Ditto vs CopyQ vs Win+V: Which Should You Use?

Use Win+V if you only reuse a few bits of text in the same session and don't mind it clearing on restart. Use Ditto if you want a searchable history that survives restarts with almost no setup. Use CopyQ if you want rules, editing and scripting, or the same clipboard manager on Linux or macOS. All three are free, and Ditto and CopyQ are open source under GPL-3.0.

Ditto vs CopyQ vs Win+V at a glance

Facts come from Microsoft's clipboard documentation and each project's own pages, checked in October 2026. No memory figures are quoted, because they vary with version and history size.

When Win+V is enough

Windows' built-in clipboard history is off until you turn it on: press Windows logo key + V and select Turn on. After that it keeps up to 25 items, lets you pin the ones you reuse, and can sync text to other PCs signed in to the same Microsoft or work account.

Stay with it if your copies are mostly text you paste again within the hour, you rarely need anything from before a restart, and you don't copy files you'd expect to see in the list. How to enable clipboard history in Windows 11 walks through setup.

Move on when these become regular annoyances:

• A restart wiped something you needed. Clearing on restart is by design, and only pinned items survive.
• The item you wanted was pushed out by newer copies past the 25-item limit.
• You need to find something by typing part of it. Microsoft doesn't document a search feature for Win+V.

When to choose Ditto

Ditto saves each item you copy to a local SQLite database. Press Ctrl+` (the backtick key), type a few characters to search, and press Enter or double-click to paste into the window you were using.

It suits people who want "Win+V, but longer and searchable" without learning a new tool:

• Local first: the project lists no login, no cloud and no telemetry.
• Organising: groups (press F7 to make one) and Shift+Enter to paste as plain text.
• Exclusions: rules that skip copies matching a regular expression, optionally only from a named process.
• Extras if you want them: up to three extra copy buffers with their own shortcuts, short ChaiScript scripts that run on copy or paste, and syncing clipboards between computers on your network with encryption.
• Install options: installer, portable zip, Microsoft Store, Chocolatey, or winget install -e --id Ditto.Ditto.

The interface is a plain list, and Ditto runs only on Windows. Its latest GitHub release at the time of writing is 3.25.113.0 from September 2025.

When to choose CopyQ

CopyQ also keeps a persistent history, but organises it into tabs you can sort, edit, tag and annotate. Its strengths are automation and control:

• Rules: ignore copies from chosen windows or containing chosen text.
• Password managers: content marked as secret, including the Windows "Clipboard Viewer Ignore" format, is ignored by default.
• Commands and scripting: custom commands bound to system-wide shortcuts, plus a command-line interface and a documented scripting API.
• Encryption: tab data is stored unencrypted unless you turn on its encryption option.
• Platforms: Windows, Linux and macOS. On Windows it comes as an installer, a portable zip, a Scoop package or a Chocolatey package.

CopyQ 17.0.0 was released in October 2026. The trade-off is setup time: it rewards configuration, and a first-time user faces many options. When CopyQ commands beat any shelf shows what its automation looks like.

Which one fits your job

Don't run all three at once

Each history is another place your copies are stored, including any password you paste. Two managers can also fight over the same shortcut. Once Ditto or CopyQ is set up the way you like, consider turning off Windows clipboard history in Settings > System > Clipboard. Can you run two clipboard tools at once? covers the conflicts.

Password managers such as KeePass mark their copies so that Windows keeps them out of clipboard history and cloud sync. CopyQ honours a secret marker by default; with Ditto, add exclusion rules if your password manager's copies still appear. How to stop clipboard managers from saving secrets has the details for each tool.

Switching between them

1. Win+V to Ditto or CopyQ: pinned Win+V items don't transfer. Copy each pinned item again once the new manager is running, then move them into a Ditto group or a CopyQ tab.
2. Ditto to CopyQ, or the reverse: neither project documents importing the other's history. Recopy the handful of items you reuse rather than trying to move years of clips.
3. Test before you commit: copy a paragraph, a link and a screenshot, restart, and check that the new tool still has them.

Where other tools fit

If the job is paste cleanup with a vendor-supported app and optional phone sync, compare ClipboardFusion vs Ditto. If you want screen capture, editors and folders bundled in, see ClipClip vs Ditto.

If what you mostly move is screenshots, images and files rather than text, a list you paste from may not be the best shape. Edge Drop, made by the team behind this site, is a free shelf on the edge of the screen that you can drag images and files out of into other apps; text cards are click-to-paste. It doesn't have scripting or sync.

FAQ

Is Ditto better than Windows clipboard history?

For keeping and searching history, yes: it keeps items after a restart and isn't limited to 25. Win+V is simpler and syncs text through your Microsoft account. Ditto vs Windows clipboard history compares just those two.

Is CopyQ harder to use than Ditto?

It takes longer to set up because it has more options, but basic use is similar: open it, filter, and paste.

Do Ditto or CopyQ sync to a phone?

Neither documents a phone app. Ditto syncs between computers on a network, and Win+V syncs text between Windows PCs.

Related reading

• Ditto vs CopyQ (2026): Which Clipboard Manager to Use
• Ditto vs Windows Clipboard History (Win+V): Which to Use
• Best Clipboard Managers for Windows in 2026: 8 Compared
• CopyQ Review: When to Choose This Scriptable Clipboard Manager

Sources

• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — Win+V setup, limits, formats, restart behaviour and sync.
• Clipboard Formats (Microsoft Learn) — formats apps use to keep data out of clipboard history.
• Ditto (GitHub) and Ditto releases — formats, default shortcut, local-first policy, install options, latest release.
• Ditto wiki — groups, plain-text paste, copy buffers, scripting and regex exclusions.
• Ditto project page (SourceForge) — search, SQLite storage, sync between computers encrypted over the network.
• CopyQ, CopyQ on GitHub and CopyQ releases — features, platforms, licence, Windows install options, latest release.
• CopyQ security (Read the Docs) — secret-content handling, encryption option, no network use.
• KeePass 2.44 release notes — KeePass keeping its copies out of Windows clipboard history.

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