Can You Export Win+V Pins? How to Move to a New Manager

No, you can't export Win+V pins. Microsoft doesn't document any export or import for Windows clipboard history, and other clipboard managers can't read it. To move to a new manager, you paste each pinned item out of Win+V, copy it again so the new tool captures it, and pin it there. For a typical set of pins that takes a few minutes, and it's a good chance to drop the ones you no longer use.

What you can and can't take with you

Windows clipboard history keeps up to 25 items, and only pinned items survive a restart, so your pins are the only thing worth moving. Microsoft's documentation covers pinning, deleting, clearing and syncing, but no export.

Win+V stores text, HTML and bitmap images. That means your pins are text, formatted text or pictures. Files copied in File Explorer never appear in Win+V, so there are none to move.

If you use Clipboard history across your devices, your pins aren't a backup either: Microsoft documents that sync is for text, and turning sync on doesn't create a file you can import elsewhere.

Step 1: Review your pins

1. Press Windows logo key + V. Pinned items stay in the list after restarts.
2. Go through them and decide which you still use.
3. Delete the rest: select See more (...) next to the item, then Delete.

Watch for passwords, API keys or recovery codes. If you find one pinned, don't move it to the new tool. Delete it, store it in a password manager, and change it if the PC is shared. How passwords end up in clipboard history explains why pins are a poor place for secrets.

Step 2: Install the new manager

Install the tool you're moving to and make sure it's capturing copies. Common choices:

Not sure which to pick? Which clipboard tool replaces Win+V best? compares them.

Step 3: Move each pin across

Selecting an item in Win+V pastes it into the app you're in. Use a scratch document as a stopover:

1. Open Notepad for plain text pins, Word (or another editor that keeps formatting) for formatted text, or Paint for images.
2. Press Win+V and select a pinned item to paste it.
3. Select what you pasted and press Ctrl+C. The new manager records it as a fresh copy.
4. Pin it in the new manager, using the method in the table above.
5. Repeat for each pin.

Copying formatted text from Word keeps its HTML format for managers that store it. Copying an image from Paint puts a bitmap on the clipboard, which Ditto, CopyQ and Edge Drop all capture.

Step 4: Turn off Win+V history

Keep the overlap short. While both are on, every copy is recorded twice, and anything you paste from one history shows up as a new copy in the other. Two clipboard managers fighting each other covers those side effects.

When the new tool has your pins:

1. If you want the old pins gone, delete them in Win+V first. Clear all and Settings > System > Clipboard > Clear clipboard data both keep pinned items.
2. Open Settings > System > Clipboard.
3. Turn Clipboard history off.
4. If sync was on, turn Clipboard history across your devices off too.

How to turn clipboard history off completely covers the policy options on managed PCs.

Turning history off doesn't give Win+V to the new tool. Windows doesn't offer a setting to reassign it, so get used to your new manager's shortcut instead.

After the switch

• Check pins after the first restart. Your new manager should still show them.
• Expect some muscle memory. Reaching for Win+V for the first few days is normal.
• Plan for the next move. Edge Drop has no export either; backing up or moving Edge Drop history explains what carries over to a new PC.
• Set limits. Ditto and Edge Drop keep history across restarts, so review their history size and auto-delete options. In Edge Drop those are History capacity (default 250) and Auto-delete timer under Settings > Behaviour; see how to set auto-delete timers in Edge Drop.

FAQ

Where does Windows store clipboard history?

Microsoft doesn't document a user-accessible file, and there's no supported way to read it outside the Win+V panel.

Will turning off clipboard history delete my pins?

Delete them yourself first if you want them gone. Microsoft documents that Clear clipboard data keeps pinned items, and Clear all leaves them in place too.

Can I move Win+V pins to another PC?

With Clipboard history across your devices on, text you copy can sync to your other Windows PCs on the same account. That syncs new copies; it isn't an export of your pins.

Related reading

• How to Pin Items in Windows Clipboard History
• Best Win+V Alternatives for Windows 11 (By Use Case)
• How to Pin and Unpin Items in Edge Drop
• How to Export Ditto History and Switch Clipboard Managers

Sources

• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — 25-item limit, formats, pins after restart, deleting, clearing and sync.
• Ditto website — default hotkey.
• Pin items (CopyQ docs) — pinning and the Windows plugin note.
• FAQ (CopyQ docs) — assigning a shortcut to show CopyQ.

Copy. Stack. Drop.

Transform your clipboard into an interactive edge shelf. Stack, pin, and drag assets into any app with zero friction.

Download for Windows Get from Microsoft Store

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