How to clear your Clipboard history in Windows 11

How to Clear Your Clipboard History

Ready to tidy up your clipboard? Here are two methods to clear it all.

Method 1Using ⚙️ the Settings App

You can clear your entire clipboard history in Windows 11 using ⚙️ the Settings app. This method removes everything you’ve copied, including anything saved online if you have syncing turned on. To get started, open Settings by clicking the ⊞ Start button and then the Settings cog, or by pressing the Windows key and the letter I together.

1. ⚙️ Open Settings: Click the ⊞ Start button (the Windows icon, usually in the bottom-left corner). Then click ⚙️ the Settings cog icon. You can also press the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. Go to System: In ⚙️ the Settings window, click on System.
3. Find Clipboard: On the left side, scroll down and click on Clipboard.
4. Clear Your Data: Look for a section that says “Clear clipboard data”. Click the Clear button.

Method 2Clearing Directly from Clipboard History

Clearing your entire clipboard history in Windows 11 can be done quickly right from the history panel. Press the Windows key and the letter V on your keyboard to see everything you’ve copied. Then, you can choose to clear all items at once by clicking the ‘Clear all’ button found at the top of the clipboard history window.

1. Open Clipboard History: Press the Windows key + V on your keyboard. This shows a list of what you’ve copied.
2. Find ‘Clear all’: At the top of the clipboard history list, you should see an option that says Clear all. Click it.
3. Confirm (if asked): Windows might ask if you’re sure. If it does, click Confirm or Yes.

Clearing Individual Items

If you only want to remove one specific item from your Windows 11 clipboard history, you can easily delete individual items instead of clearing everything. This is helpful if you copied something sensitive and want it gone quickly. Press the Windows key and the letter V to open your clipboard history, then find the item you want to remove and select ‘See all’ to manage it.

1. Open Clipboard History: Press Windows key + V.
2. Find the Item: Scroll through the list to find the item you want to remove.
3. Select ‘See more’ or ‘…’: Next to the item, click the three dots (…) or the ‘See more’ option.
4. Choose ‘Delete’: A small menu will appear. Click Delete.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/using-the-clipboard-30375039-ce71-9fe4-5b30-21b7aab6b13f

Summary

Clearing your clipboard history in Windows 11 helps keep your information private and your computer tidy, with options to clear everything at once via Settings or the Windows key + V shortcut, or to remove individual items.