own macros.