How to Clear and Pin Clipboard in Windows 11

The Windows 11 Clipboard History tool allows you to store multiple copied items, including text, links, and images, for easy access. This guide explains how to enable and open the clipboard interface, pin frequently used snippets so they stay saved even after a reboot, and clear individual or entire clipboard logs to protect sensitive information.

How to Enable and Open Clipboard History

Before managing snippets, ensure Clipboard History is enabled on your device:

  1. Press Windows Key + V to open the clipboard panel.
  2. If it is not active, click Turn on.
  3. Alternatively, navigate to Settings > System > Clipboard and toggle Clipboard history to the On position.

Once enabled, anything you copy using standard copy commands (Ctrl + C) will be recorded in the list.

How to Pin Important Snippets

Pinned items stay in your clipboard permanently until you manually unpin or delete them, surviving system restarts and bulk clear actions.

  1. Press Windows Key + V to bring up the clipboard menu.
  2. Scroll through the list to find the text, link, or image you want to keep.
  3. Click the Pin icon (or click the three dots … next to the item and select the Pin icon).

The pinned snippet will now remain at your disposal for future pasting tasks.

How to Clear Clipboard Data

You can delete single entries, wipe the entire unpinned history, or clear all data through Windows Settings.

Method 1: Clear via the Clipboard Panel (Quick Method)

  1. Press Windows Key + V.
  2. To delete a single item: Click the three dots (…) next to the item and select the Trash/Delete icon.
  3. To clear all unpinned items: Click the Clear all button located at the top of the clipboard panel.

Note: Any pinned snippets will remain intact when using “Clear all.” To remove a pinned item, you must click the pin icon to unpin it first, then delete it.

Method 2: Clear via Windows Settings

  1. Open Settings (press Windows Key + I).
  2. Click on System in the left sidebar, then select Clipboard on the right.
  3. Locate the Clear clipboard data section.
  4. Click the Clear button to erase all stored clipboard history from your device.