Copy-pasting text from one app to another is one of the basic things we do with our smartphones. Whether we are copying an address to send in a message or sharing an interesting piece of information with a friend, the clipboard is one of the things that makes our lives much easier.

The clipboard is basically a temporary storage space where texts are stored when we copy or cut them. It is like a buffer allowing us to paste the saved texts elsewhere quickly.

check and recover clipboard history on android
Image: Hayley Maxwell on Unsplash

While the clipboard is a handy feature, it’s also quite limited. For one thing, it can only store text for an hour before it’s automatically overwritten by new text. That means you’re out of luck if you accidentally copy another text on top of the one you meant to keep.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to check and restore clipboard history on Android. Here are some of the best methods you can try.

Checking and Retrieving Clipboard History on Android

There are several ways to access clipboard history, depending on the app you’re using.

For better understanding, we’ll cover this method in three parts;

  1. Built-in clipboard in the keyboard
  2. Dedicated third-party clipboard manager.
  3. Safety tips for using a clipboard

Let’s discuss these methods one by one!

I. Built-In Android Clipboard in Keyboard

Most of you may already know that many keyboard apps have a built-in clipboard manager that saves any text you copy. However, not many people understand this feature’s existence and how to use it.

1. Recovering Clipboard History on Google Keyboard (Gboard)

Most Android phones these days come with the Gboard app as the default keyboard. If you use Gboard, restoring your clipboard history is a snap.

Just follow these simple steps:

Open your keyboard (Gboard) on the text field you want to copy information to, and click the arrow key in the upper left corner of the keyboard.

step-1-open-gboard-and-click-on-clipboard-icon

Now, click on the “Paperboard (????)”/ clipboard icon. That launches the Gboard clipboard manager.

step-2-tap-on-the-item-you-want-to-paste

From here, you can check and restore the clipboard history. To copy information from here, simply tap on the information, and it will be copied to your text field.

step-3-tap-and-hold-the-item-you-want-to-pin-or-delete

Tip:
If your clipboard settings are disabled, you can turn them on simply by clicking the appropriate button. You can also pin or delete specific items from the clipboard.

2. Accessing Clipboard History on SwiftKey Keyboard

If you use SwiftKey keyboard, accessing your clipboard history is just as easy.

Just follow these steps:

Tap and hold on to the text box to bring up the keyboard.

step-1-open-the-keyboar-and-tap-on-clipboard-icon

Click the arrow key at the top left of the keyboard.

step-2-tap-on-the-text-you-want-to-copy

Now, click on the “Paperboard (????)”/clipboard icon to access your clipboard history. To get your information on your text field, simply tap on the desired piece of information.

If you are using any other popular keyboard apps for Android, the procedure for accessing the clipboard will be similar.

Also on TechPP

II. Dedicated 3rd Party Clipboard Manager

You can opt for a dedicated third-party clipboard manager app if you want more options and customization. There are a lot of such apps in the Google Play Store, and you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

We would recommend choosing an app that does not require root access as it is a bit more secure.

Some of the best clipboard manager apps that you can use are:

Let’s see how you can use Clipper – Clipboard Manager to access and restore your Android clipboard history.

Using Clipper – Clipboard Manager to Restore Clipboard History

Clipper is an easy-to-use and feature-rich clipboard manager app that doesn’t require root access.

Just follow these simple steps to start using Clipper:

First, download and install the app from the Google Play Store.

step-1-install-clipper-from-google-play-store

Once the app is installed, please open it and grant the necessary permissions.

step-2-copy-your-desired-text-and-find-it-on-clipper

Now, whenever you copy a text, it will be saved in the app, and you can access it by opening the app. On the main page of the application, tap the Clipboard option. This will display a list of all the clipboard content you have copied. Besides these features, you can also create note-taking templates, pin, tag, and categorize clipboards.

III. Safety Tips for Using a Clipboard

Although using a clipboard manager is a good way to keep track of everything you copy, it also carries certain security risks.

Since all the copied information is stored in one place, anyone who has access to your phone can access it. So, if you are someone who is concerned about privacy, we recommend that you do not use a clipboard manager.

You should never store sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or anything else that could be used to harm you in any way.

Also, make sure that you only give permissions to those clipboard managing apps that you trust. There have been cases when malicious applications have used the clipboard to collect user data without their knowledge.

Android 13 Brings the new Clipboard Editor

clipboard editor android 13
Image: Crast.net

While Android 13 has just started rolling out to Pixel devices, it will soon make its way (hopefully) to many other Android devices later this year. And one of the new additions is the Clipboard Editor. Exactly as it sounds, this new feature allows you to edit what you’ve copied to the clipboard.

Once you copy a text, you will see an overlay at the bottom left corner of the screen, including a short preview snippet and the edit/pencil icon. Simply click on the edit icon, and you will now be able to edit the copied content before you paste it anywhere else. It is still not a full-fledged Clipboard Manager but a nifty little feature you can use without installing an app.

Use the Android Clipboard Like a Pro!

That’s it! We hope that now you know how to access and manage your clipboard history on Android. If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below. Also, do not forget to share this guide with your friends and family who might find it useful.

FAQs about Managing Clipboard History on Android

loader image

You can clear your clipboard history very quickly from your keyboard. Just call up the keyboard and go to your clipboard. Now click on the pencil icon and select the items you want to delete. Finally, click on the Delete or Trash (????️) icon.

If you use a dedicated clipboard manager, you need to open the corresponding application and delete the data from there.

To find the clipboard history on Samsung Galaxy phones, open the Samsung keyboard app, tap on the three horizontal dots on the right corner, and tap on Clipboard. This will show the complete clipboard history on Samsung phones.

You can save data to your keyboard clipboard app by simply pinning it. However, we recommend using a third-party clipboard for such purposes, as it is more reliable.

To pin an item in Gboard, simply open the clipboard and long-press on the information you want to pin. Now click on the pin icon to pin it. Remember that you should not pin your passwords or other sensitive data for security reasons.

The maximum size of clipboard storage depends on your keyboard or the particular clipboard manager you use. With the Gboard keyboard, you can store about half a dozen items on the clipboard for about an hour or a little longer. With other keyboards, the number may be higher or lower.

With dedicated clipboard managers, there is usually no limit to the number of items you can save. However, some managers may limit the size of each item.

Yes, you can store photos on your keyboard or on the clipboard of a dedicated clipboard manager. Dedicated managers let you add photos and other files manually, while some keyboards automatically save photos to the clipboard when you copy them.

To access your clipboard on your Windows device, press the "win+V" command. This will display the clipboard history where you can access your most recently copied items. You can also press the "Win+Shift+S" key combination to take a screenshot, which will be automatically saved to your clipboard.

Android's clipboard service stores information in RAM when you save text to its clipboard. You cannot access that data directly on stock Android phones. In Samsung phones, clipboard history is stored in the /data/Clipboard directory.

Copying words, sentences, paragraphs, or other text from a web page, message, or other source is as follows:

  • Hold down a word in the section you want to copy. Each side of the text is highlighted with handles.
  • Highlight the text you want to copy by dragging the handles.
  • Tap Copy in the menu above the highlighted text.
  • The copied text should be pasted into the application where you want it, such as an email or messenger app. Paste the text into the email, message, or document.
  • Hold down the text field where you want to paste the text.
  • Tap Paste in the menu that appears.
Was this article helpful?
YesNo