title: Clipboard History

description: Access and manage previously copied text

category: Clipboard

difficulty: beginner

Clipboard History

CleverKeys maintains a history of text you've copied, making it easy to paste items from earlier.

Quick Summary

What	Description

Purpose	Access previous clipboard items
Access	Swipe SW from Ctrl key, or add Clipboard to Extra Keys
Capacity	Configurable (default 25 items)

Accessing Clipboard History

Method 1: Ctrl Key Swipe

1. Find the Ctrl key on the bottom row
2. Swipe SW (down-left) to activate switch_clipboard
3. Clipboard history panel opens
4. Tap any item to paste

Method 2: Extra Keys

If you've added a clipboard key to Extra Keys:

1. Tap the clipboard icon in your extra keys row
2. History panel opens
3. Tap item to paste

Method 3: Per-Key Customization

You can assign clipboard access to any key's short swipe:

1. Go to Settings > Per-Key Customization
2. Select any key
3. Assign switch_clipboard to a swipe direction

Using Clipboard History

Paste from History

1. Open clipboard history
2. Tap any item
3. Item is pasted at cursor position

Copy Item Again

1. Open clipboard history
2. Long-press item
3. Select Copy
4. Item moves to top of history

Delete Item

1. Open clipboard history
2. Tap the delete button on the item
3. Or swipe left and tap delete

Pin Items

Keep important items from being removed:

Pin an Item

1. Open clipboard history
2. Long-press item
3. Select Pin
4. Item shows pin icon

Unpin Item

1. Long-press pinned item
2. Select Unpin

Pinned items:

• Stay at top of list
• Don't auto-expire
• Don't count toward limit

History Panel Layout

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Clipboard History [X] │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 📌 Pinned item text... [🗑] │ ← Pinned │ 📌 Another pinned item... [🗑] │ ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Recently copied text here... [🗑] │ ← Recent │ Another clipboard item... [🗑] │ │ More text from earlier... [🗑] │

└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Privacy Features

Password Manager Exclusion

CleverKeys can exclude clipboard entries from password managers:

Setting

Behavior

Enabled	Clips from 1Password, Bitwarden, etc. not saved
Disabled	All clips saved normally

Supported apps include: 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, Dashlane, KeePass variants, and more.

Password Field Detection

CleverKeys automatically detects password fields:

Behavior

Description

Don't save	Password field text not saved to history
Mask display	Sensitive items may show masked

Tips and Tricks

• Pin frequently used: Pin items you paste often
• Clear sensitive data: Regularly clear history with sensitive info
• Quick access: Add clipboard to Extra Keys for one-tap access
• Customize access: Assign clipboard to any key via Per-Key Customization

[!TIP]

The Ctrl key's SW subkey is switch_clipboard by default on most layouts.

Settings

Setting

Location

Description

Enable History	Clipboard section	Turn history on/off
History Size	Clipboard section	Maximum items to keep
Exclude Password Managers	Clipboard section	Don't save from password apps

Clear History

Clear All Items

1. Open clipboard history
2. Tap Clear All
3. Confirm deletion

Clear Unpinned Only

1. Long-press Clear All
2. Select Clear Unpinned
3. Pinned items preserved

Common Questions

Q: Why don't I see clipboard history?

A: Check that it's enabled in Settings > Clipboard section (expand it).

Q: How do I access clipboard quickly?

A: Swipe NW from the Ctrl key, or add a clipboard key to your Extra Keys.

Q: Why wasn't my copied text saved?

A: It may have been from a password field or a password manager app (if exclusion is enabled).

Q: Can I recover deleted items?

A: No, deleted items cannot be recovered. Pin important items.

Related Features

• Text Selection - Select text efficiently
• Shortcuts - Keyboard shortcuts for clipboard
• Privacy - Privacy settings

← Accessibility Text Selection →