How to Sync Clipboard Across Devices in Windows 11

Enabling Cloud Clipboard in Windows Settings

Cloud clipboard sync is a switch in Windows Settings ⚙️. Once it is on, text you copy on one Windows 11 PC can be pasted on your other Windows 11 PCs. A Microsoft account is required. On a managed or shared PC where permissions are restricted, you may need an administrator account to change the setting.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings. The Settings ⚙️ window opens on the Home page.

   

2. Select System in the left-hand menu. The System options appear on the right.
3. Scroll down on the right and click Clipboard (Settings › System › Clipboard). The clipboard options appear, including Clipboard history.

   

4. Switch Clipboard history to On if it is not already. Sync depends on history being enabled, so turn it on first.
5. Find the Sync across your devices toggle and switch it to On. If it is greyed out or missing, check that you are signed in with a Microsoft account. Local accounts can’t sync the clipboard, and a policy on a work or school PC can also lock the option.
6. Choose how items are shared. Select Automatically sync text that I copy if you want everything you copy to appear on your other devices. Select Never automatically sync text that I copy if you would rather pick items yourself from your history list.
7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 on each of your other PCs.

To undo this, go back to the same page and switch Sync across your devices to Off. No restart is needed at any point.

Anything you copy, including passwords, can travel to your other devices.

Managing Your Copied History

Your clipboard history lets you view and paste recent items you have copied. With sync on, synced items are also available on your other linked PCs. The clipboard panel gives quick access to everything you have copied.

1. Press Windows Key + V to open the clipboard panel. If you have never used it, Windows may show a prompt asking you to turn on clipboard history. Click Turn on if you see it.
2. Look through the list of recent items. Text is the most reliable item type to sync. Images may show in the history on the PC where you copied them but not always appear on your other devices.
3. Click any item in the list to paste it where your cursor is.

Each item in the panel has a menu (the three dots) where you can pin it or delete it. The panel also has a Clear all option. Pinned items stay put when you clear the rest.

The history you see with Windows Key + V is stored locally on each PC. It is not one shared list. Only items that sync move between your devices, so something you copied on a PC with sync off will not show up elsewhere.

Pin anything you want to keep across restarts. Synced items have a size limit too, of up to about 4 MB of text.

Troubleshooting Connection and Sync Issues

If copied items don't appear on your other devices, the cause is usually the Microsoft account, the network, or a power setting. Work through the checks below in order.

1. Confirm that every PC is signed in to the exact same Microsoft account. A second account, or a work or school account on one machine, is a common reason sync fails. Check this in Settings › Accounts
2. Check that Clipboard history and Sync across your devices are both On on every PC, not only the one you are copying from.
3. Check your network connection on both PCs. Sync needs a working internet connection, and a restricted or metered connection can delay it.
4. Check that Windows is not running in Battery Saver mode. Battery Saver turns off non-essential background tasks to save power, and it can hold back background cloud syncing. Plug the laptop in or turn Battery Saver off, then copy something again.
5. If sync still fails, sign out of Windows and back in, or restart the PC. Then copy a short piece of text to test. Remember that a restart clears unpinned items from the local history.

Copy something small first when testing. Items larger than the limit of about 4 MB of text will not sync, and a short test string tells you quickly whether the connection works.

What to do next

If you also want to control which other data and preferences follow you from PC to PC, review your Microsoft account profile settings next. In current Windows 11 versions, the backup and sync options are under Settings › Accounts. These are separate from the clipboard toggle, so changing them does not affect your clipboard sync.