Workflows & Productivity | Published Aug 21, 2026 | Updated Oct 13, 2026 | 6 min read

How to Clear Clipboard History on Windows 11

To clear clipboard history on Windows 11, press Windows logo key + V and select Clear all at the top of the panel. You can also go to Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear next to Clear clipboard data, which also clears history synced to the cloud. Both keep pinned items, so delete any pins separately.

Clearing history doesn't always empty the item you copied last. To remove that too, copy something harmless or run one of the commands below.

Clear all unpinned items from the Win+V panel

Press Windows logo key + V.
Select Clear all at the top of the clipboard tab.

Every unpinned item disappears. Pinned items stay. There's no undo for this, and clipboard history isn't an undo for deleted text either, so clear it only when you're done.

Clear history in Settings (including the cloud)

Open Start > Settings > System > Clipboard. As a shortcut, press Windows logo key + R, type ms-settings:clipboard and press Enter.
Next to Clear clipboard data, select Clear.

Microsoft describes this as clearing everything except pinned items on your device and in the cloud. If you've ever turned on Clipboard history across your devices, use this option rather than Clear all.

Delete one item or a pinned item

Press Windows logo key + V.
Next to the item, select See more (...).
Select Delete.

This is also how you remove a pin for good. To clear everything including pins, delete each pinned item this way, then use Clear all. Pinning items in clipboard history explains how pins behave.

Empty the current clipboard

Clipboard history is the list in Win+V. The current clipboard is the single item Ctrl+V pastes. Microsoft doesn't document whether clearing history also empties it, so overwrite it yourself.

The simplest way is to copy something harmless, such as one word from Notepad.

From Command Prompt or PowerShell, this replaces the clipboard with empty text, using the built-in clip command:

cmd /c "echo off | clip"

In Windows PowerShell (the version built into Windows), this empties the clipboard completely:

Set-Clipboard -Value $null

After either command, Ctrl+V pastes nothing. If you use PowerShell 7, use the clip command instead.

What clearing doesn't touch

Data	Cleared by Clear all / Clear clipboard data?	How to remove it
Pinned items	No	Delete each one in Win+V
The current clipboard item	Not documented	Copy something else, or run a command above
Office Clipboard (Word, Excel, Outlook)	No, it's a separate list	Open it from the Home tab and select Clear All
Screenshots saved by Snipping Tool	No, they're files	Delete them from Pictures > Screenshots
Text already pasted somewhere	No	Edit or delete it where you pasted it
A third-party clipboard manager's history	No	Use that app's own clear option

The Office Clipboard holds up to 24 items and has its own Clear All button in the Clipboard pane. Windows clearing doesn't reach it.

Does a restart clear clipboard history?

Yes. Microsoft documents that clipboard history is cleared each time the PC restarts, except pinned items. A restart is a quick way to empty unpinned history, but it leaves pins, and it doesn't undo anything already synced to another device. To clear it on a schedule instead, see how to automatically clear clipboard history. Clipboard history cleared after restart covers that behaviour.

Clearing a shared or work PC

Before handing a PC to someone else or leaving a shared desk:

Press Win+V and delete any pins that shouldn't stay.
Go to Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear.
Copy a harmless word so the current clipboard is clean.
Set Clipboard history across your devices to Off if you don't need it.
Sign out.

If you don't want a list kept at all, turn clipboard history off. Selling or giving away the PC needs more than this; see how to wipe clipboard data before selling a PC.

If you use a clipboard manager

Third-party managers keep their own history and need clearing separately. In Edge Drop, the clear menu offers Clear last hour, Clear last 6 hours, Clear last 24 hours and Clear all history, and the Auto-delete timer setting can remove unpinned items automatically; setting auto-delete timers in Edge Drop shows where.

FAQ

Is there a keyboard shortcut to clear clipboard history?

No. Press Win+V and select Clear all, or use the Settings option.

Why is the Clear button grayed out?

On a work or school PC, clipboard history can be turned off by policy, and the clipboard settings become unavailable. Only the organization's IT team can change that.

How do I clear the clipboard automatically after pasting a password?

Many password managers can clear the clipboard after a set time. Auto-clearing the clipboard after a password paste lists the options.

Sources

Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — Clear all, Clear clipboard data (device and cloud, except pinned items), delete one item, restart behaviour.
Launch Windows Settings (Microsoft Learn) — the ms-settings:clipboard page link.
clip (Microsoft Learn) — piping command output to the clipboard.
Set-Clipboard, Windows PowerShell 5.1 (Microsoft Learn) — Set-Clipboard parameters.
Copy and paste using the Office Clipboard (Microsoft Support) — 24-item Office Clipboard and its Clear All button.

Written by Khushi Yadav · Author & Content Writer

Khushi Yadav writes Edge Drop's workflow and design guides and is a B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student. Khushi's posts are checked against Microsoft's documentation and the Edge Drop fact sheet.

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