Clipboard History Across Devices: How Windows Sync Works

Windows can share your clipboard history between PCs that are signed in with the same Microsoft account or work account. Turn on Clipboard history across your devices in Settings > System > Clipboard, then choose whether every text copy syncs automatically or only the items you pick. Microsoft documents this feature for text: screenshots, other images and copied files stay on the PC where you copied them.

How to turn on clipboard sync

Do this on every PC that should share the clipboard:

1. Sign in to Windows with the same Microsoft account or work account on each PC.
2. Select Start > Settings > System > Clipboard.
3. Turn on Clipboard history if it's off.
4. Turn on Clipboard history across your devices.
5. Choose Automatically sync text that I copy or Manually sync text that I copy.

Microsoft notes that sync only works if your Microsoft account is syncing with Windows. On a work or school PC, your organization may have turned the feature off; if the switch is missing or greyed out, see clipboard history grayed out by organization.

On Windows 10 the switch is called Sync across devices, and Microsoft says syncing there requires the latest Windows 10 update. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025; clipboard history on Windows 10 covers what that did and didn't change.

Automatic vs manual sync

Synced items appear in Win+V on the other PC. Ctrl+V there still pastes that PC's own latest copy, so open Win+V to pick the synced item.

What syncs and what stays on the PC

Sync doesn't change the local limits. Each PC still keeps 25 items, still clears unpinned items when it restarts, and keeps its own pins. Sync isn't a backup. To move screenshots or files between PCs, use OneDrive, email or a shared folder; how to share your clipboard between two Windows PCs compares the options.

Passwords and other secrets

Apps can keep a copy out of cloud sync. Microsoft documents clipboard formats for this: an app that places CanUploadToCloudClipboard with a value of zero, or ExcludeClipboardContentFromMonitorProcessing, on the clipboard stops that copy from syncing to your other devices. Password managers commonly use these. KeePass, for example, has a "Do not store data in the Windows clipboard history and the cloud clipboard" option that's on by default.

That protection only works when the app sets the flag. A password copied from a note, an email or a chat window is ordinary text, and with automatic sync on, it's uploaded like any other copy. Does Windows clipboard sync upload what you copy? goes deeper into what leaves the PC.

If a secret synced by mistake

1. Go to Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear next to Clear clipboard data. Microsoft says this clears everything on the device and in the cloud except pinned items.
2. On each of your other PCs, open Win+V and delete the item if it's still there, including any pinned copy (See more (...) > Delete).
3. Change the password or revoke the token. Clearing history doesn't undo the fact that it was shared.
4. Switch to manual sync, or turn sync off, until the copying habit changes.

When clipboard sync is reasonable

Automatic sync is a sensible choice when all of these are true:

• Every PC signed in to the account is yours, and nobody else unlocks them.
• Your Microsoft account has a unique password and two-step verification.
• You fill passwords with a password manager instead of copying them.
• What you copy is mostly links, addresses and your own drafts.

If any of those isn't true, use manual sync or leave it off. Turn it off on a family PC that shares one Microsoft account, on shared or borrowed PCs, and on a work laptop unless your IT team allows it; shared Microsoft accounts and clipboard sync explains the shared-account risk.

Travel doesn't change the setting itself, but it changes the risk. Microsoft doesn't publish technical details of how clipboard sync is transmitted. The practical exposure is at the other end: with automatic sync on, any text you copy on the road appears on every PC signed in to your account, including one left unlocked at home.

Phones are a separate feature

Clipboard history across your devices syncs between Windows PCs. Phones connect through other apps:

• Microsoft SwiftKey (Android only). Turn on Sync clipboard history to the cloud in SwiftKey under Rich input > Clipboard, and turn on clipboard history and sync on the PC. It needs the same personal Microsoft account on both; work and school accounts aren't supported. Only your last copied clip is shared, and it's available for one hour.
• Phone Link (selected Android phones). In Phone Link on the PC, go to Settings > Features > Cross-device copy and paste. It works with Surface Duo and selected Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo and Xiaomi phones. Every copy on either device replaces the clipboard on both, images over 1 MB are resized, and it can use mobile data if you allow it.

Do SwiftKey and Gboard cloud clipboards reach Windows? covers the keyboard route in more detail.

Sync not working?

1. Check that Clipboard history across your devices is on, on every PC.
2. If you chose manual sync, open Win+V and sync the item yourself.
3. Confirm the same account is signed in on each PC and that it syncs with Windows.
4. Copy text, not an image or a file.
5. Open Win+V on the receiving PC rather than pressing Ctrl+V.

If the setting says on but the PCs still disagree, work through clipboard sync says on but devices disagree.

How to turn clipboard sync off

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Clipboard.
2. Turn off Clipboard history across your devices.
3. Optionally select Clear next to Clear clipboard data to remove what was already synced.

Local clipboard history keeps working on its own. How to disable Windows clipboard cloud sync also covers Windows 10 and the other features that can still share your clipboard.

FAQ

Does Windows sync screenshots across devices?

Microsoft documents clipboard sync for text. To move screenshots, save them and share the file through OneDrive or email.

Can I sync the Windows clipboard with an iPhone?

Not with this setting. The SwiftKey cloud clipboard is Android only, and Phone Link cross-device copy and paste supports selected Android phones.

Is clipboard sync on by default?

No. Clipboard history and Clipboard history across your devices are both off until you turn them on.

Related reading

• Does Windows Clipboard Sync Upload What You Copy?
• How to Disable Windows Clipboard Cloud Sync
• Windows Clipboard Sync Not Working Between PCs? 8 Fixes
• Phone Link Clipboard Access: A Privacy Checklist

Sources

• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — sync settings, automatic and manual sync, account requirement, Clear clipboard data, Windows 10 requirements.
• How to use clipboard history in Windows 11 (Microsoft) — setup steps; sync needs a Microsoft account that syncs with Windows.
• Clipboard formats (Microsoft Learn) — CanUploadToCloudClipboard and ExcludeClipboardContentFromMonitorProcessing.
• KeePass 2.44 release notes (KeePass) — option to keep data out of clipboard history and the cloud clipboard, on by default.
• Copy and paste text between SwiftKey and Windows (Microsoft Support) — Android only, personal Microsoft account, last clip for one hour.
• Seamlessly transfer content between your devices (Microsoft Support) — Phone Link cross-device copy and paste, supported phones, 1 MB image resizing, mobile data.
• Windows 10 end of support (Microsoft Learn) — October 14, 2025.

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