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Windows 11 Clipboard Not Working: How to Easily Fix it

Make sure it is enabled, first of all

7 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Clipboard history is a useful Windows 11 feature for copying and pasting text and images. That feature saves up to 25 copied data clips. It enables users to copy multiple items with theCtrl+Chotkey, which they can then select for pasting from clipboard history.

Many users have been upgrading to Windows 11 in recent months. Some who have recently upgraded to this platform have said that clipboard history doesn’t work for them.

Things were no different forWindows 10 users who complained about clipboard history issuestoo. Consequently, those users can’t open that feature with its hotkey in the new platform.

That doesn’t necessarily mean copying and pasting won’t work at all. They might still be able to copy and paste single items. However, the clipboard history feature that stores multiple copied items doesn’t work for them.

If clipboard history doesn’t work for you in Windows 11, you’re missing out on a revamped feature. These are some of the most likely fixes you may apply right away:

What can I do if the Windows 11 clipboard history is not working?

1. Make sure that Clipboard History is enabled in Settings

2. Update Windows 11

3. Restart File Explorer

4. Clear clipboard data

5. Enable the Allow Clipboard History Group Policy setting

6. Edit the registry

7. Clean-boot Windows 11

Clean-booting Windows might stop a third-party program or service conflicting with clipboard history from running at startup. For example, a third-party app might have aWindows+Vkeyboard shortcut that conflicts with clipboard history’s hotkey.You can restore your PC’s original boot configuration by selecting theLoad startup itemscheckbox onMSConfig’sGeneraltab. To re-enable all the third-party services, press theEnable allbutton on the utility’sServicestab.

Should I reinstall Windows 11 to fix clipboard history?

Reinstalling Windows 11 will probably fix clipboard history when it’s not working. However, that should only be a last resort resolution. Try all the other potential solutions before considering more drastic alternatives.

There are a few different ways you can reset Windows 11. Resetting the platform, via Settings, is the most straightforward method. Ourguide on how to reset Windows 11provides full details on how you can reinstall the OS this way.

Are there any alternatives to Windows 11’s clipboard history?

There are plenty of third-party clipboard managers for Windows platforms. Some of them have better features than clipboard history. Ourlist including clipboard managers for Windows 10tells you about some of the best ones.

Windows 11 is a very young desktop platform at the moment. Some Windows 10 clipboard managers might not be compatible with the latest platform. We can confirm that the ClipboardFusion and Clipboard Manager apps in our clipboard manager guide are compatible with the latest OS.

However, many clipboard managers are freeware packages. Most of those that aren’t will at least have time-restricted trial packages you can download. So, don’t hesitate to check third-party clipboard managers run in Windows 11 without purchasing them.

Windows 11’s revamped clipboard history is much better than it was in its preceding platform. It’s worth trying to get clipboard history fixed before considering alternative third-party software.

Has clipboard history changed in Windows 11?

The big M has revamped the clipboard history in Windows 11. In Microsoft’s new desktop platform, that feature has numerous additional tabs and options. For example, users can press aClear allbutton within the enhanced clipboard history.

The revamped clipboard history includes newEmojiandKaomojiemoticon tabs. Those tabs enable you to select a variety of different emoticons. Selecting emoticons adds them to documents and text editors open within Word processors and browsers.

There’s a useful newSymbolstab in Windows 11’s revamped clipboard history. Clicking that tab brings up a selection of special symbols and characters. Users can select to add geometric, mathematical, language, and Latin symbols to documents among others.

The revamped clipboard history also includes aGIFtab. That tab includes a multitude of GIF images. There you can choose images to add to Word-processed documents and emails.

Therefore, clipboard history has changed a lot in Windows 11. It’s almost like a new feature with all the additional tabs it includes for selecting and adding GIF images, emoticons, and symbols to documents and text editors.

The potential resolutions in this guide will probably do the trick for most users. We don’t promise those solutions are completely guaranteed for all users, but they’re some of the most widely confirmed resolutions.

Also, take a look at thisguide on how to solve Windows 10 Clipboard issues for good. Once you solve your clipboard issue either for the whole system or for a specific app you installed, feel free touse the new and improved Windows 11 clipboard.

There might also be more ways to fix Windows 11’s clipboard history not working. If you’ve found another way to resolve that issue, feel free to share it in the comments section below.

Windows 11 Clipboard Not Working: How to Easily Fix it#

What can I do if the Windows 11 clipboard history is not working?#

1. Make sure that Clipboard History is enabled in Settings#

2. Update Windows 11#

3. Restart File Explorer#

4. Clear clipboard data#

5. Enable the Allow Clipboard History Group Policy setting#

6. Edit the registry#

7. Clean-boot Windows 11#

Should I reinstall Windows 11 to fix clipboard history?#

Are there any alternatives to Windows 11’s clipboard history?#

Has clipboard history changed in Windows 11?#