To find previously copied text in Windows 10, the quickest way is to open the clipboard history feature.
Accessing Clipboard History in Windows 10
Windows 10 introduced a helpful clipboard history feature that allows you to view and paste multiple items you've copied (text, images, etc.) rather than just the last one.
The key combination to access this history is:
- Press the
Windows logo key+Vsimultaneously.
This action will immediately open a small window displaying a list of items you have recently copied.
Using Your Clipboard History
Once the clipboard history window appears after pressing Windows key + V, you can easily manage your copied items:
- Paste Items: Click on any item in the list to paste it into your current application at the cursor's location.
- Pin Items: Hover over an item and click the pin icon (often looks like a thumbtack). Pinning an item keeps it in your history even after you restart your computer or clear the history. This is great for frequently used text snippets or images.
- Delete Items: Hover over an item and click the 'X' button to remove it from the history.
- Clear All: There's often an option within the history window (sometimes at the top or bottom) to "Clear all" which removes everything except pinned items.
Enabling Clipboard History
If pressing Windows key + V doesn't show the history the first time, it might be disabled. You can enable it through the Windows Settings:
- Go to Settings (Windows key + I).
- Click on System.
- Scroll down and click on Clipboard in the left-hand menu.
- Under "Clipboard history," toggle the switch to On.
Once enabled, Windows will start storing your copied items, and you can access them anytime using the Windows key + V shortcut as described in the reference.
