Anytime you copy a file, folder, or text, it is stored in the clipboard. This allows you to paste it wherever you need. Even after you paste whatever’s in the clipboard, the data will still be there in the clipboard. That’s how it’s designed and it’s fine, generally. However, there might be times when you need to clear the clipboard to make sure others cannot see or use what’s in it. For example, when you copy sensitive data such as social security number, passwords, documents, photos, etc.
In that case, you have to manually clear the clipboard. In this tutorial, we’ll show you a simple way to create a clear clipboard shortcut and optionally, add a shortcut such that you can clear the clipboard with a keyboard shortcut.
Note: If you’ve enabled the clipboard history feature then you have to clear it using the Settings app.
Create Clear Clipboard Shortcut on Windows
To create the shortcut, we’ll use the built-in Windows Shortcut wizard. Here’s how.
1. First, right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut from the context menu.
2. In the shortcut wizard, paste the following command in it and click the Next button.%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /c “echo off | clip”
3. Enter a name of your choice in the Name field and click Finish. In my case, I’m setting the name as Clear Clipboard.
4. That is it. You’ve successfully created the clear clipboard shortcut. From now on, double-click the shortcut whenever you want to clear the clipboard.
5. To add a keyboard shortcut, right-click on the shortcut and select Properties.
6. Navigate to the Shortcut tab in the Properties window, click on the Shortcut key field, and press the shortcut you want to assign. For example, Ctrl + Alt + C.
Note: Windows automatically adds the Ctrl key when adding a shortcut key. It’s mandatory and you cannot remove it. So, plan your shortcut accordingly.
7. Click the OK button to save changes.
And there you have it! It’s that simple to create a clear clipboard shortcut and assign a keyboard shortcut to it. If you have any questions, comment below and we’ll answer.