How to Use PowerToys Advanced Paste on Windows 11

PowerToys Advanced Paste changes what's on your clipboard as you paste it. Install Microsoft PowerToys, turn on Advanced Paste in PowerToys Settings, copy something, then press Win+Shift+V in the app you're pasting into and choose a format: plain text, Markdown, JSON, a .txt, .html or .png file, or text pulled out of an image. All of those run locally. Paste with AI is a separate, optional feature that's off until you turn it on and add a model provider.

Set up Advanced Paste

1. Install PowerToys from the Microsoft Store or from the PowerToys GitHub releases page (or with winget, below).
2. Open PowerToys Settings (from the Start menu or the PowerToys icon in the system tray).
3. Select Advanced Paste in the left pane and turn the utility on.
4. Check the shortcuts under Activation & behavior and Actions. The defaults are below.

If you use the Windows Package Manager, this is Microsoft's documented install command:

winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys --source winget

PowerToys runs on Windows 11 and on Windows 10 version 2004 or later, on x64 and ARM64 PCs. It has to be running for its shortcuts to work, so leave Run at startup on in the General settings if you want Advanced Paste available every time you sign in.

The default shortcuts

You can assign your own shortcut to any of these. Microsoft's documentation warns against using Ctrl+V as an activation shortcut, because overriding it can have unintended effects.

Everyday use: the Advanced Paste window

1. Copy something as usual with Ctrl+C.
2. Click where you want to paste it.
3. Press Win+Shift+V. The window shows a preview of what's on the clipboard (the Show a preview of the current clipboard content setting, on by default).
4. Pick a format. Advanced Paste converts the clip and pastes the result into the app you were using.

If you'd rather work on the text you've highlighted than on the clipboard, turn on Use selected text for all hotkeys. Advanced Paste then tries to copy the current selection first and falls back to the clipboard if nothing is selected.

What each paste option does

Microsoft says every option in this table runs on your PC and doesn't use AI.

The file options only work where the target accepts pasted files, such as a folder in File Explorer. Pasting a .txt file into a text box won't do anything useful.

Paste as plain text is the one most people use daily: it does the same job as Ctrl+Shift+V in browsers, but in every app, including those without a "keep text only" option. How to paste without formatting on Windows lists the built-in alternatives app by app.

Paste as Markdown is useful when you move text from a web page or a Word document into a README, a wiki or a Markdown editor. Which Windows apps understand Markdown from the clipboard covers where the result renders.

Image to text works on a screenshot you've just taken with Win+Shift+S: snip the text, press Win+Shift+V and choose Image to text. How to copy text from an image on Windows 11 compares it with Snipping Tool's Text actions.

Paste with AI (optional)

Paste with AI lets you type an instruction, such as "summarise this" or "translate to Spanish", and get the transformed text back. It's off by default. To use it:

1. In the Advanced Paste settings, turn on Paste with AI.
2. Under Model providers, select Add model.
3. Choose a provider, fill in its fields, and select Save.

With AI turned on you also get a built-in Fix spelling and grammar action (with an optional Coaching mode that explains the changes) and Custom actions: saved prompts with their own name, optional shortcut and optional choice of model. Custom actions only appear when Paste with AI is enabled.

If you use the OpenAI provider, Paste with AI can also chain steps through Semantic Kernel, for example reading text from an image, translating it and saving it as a .txt file. Microsoft says this only works with OpenAI.

An API key quota exceeded error means your online provider account has no credits left.

What AI paste sends, and where

Microsoft's documentation is direct about it: Advanced Paste sends your clipboard text and your prompt to the provider you selected. With an online provider, that means the text leaves your PC and is handled under that provider's terms. With Foundry Local, Ollama or Phi Silica, the model runs on your own machine.

Two habits keep this safe:

• Look at the preview before you run an AI action. If the clipboard holds a password, a token or customer data, use a non-AI option or a local provider.
• Turn off Show the AI paste input box if you only want AI through saved actions, so a stray prompt doesn't send something you didn't mean to.

PowerToys Advanced Paste AI: local or cloud models? goes further into the local setup, and are AI clipboard managers useful or a privacy leak? covers the wider risk.

Pasting older items: Access Clipboard History

Advanced Paste works on the current clipboard, but the Access Clipboard History setting lets you pick an earlier copy from the Advanced Paste window. It relies on Windows clipboard history, so if nothing older appears, turn that on first: how to enable clipboard history in Windows 11.

Advanced Paste doesn't keep a long-term history of its own. For clips that survive a restart, or images and files you can drag back out, you need a clipboard manager. Edge Drop, the free clipboard shelf made by the team behind this site, keeps up to 250 unpinned items by default across restarts, but it has no paste-as-plain-text option, so the two tools sit side by side. PowerToys Advanced Paste vs a clipboard manager compares them.

Advanced Paste not working?

If Win+V itself shows nothing, work through Win+V says "Nothing here".

FAQ

Is PowerToys Advanced Paste free?

Yes. PowerToys is free and open source from Microsoft. The only possible cost is an online AI provider, which may bill you for API use if you choose to add one.

Does Advanced Paste replace Win+V?

No. Win+V is the clipboard history list; Advanced Paste converts what you paste. Its window can show clipboard history items, but the history itself comes from Windows.

Does Advanced Paste work on Windows 10?

PowerToys supports Windows 10 version 2004 and later, as well as Windows 11. Phi Silica, one of the local AI providers, needs a Copilot+ PC.

Can I paste as plain text without opening the window?

Yes. Press Win+Ctrl+Alt+V, or assign a different shortcut to Paste as plain text directly.

Related reading

• PowerToys Advanced Paste vs a Clipboard Manager
• Can PowerToys Replace a Clipboard Manager?
• How to Paste Without Formatting on Windows
• Can't Paste Into an Admin Window? Why and How to Fix It

Sources

• Advanced Paste (Microsoft Learn) — settings, default shortcuts, paste actions, local processing, AI providers and what AI paste sends.
• Install PowerToys (Microsoft Learn) — system requirements and the winget command.
• PowerToys general settings (Microsoft Learn) — shortcut conflict detection and run at startup.
• Run PowerToys in administrator mode (Microsoft Learn) — elevated apps and Restart as administrator.
• Keyboard shortcuts in Windows (Microsoft Support) — Win+Shift+V cycles through notifications in Windows 11.
• PowerToys (GitHub) — source code and releases.

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How to Install Guide · First 10 Minutes Guide · Drag & Drop Guide · Edge Drop vs Win+V · Support