Turn On and Use Clipboard History in Windows (Win+V) to Paste Anything You Copied
By default, copying something replaces whatever you copied before. Clipboard history keeps the last several items so you can paste any of them with Win + V.
Why: the feature is off until you turn it on once. After that, Windows quietly stores your recent copies (text and images) so you can reach back for an earlier one.
Step 1: Turn on clipboard history
- Press Win + V.
- Click Turn on in the panel that appears.
That’s it — from now on Windows keeps a running history of what you copy.
Step 2: Paste from your history
- Press Win + V any time to open the history panel.
- Click any item to paste it where your cursor is. Both text and images are stored.
History holds up to 25 entries; older unpinned items drop off automatically as new ones come in.
Step 3: Pin items you reuse
In the Win + V panel, click the pin icon on an entry to keep it. Clipboard history is cleared every time you restart your PC — except pinned items, which survive reboots. Pin things like your address, a signature, or a tracking number.
Step 4: Sync across your devices (optional)
To make your clipboard follow you between Windows PCs signed in to the same account:
- Open Start → Settings → System → Clipboard.
- Under Clipboard history across your devices, set the toggle to On.
Syncing is tied to your Microsoft or work account.
Step 5: Clear your clipboard history
Press Win + V, then click the … menu and choose Clear all. Pinned items stay; everything else is wiped.
FAQ
Win + V does nothing. It hasn’t been turned on yet — press Win + V and click Turn on (Step 1).
Does history survive a restart? No — it clears on every reboot, except items you’ve pinned.