Gboard clipboard: how to use it, how long it keeps clips, and fixes

Open and turn on the Gboard clipboard

The clipboard is a panel inside the keyboard, so you reach it from any app where you can type. Google's Android site notes that it starts switched off and that the panel itself offers the button to turn it on. Gboard also splits up what you copy: when a block of text contains an email address, URL, phone number, number, address, date or time, Gboard offers those parts as separate suggestions so you can paste only the piece you need. Google says addresses, dates and times work only in some countries, regions and languages.

1. 1Open an app where you can type and tap a text field so Gboard appears.
2. 2Tap Clipboard at the top of the keyboard. If it is not in the toolbar, tap Open features menu at the top left and find Clipboard there.
3. 3If the panel says the clipboard is off, tap Turn on clipboard.
4. 4Copy something, then tap it in the panel to paste it. Tap Back to return to the keys.
5. 5To keep Clipboard in the toolbar, open the features menu and drag its icon onto the toolbar.

How long Gboard keeps clips, and how many

Google's Gboard Help says the clipboard clears your history shortly after you last use it, and that this does not apply to pinned text. That page gives no exact time. Google's own Android site in Japan, in Gboard guides published in 2025, describes the clipboard as holding copied text and images for one hour, which matches what many people notice. Google does not publish a maximum number of clips, pinned or unpinned. Separately, Android 13 and later clear the system clipboard, the item a normal Paste inserts, automatically after a period of time, according to Google's Android developer documentation.

Treat unpinned clips as temporary. Pin anything you will want later, and do not count on an unpinned copy still being there in an hour.

Pin the clips you want to keep

Pinned clips are the only part of Gboard's clipboard that Google says is exempt from clearing, so pinning is how you keep a clip for good.

1. 1Open a text field and tap Clipboard at the top of the keyboard.
2. 2Touch and hold the clip you want to keep.
3. 3Tap Pin. The clip moves to the Pinned section of the clipboard.
4. 4To let it go later, touch and hold it again and tap Unpin.

Clipboard settings and screenshots

Gboard's settings open from the gear icon at the top of the keyboard, or from Open features menu, then Settings if the gear is not shown. Google's Android site has described a Clipboard page there with an option called Save recent screenshots to clipboard, so a screenshot you take is ready to paste from the panel. That description dates from 2022 and Google's current help pages do not mention the option, so if your version of Gboard does not show it, it is not available to you.

Deleting clips, and why a cleared clip cannot be recovered

Google's help covers pinning but does not spell out deleting single clips. Unpinned clips clear on their own shortly after you last use them, so the clips that stay are the pinned ones: unpin a clip to let it clear with the rest, or touch and hold it to see the other options your version offers. Google documents no trash, undo or backup for Gboard's clipboard, and its help does not describe clipboard history syncing to your Google account or another device, so once a clip has cleared or been deleted, there is nowhere to recover it from. Go back to the app you copied from instead: the message, web page, note or email still has it. Next time, pin a clip as soon as you know you will need it again, or use a clipboard manager that keeps a history.

Google says clearing Gboard's storage resets Gboard to its default state. Do not use it to tidy the clipboard unless you are happy to lose pinned clips and your settings along with it.

When the Gboard clipboard is missing or not saving

When clips stop appearing, the cause is usually the keyboard rather than the clipboard: another keyboard is active, the clipboard is switched off, or the field you are typing in does not allow it. Work through these in order.

1. 1Make sure Gboard is the keyboard on screen. Touch and hold the Globe key and choose Gboard. If Gboard disappeared from the list after an update, Google's path to turn it back on is Settings, System, Keyboard, On-screen keyboard. On a Galaxy phone, Samsung's path is Settings, General management, Keyboard list and default.
2. 2Open the clipboard panel. If it says the clipboard is off, tap Turn on clipboard.
3. 3Check the field. Google notes the clipboard may not be available on some screens, such as password entry screens. There, touch and hold the field and tap Paste to insert your latest copy.
4. 4If clips from a work app will not paste into a personal app, your organization may block copying out of the work profile. Android lets an administrator turn that on, and it is off by default.
5. 5If Gboard crashes or freezes, Google's first fix is Settings, Apps, Gboard, Storage and cache, Clear cache. Clearing storage as well resets Gboard to its default state.

What Gboard's clipboard does with your data

Google's Gboard Help lists what Gboard sends to Google: your searches, usage statistics, and your voice if you use voice typing. It says other text you type, such as passwords and chats, is not sent, and that words Gboard learns are saved only to your device. The help pages do not describe clipboard history leaving your phone or syncing between devices. Android adds its own protections: since Android 10, only the active keyboard and the app on screen can read the clipboard; since Android 12, a message appears when an app reads and pastes from it; and apps can mark a copy as sensitive, such as a password or card number, so the keyboard hides its preview.

Keeping a longer history than Gboard does

Gboard's clipboard is built for the last few things you copied. If you need something from yesterday, or the same clips on your computer, you need a clipboard manager, and Clypy is ours. Because Android does not let background apps read the clipboard, Clypy saves every copy while the Clypy keyboard is your selected keyboard, even when the keyboard is hidden. That means it takes Gboard's place as your active keyboard while you use it, and you can switch back to Gboard at any time. Without its keyboard, Clypy saves when you open the app, share something to it, or choose Save to Clypy after selecting text. The free version keeps a history on the phone with no item limit (90 days by default, or forever if you choose in Settings), with pinned clips, collections and search by meaning. The Android keyboard and end-to-end encrypted sync with Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone are part of Pro, a one-time payment of $29.99.