How to Fully Remove a Clipboard Manager Before Switching

To fully remove a clipboard manager before you try another one, quit it from the system tray, stop it starting with Windows, uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then delete the history folder it leaves behind and restart. The last two steps are the ones people skip, and they matter: an uninstaller often leaves your saved clipboard history on disk, and a leftover startup entry can bring the old app back after the next sign-in.

Why remove the old manager first

Running two clipboard managers at once causes three kinds of trouble:

• Everything is recorded twice. Each manager keeps its own copy of every password, address and token you copy.
• Shortcuts collide. Windows normally refuses a global hotkey that another app has already registered, so if both tools want the same shortcut, the second one's shortcut may simply not work.
• The clipboard gets busy. Only one app can have the clipboard open at a time. Two apps reading every copy add more chances for an occasional copy or paste to fail.

Two clipboard managers fighting each other covers the symptoms in detail. Windows clipboard history (Win+V) also records every copy while it's on, so it counts as a clipboard manager here too; the last step below deals with it.

Before you start: save anything you want to keep

Clipboard managers rarely import each other's history, so move anything important before you remove the old tool. Copy pinned snippets into a note, or into the new tool once it's installed. Check the old tool's documentation for an export option; Edge Drop, for example, has none. If you're leaving Win+V, how to leave Win+V without losing your pins shows how to carry pins across.

Step 1: Quit the running app

1. Select the arrow at the right end of the taskbar to show hidden icons.
2. Right-click the clipboard manager's icon and choose Exit or Quit (the wording varies by app).
3. If there's no tray icon, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, select the app on the Processes tab and select End task.

Uninstallers can fail to remove files that are still in use, so don't skip this.

Step 2: Stop it starting with Windows

Most clipboard managers start when you sign in. Turn that off before uninstalling, so nothing relaunches mid-way:

1. Select Start > Settings > Apps > Startup and switch the app Off. You can also use the Startup apps tab in Task Manager.
2. Some older and portable tools use the Startup folder instead. Right-click Start, select Run, type shell:startup and press Enter. Delete the app's shortcut if it's there.
3. Do the same with shell:common startup, the Startup folder for all users.

Step 3: Uninstall it

1. Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Find the clipboard manager, select More (...) next to it, then Uninstall.
3. If the uninstaller asks whether to keep settings or data, choose to remove them.
4. If it asks you to restart, do it now.

If Settings can't remove it, use Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features instead. A portable app has no uninstaller: delete the folder you unzipped it to, which usually holds its history as well.

Step 4: Delete the leftover history

This is where your old clipboard history stays on disk after an uninstall. Look for a folder named after the app in these places (paste each path into the File Explorer address bar):

Delete only folders that clearly belong to the app you removed. Don't delete anything you can't identify. How to wipe clipboard data before selling a PC explains why this data is worth removing rather than leaving.

Step 5: Check it's really gone

1. Restart the PC.
2. Open Task Manager and check the Processes and Details tabs. The old app shouldn't be running.
3. Check Settings > Apps > Startup again.
4. If the app keeps coming back, open Task Scheduler (search for it from Start), look in Task Scheduler Library for a task with the app's name, and disable or delete it.

Step 6: Decide what to do with Win+V

Windows clipboard history may still hold copies from your old setup. To clear it, press Win+V and select Clear all, or go to Settings > System > Clipboard and select Clear next to Clear clipboard data. Pinned items stay until you delete them one by one. How to clear clipboard history on Windows 11 has the details.

If your new manager replaces Win+V, turn Clipboard history off so you aren't recording everything twice; see how to turn clipboard history off completely. If you want both, read can you run two clipboard tools at once? first.

Removing Edge Drop specifically

Quit Edge Drop by right-clicking its tray icon and selecting Quit Edge-Drop. It starts at sign-in by default, controlled by Launch at login on the Behaviour tab of its Settings. In the GitHub build, its data, including the history index, captured images and settings, lives in %APPDATA%\Edge-Drop; the Microsoft Store build keeps it inside its package folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages. How to uninstall Edge Drop cleanly covers both the GitHub and Microsoft Store builds.

FAQ

Does uninstalling a clipboard manager delete my clipboard history?

Not always. Many uninstallers leave the data folder behind. Check %APPDATA% and %LOCALAPPDATA% for a folder with the app's name and delete it if you want the history gone.

Can I keep the old manager installed but turned off?

Yes, if you quit it and disable its startup entry. It won't record anything while it isn't running. Uninstalling is still cleaner if you don't plan to go back.

What should I do next?

Install the new tool and give it a fair week. How to trial a clipboard app for seven days gives a day-by-day plan.

Related reading

• Two Clipboard Managers Installed? How to Stop Them Fighting
• How to Trial a Clipboard Manager for Seven Days
• Can You Run Two Clipboard Managers at Once?
• How to Uninstall Edge Drop Cleanly

Sources

• Configure Startup applications in Windows (Microsoft Support) — Settings > Apps > Startup, Task Manager Startup apps, shell:startup and shell:common startup.
• Uninstall or remove apps and programs in Windows (Microsoft Support) — Installed apps and Control Panel uninstall paths.
• RegisterHotKey function (Microsoft Learn) — a hotkey registration typically fails if the keys are already registered.
• OpenClipboard function (Microsoft Learn) — only one window can have the clipboard open at a time.
• Task Scheduler (Microsoft Learn) — scheduled tasks that can relaunch apps.
• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — clearing and turning off clipboard history.

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