Best clipboard manager for Windows 11 and 10
Windows already keeps a short clipboard history, and for many people that is enough. Here is where it stops, and which free, open source and paid clipboard managers to use when you need more.
Start with the clipboard history built into Windows: press Windows key + V on Windows 11 or 10, turn it on, and it keeps your last 25 copies, with pinned items kept across restarts. For a searchable history that outlasts a restart, Ditto is the best free, open source upgrade. Choose CopyQ to script your clipboard, ClipboardFusion to clean up text as you paste, Raycast if you also want a launcher, and Clypy if your clipboard has to reach a Mac, a Linux machine or a phone.
How this guide was checked
In November 2026, each app's platforms, price, license and latest release were checked on its own site, store listing or GitHub repository, and Windows clipboard history and PowerToys Advanced Paste were checked against Microsoft's documentation; Clypy's behavior was checked against its source code. The apps were not benchmarked against each other.
On this page
- Windows clipboard managers compared
- The short list
- Start with Windows key + V
- Signs you have outgrown the built-in history
- Free and open source options: Ditto, CopyQ and two more
- PowerToys Advanced Paste is a paste tool, not a history
- ARM64 PCs and Windows 10
- Sharing your clipboard with a Mac or phone
- Passwords and other sensitive copies
- How this list was put together
- Common questions
- Official sources
Windows clipboard managers compared
| App | Price | Open source | What it keeps | Also runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows key + V | Free, built in | No | 25 items; unpinned ones cleared on restart | Windows only |
| Ditto | Free | Yes, GPL-3.0 | A searchable database on your PC | Windows only |
| CopyQ | Free | Yes, GPL-3.0 | Tabs you organize | macOS, Linux |
| ClipboardFusion | Free; Pro from $19 once | No | History and pinned items | Sync apps for macOS, iOS, Android (Pro) |
| Raycast | Free; Pro $10 a month | No | Up to 3 months free, unlimited on Pro | macOS |
| ClipClip | Free for personal use | No | Up to 1,000 clips, in folders | None listed |
| Clypy | Free; Pro $29.99 once | No | No item limit; 90 days by default, forever if you choose | macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android |
The short list
- Best built-in option
Windows clipboard history
- Runs on:
- Windows 10 and 11
- Price:
- Free, built in
Press Windows key + V to see your recent copies: text, HTML and images up to 4 MB each. Pinned items survive restarts, and it can sync to your other PCs signed in with the same Microsoft account or work account.
Where it stops: It holds 25 entries, clears everything unpinned when you restart, and is off until you turn it on.
- Best free and open source
Ditto
- Runs on:
- Windows (x64 and ARM64)
- Price:
- Free, open source (GPL-3.0)
Ditto stores text, images and HTML in a database on your PC, so you can search and paste entries after Windows' own list has dropped them. It can keep several PCs' clipboards in sync over your network, encrypting what it sends, and installs from a setup file, a portable zip, winget, Chocolatey or the Microsoft Store.
Where it stops: It is Windows only, and its sync links only PCs running Ditto. The last stable release, 3.25.113.0, came out in September 2025; newer nightly builds are on GitHub.
- Best for scripting and custom commands
CopyQ
- Runs on:
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Price:
- Free, open source (GPL-3.0)
CopyQ saves text, HTML, images and other formats into tabs you organize. You can edit and tag items, ignore copies from chosen windows, and bind custom commands to global shortcuts, all scriptable from its command line. Version 17.0.0 came out in October 2026.
Where it stops: It rewards time spent in its settings, which is more than you need for a list of recent copies. There are no phone apps.
- Best for cleaning up text as you paste
ClipboardFusion
- Runs on:
- Windows 10 (1607 or later) and 11, including ARM64
- Price:
- Free; Pro from $19, one-time
The free version strips formatting automatically or on a hotkey, runs find-and-replace triggers and your own C# macros, and keeps a searchable history with pinned items. Version 6.3, from December 2025, is the stable release, and a 6.4 beta arrived in November 2026.
Where it stops: Sync with other computers and phones, online pinned items and the more advanced triggers need Pro and a Binary Fortress account. Pro is a lifetime license: $19 per machine, or $29 for all your personal computers.
- Best if you also want a launcher
Raycast
- Runs on:
- Windows 10 (21H2 or later) and 11, macOS
- Price:
- Free; Pro is $10 a month
Raycast is a keyboard launcher with Clipboard History built in. It keeps text, images, files, links and colors, filters by type with Ctrl + P, and skips apps on its disabled list. The free plan keeps up to three months.
Where it stops: Longer history needs Pro, a subscription. Clipboard history stays on each device, because Raycast's Cloud Sync leaves it out.
- Best for sorting clips into folders
ClipClip
- Runs on:
- Windows
- Price:
- Free for personal use; one-time license for work
ClipClip keeps up to 1,000 clips, sorts them into folders, and pastes from a shortcut or its Paste Menu. You can edit rich text and images, run offline converters such as Base64 and case changes, and translate text. Version 2.4.6099 shipped in August 2026.
Where it stops: Work use needs the paid license, a one-time payment per user. Its site lists no Mac or phone version.
- Best if you also use a Mac, Linux or a phone
Clypy
- Runs on:
- Windows 10 and 11 (x64), macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android
- Price:
- Free; Pro is $29.99 once
The free plan keeps local history with no item limit and no account (90 days by default, or forever if you choose in Settings), searches by meaning so you can find a clip by what it was about, and makes the text in screenshots searchable. Collections and templates are free too; Pro adds end-to-end encrypted sync with your Mac, Linux machine, iPhone, iPad and Android phone.
Where it stops: The Paste Strip (Ctrl + Alt + V) and sync are part of Pro; on the free plan you open Clypy from the tray icon. There is no ARM64 build, and it is not open source.
Start with Windows key + V
Windows 10 and 11 include clipboard history, but it is off until you turn it on. If you mostly need something you copied ten minutes ago, it is the whole answer, and the Windows clipboard history guide covers the details.
- 1Press Windows key + V.
- 2Select Turn on if Windows asks, or open Settings, System, Clipboard and switch on Clipboard history.
- 3Copy a few things, press Windows key + V again, and select an entry to paste it.
- 4Pin any entry you want to keep after a restart.
Signs you have outgrown the built-in history
A dedicated manager earns its place when yesterday's copy has gone after a restart, when 25 entries fill up before lunch, or when a large screenshot never appears because it is over 4 MB. Other reasons are filing clips into folders, reusing the same snippets, stripping formatting as you paste, or getting your clipboard onto a Mac or phone. Each app here solves a different one of those.
Free and open source options: Ditto, CopyQ and two more
Ditto and CopyQ are both free under the GPL 3.0. Ditto is the simpler one, CopyQ the more configurable, and only CopyQ also runs on macOS and Linux. Two smaller free options are worth knowing. PasteBar publishes its source under a Creative Commons non-commercial license and has x64 and ARM64 installers, though its latest release, 0.7.0, is from June 2025. Clibor, freeware for Windows 10 and 11, keeps up to 10,000 items and adds templates and modes for pasting a run of copies in order.
PowerToys Advanced Paste is a paste tool, not a history
Microsoft's free PowerToys includes Advanced Paste, which often turns up in searches for a clipboard manager. It changes what you paste rather than storing what you copy. Windows key + Shift + V pastes the current clipboard as plain text, Markdown, JSON, a .txt, .html or .png file, or text read from an image with local OCR, and Ctrl + Windows key + Alt + V pastes plain text directly. Paste with AI is off by default and needs a provider you set up, such as OpenAI with your own API key, which may charge for use, or a local model through Ollama or Foundry Local.
Advanced Paste can show earlier clipboard items, but Microsoft documents it as a set of paste actions. For a history, pair it with Windows key + V or one of the managers above.
ARM64 PCs and Windows 10
On a Windows on ARM PC, check the download first. Ditto's current installer, ClipboardFusion, PasteBar and PowerToys all offer ARM64 builds; Clypy is x64 only. Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025, but ClipboardFusion (version 1607 and later), Raycast (21H2 and later), Clibor, Clypy and the built-in history all still run on it.
Passwords and other sensitive copies
A clipboard manager records passwords too, so check how it handles them. ClipboardFusion and CopyQ can ignore copies from apps or windows you choose, and Raycast skips apps on its disabled list. Clypy skips copies from known password managers and keeps newly detected secrets concealed, including on your other devices.
How this list was put together
Clypy makes this guide and one of the apps on it. Each app's platforms, price, license and latest release date were checked on its own site, store listing or GitHub repository in November 2026, and the built-in tools against Microsoft's documentation. Where the last stable release is over a year old, the list says so. The apps were not benchmarked against each other.
Common questions
Does Windows 11 have a clipboard manager?
Yes. Press Windows key + V to open clipboard history, which keeps your last 25 copied items. Turn it on the first time, or in Settings, System, Clipboard; unpinned items are cleared when you restart.
What is the best free clipboard manager for Windows?
The built-in Windows key + V history if 25 recent items is enough. Beyond that, Ditto and CopyQ are free and open source, and Clibor and ClipClip are free for personal use.
Is Ditto still maintained?
Yes. Its latest stable release, 3.25.113.0, came out in September 2025 with ARM64 support, and its GitHub repository was still being updated in October 2026.
Is PowerToys Advanced Paste a clipboard manager?
Not in the usual sense. It converts what is on the clipboard as you paste, into plain text, Markdown, JSON, a file or text read from an image, and opens with Windows key + Shift + V. Pair it with clipboard history if you also want a history.
Which Windows clipboard managers sync with a phone?
ClipboardFusion Pro syncs with its iOS and Android apps through a Binary Fortress account, and Clypy Pro syncs with iPhone, iPad and Android with end-to-end encryption and no account. Ditto and CopyQ have no phone apps.
Official sources
Platform behavior changes over time. These primary references were used for the latest review.