Windows stores the cut item or last copied in a temporary storage area called the Clipboard memory, till you log off or restart the computer. If you cut or copy something else, the earlier item gets replaced with the new one. For security and privacy purposes, we would recommend you clear the clipboard memory, to prevent Clipboard Data Theft. On Windows 10 version 1809, you can clear the clipboard history in multiple methods, and this tutorial will show you how.
How To Clear Clipboard History on Windows 10
To empty the clipboard history in Windows 10, you can use any of the following 4 methods:
- Delete absolutely everything on the clipboard
- Clear Clipboard History using Command Prompt.
- Clear Clipboard using Shortcut.
- Add Clear Clipboard to Context Menu.
Method 1. Delete absolutely everything on the clipboard
If you want to clear completely everything (except pinned items) on the clipboard, here are steps:
1. First, turn off the clipboard.
2. Click on Start > Settings.
3. Select on System > click on Clipboard.
4. Navigate to “Clear clipboard data” section, click on the Clear button.
Delete completely everything on the clipboard
Everything on your clipboard locally stored on Microsoft and on your computer will be deleted.
Additionally, you can also clear the clipboard history in Windows 10 using 3 below methods:
Method 2. Clear Clipboard History using Command Prompt
To clear the Clipboard History using the command line, follow these steps below:
1. Open a Command Prompt with administrator privilege. You can search for “cmd“, right-click on the result, and click “Run as administrator“.
2. When the Command Prompt window appears, copy and paste the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter.
cmd /c “echo off | clip”
3. Wait for the process to finish and close cmd.
Method 3. Clear Clipboard using Shortcut
1. Right-click on the desktop, select New > click Shortcut. In the Location box, type the following and click OK or press Enter.
%windir%\System32\cmd /c echo off | clip
2. Click Next.
Clear Clipboard using Shortcut
3. Now, name the shortcut as Clear Clipboard. Then click Finish.
Method 4. Add Clear Clipboard to Context Menu
1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + R at the same time, and then type in regedit. Click OK to open Registry Editor.
2. When the Registry Editor appears, go to the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\
3. In the left pane, right-click on Shell and choose New > Key, and name it as Clear Clipboard.
4. After that, right-click on this newly created Clear Clipboard key, choose New > Key and name it Command.
5. Then, in the right pane, right-click on Default, click Modify.
6. In the Value Data box, type in it the following Value Data:
cmd.exe /c echo off | clip
7. Click OK to save changes.
Empty clear clipboard
Now , you will see the Clear Clipboard entry in the desktop context menu. You can use it to empty the Clipboard memory in Windows 10.
VIDEO TUTORIAL: How to Clear Clipboard Data in Windows 10
Hope something helps you.
