Beyond the clipboard manager: 10 unique copy and paste tools

How many times have you used copy and paste today? It’s likely been too many times to count. Copy and paste is one of the great inventions of the computer era, allowing you to easily move and manipulate text without having to re-enter it. As powerful as basic cut, copy, and paste is, you can take it further with power-user tools like clipboard managers that can store, manage, and sync your clipboard.

But the market is awash in these clipboard managers, and the benefits aren’t immediately obvious, even for seasoned users. In this article, we explore ten unique copy and paste tools, many free or even built-in, that can help you accomplish specific tasks.

Paste without formatting

Here’s a common problem: You copy from one document, paste into another, and you end up with text with tons of formatting inconsistencies. Thankfully, both Mac and Windows offer built-in shortcuts for pasting without the extra formatting:

Mac: Edit > Paste and Match Style (Command-Shift-V)

Windows: Edit > Paste as Plain Text (or Paste without Formatting) (Ctrl + Shift + V)

In Microsoft Office, pressing Ctrl + Alt + V opens the Paste Special dialog box, which gives you several pasting options, including Unformatted Text.

In Google Docs, there’s a specific “Paste without Formatting” option in the Edit menu, which you can trigger with Command-Shift-V or Ctrl + Shift + V. It’s also available in the context menu when you right-click or Command-click in a document.

Sometimes, this command doesn’t work for whatever reason. In that case, you can easily create a TextExpander Snippet with the contents of the Clipboard as the content and the Content Type set to Plain Text. Set this to a short abbreviation like xpt and you can expand the Clipboard contents as plain text at any time.

Copy and paste Markdown in Google Docs

Another free copy-and-paste tool is available in Google Docs. Markdown is a simple markup language that’s been growing in popularity over the past 20 years, especially since the advent of ChatGPT, which uses Markdown for formatting text. You can enable Markdown in Google Docs by going to Tools > Preferences and checking Enable Markdown.

You can then paste Markdown-formatted text directly into a Google Doc by right-clicking or command-clicking and choosing Paste from Markdown. Perhaps more interesting, you can select text, right-click it, and choose Copy as Markdown. You can then paste that formatted text into a plain text document and it will appear with Markdown markup.

View clipboard history in Windows

Windows 10 and 11 have a built-in clipboard manager which lets you view and paste your clipboard history items. You can click the pin icon to keep an entry in your history forever. Press Windows + V to view the built-in clipboard tool. Click an entry to paste it into your document.

Bypass website copy restrictions

Many websites try to use JavaScript to keep you from copying text and/or images. There are several ways to bypass this, but perhaps the simplest is to install the free Allow Copy extension in your Chrome-based browser, which simply bypasses these artificial restrictions.

Copy files smarter

Typically, you can move files in Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder by dragging and dropping or copying and pasting. Unfortunately, when dealing with large files and folders, it can cause your file manager to choke or crash, wasting hours of time. A simple solution is to use Teracopy for Windows ($29.95) and Mac (free). It tracks and manages those transfers, lets you resume them if they are interrupted, and verifies the file integrity when you’re finished.

Copy and paste between devices

If all of your devices are in the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad), you can easily copy and paste content between them through a feature called Universal Clipboard, which was introduced in macOS Sierra and iOS 10. It also works with the Vision Pro headset. As long as both devices are logged into the same account and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled, you can simply copy text or images on one device and paste them onto another device, though sometimes it may take a couple of attempts for it to work.

In the Windows world, things are naturally a bit more complex. Starting with Windows 10, the clipboard can sync between Windows computers logged into the same Microsoft account by going to Start > Settings > System > Clipboard and turning on Clipboard History Across Your Devices.

To enable a universal clipboard between Windows and Android, the simplest solution is to install the Microsoft-owned SwiftKey keyboard on your Android phone. Then open the SwiftKey app, go to Rich Input > Clipboard, tap Sync Clipboard History to the Cloud, and log into your Microsoft account.

Paste obscure symbols

No matter how big your keyboard is, it’s probably missing some commonly used characters like the degree symbol (°F) and cents (¢). Both Mac and Windows have hidden tricks to type things like this. For the degree symbol: On Windows, you can hold Alt and press 0176 on the numeric keypad; on the Mac, press Option-Shift-8. But those aren’t exactly the easiest shortcuts to remember.

Here’s where TextExpander can come in handy to make things easier. You can create a simple Snippet just for that symbol or character, and give it an easy abbreviation like xdegree or ;cents. Then, when you type one of those abbreviations, it “expands” into the symbol you need.

You can set up TextExpander Snippets for emojis, accented characters, and other glyphs that may not be on your keyboard.

Copy real-world text

If you’re not already aware, there are a number of tools for mobile phones that let you copy text from real-world sources. The most universal option is Google Lens, available either through the Google Lens app on Android or the Google app on iPhone.

Simply point Google Lens at some text and tap the Select Text button. That captures a still where you can select and act on the detected text.

Also, as of iOS 15, most iPhones and iPads support a feature called Live Text in the Camera app. Aim the camera at some text, tap the text icon in the lower-right corner, and much like Google Lens, it freezes the frame so you can select the detected text on the page.

Copy multiple links from a web page

Have you ever been busy with a research project and need to copy multiple links from a web page? The traditional way is slow and painful: Right-click, copy, right-click, copy, Ad Infinium. The free and open-source Linkclump browser extension for Chromium browsers lets you draw a box around multiple links and copy them in one go.

After installing Linkclump, be sure to go into options, click Edit under Actions, and change the Action from “Opened as New Tabs” to “Copied to Clipboard.”

Conclusion

As you can see, there is much more to the world of copy-and-paste tools than mere clipboard managers. It encompasses a wide array of utilities designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. These tools offer features such as cloud synchronization, formatting preservation, text transformation, and integration with other applications. By leveraging these advanced capabilities, users can optimize their copy-and-paste operations, saving time and effort.

Copy and paste tools FAQ

What are the best clipboard managers?

Here are the winners from our roundup of the best clipboard managers:

Android: Clip Stack

Chrome: Clipboard History Pro

iOS: Copied

Mac: Paste

Windows: Ditto

What are the tools for copy and paste?

Copy and paste are essential functions for productivity, and various tools can enhance or automate these actions. Here are some of the best tools for copy and paste:

Built-in system tools

Windows Clipboard (Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V) – The standard copy-and-paste function in Windows.

Clipboard History (Windows + V) – Stores multiple copied items for easy access.

macOS Clipboard (Command-C / Command-V) – The default copy-and-paste function on Mac.

Clipboard managers

TextExpander – Expands text snippets and stores reusable content, reducing repetitive typing.

Ditto – A free clipboard manager for Windows that saves multiple copied items.

Paste – A macOS clipboard manager that organizes copied content.

Browser extensions

Clipboard History Pro – A Chrome extension for saving and managing copied text.

CopyClip – A simple clipboard history tool for Mac.

Specialized copy-and-paste tools

PureText – Removes formatting when pasting text.

1Clipboard – Syncs clipboard history across devices.

How do I get copy-and-paste tools?

The copy-and-paste tool you need depends on your device and requirements. Here’s how to get started:

1. Use built-in copy-and-paste features

Most operating systems have a basic clipboard function:

Windows: Press Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste. Enable Clipboard History (Windows + V) to store multiple copied items.

Mac: Press Cmd + C to copy and Cmd + V to paste. macOS only stores the most recent copied item by default.

2. Download a clipboard manager

If you need more functionality, such as saving multiple copied items or syncing across devices, you can install a clipboard manager:

Windows:

Ditto – Free and lightweight clipboard manager.

ClipClip – Organizes copied content into folders.

Mac:

Paste – A powerful clipboard manager with history.

CopyClip – A simple clipboard history tool.

Cross-platform options:

TextExpander – Stores and expands frequently used text Snippets.

1Clipboard – Syncs clipboard history across devices.

3. Use a browser extension

If you copy and paste frequently in a browser, you can install an extension:

Chrome: Clipboard History Pro

Firefox: Copy PlainText

What is the easiest way to copy and paste?

The easiest way to copy and paste depends on your device and what you’re working with. Here are the simplest methods:

1. Basic copy and paste (for text, files, and images)

Windows:

Copy: Ctrl + C

Paste: Ctrl + V

Mac:

Copy: Command-C

Paste: Command-V

2. Copy and paste with a mouse or touchpad

Right-click method:

Select the text or file.

Right-click and choose Copy.

Move to the desired location, right-click, and choose Paste.

Drag-and-drop (for files or text in some apps):

Click and hold the item, drag it to a new location, and release.

3. Use clipboard history (for multiple copied items)

Windows: Press Windows + V to access clipboard history.

Mac: macOS only stores the last copied item, but you can use third-party tools like Paste or CopyClip.

4. Automate copy and paste with a clipboard manager

If you copy and paste frequently, try a tool like:

TextExpander – Saves and expands frequently used text snippets.

Ditto (Windows) – Stores clipboard history for easy access.

Paste (Mac) – Keeps a history of copied items for quick reuse.

How do I copy and paste multiple things at once?

Copying and pasting multiple things at once is easy with clipboard history tools and clipboard managers. Here’s how to do it on different platforms:

1. Use built-in clipboard history

Windows (Clipboard History)

Copy multiple items using Ctrl + C.

Press Windows + V to open clipboard history.

Click on the item you want to paste, or use Enter to insert it.

Mac (Use a Clipboard Manager)

macOS only stores the last copied item by default, but you can install a clipboard manager like:

Paste (pasteapp.io)

CopyClip (fiplab.com)

2. Use a clipboard manager for more control

Third-party clipboard managers let you store, organize, and quickly paste multiple copied items.

TextExpander – Stores and expands frequently used text snippets.

Ditto (Windows) – Saves clipboard history for easy access.

1Clipboard (Windows & Mac) – Syncs clipboard across devices.

3. Use drag-and-drop for multiple files

Select multiple files (hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac).

Drag them to the desired location to “paste” them.

What are the 3 options for cut, copy, and paste?

The three main options for cut, copy, and paste are:

1. Keyboard shortcuts (fastest method)

Copy: Ctrl + C (Windows) / Command-C (Mac)

Cut: Ctrl + X (Windows) / Command-X (Mac)

Paste: Ctrl + V (Windows) / Command-V (Mac)

2. Right-click menu (mouse method)

Select the text, file, or item.

Right-click and choose:

Copy (to duplicate)

Cut (to move)

Paste (to insert at a new location)

3. Clipboard history (for multiple items)

Windows: Press Windows + V to view clipboard history.

Mac: Use a clipboard manager like Paste or CopyClip to store multiple copied items.