How to Turn On or Off Clipboard Sync in Windows 11

Windows 11 has a clipboard sync feature to share it across computers. Here is how to turn on or off clipboard sync in Windows 11.

Microsoft introduced the clipboard sync feature way back in Windows 10. As you can tell from the name, the clipboard sync feature allows you to share the contents of your clipboard with another computer.

Yes, Windows uses your Microsoft account to sync clipboard over the cloud, if you are wondering. That means you have to use the same Microsoft account to sign into the other computers. One of the best things about the clipboard sync feature is that you can configure it to sync text that you copy automatically and manually as and when needed. To put it simply, you have greater control over how and when to sync clipboard contents.

If you are not using a Microsoft account to log in, you can still use the Clipboard History feature, which keeps track of all the clipboard contents. It allows you to go back in time and access past clipboard contents.

By default, the clipboard sync feature is disabled. You can enable clipboard sync in Windows 11 via the Settings app if you want to.

Without further delay, let me show you how to turn on clipboard sync in Windows 11 and turn off clipboard sync in Windows 11.

Table of contents:

• Enable clipboard sync
• Disable clipboard sync

Important note: You should be signed in with a Microsoft account in Windows 11 to use the Clipboard Sync feature.

Turn on clipboard sync in Windows 11

You can enable the clipboard sync feature using Settings or Group Policy. The group policy method is helpful to enable the feature for all uses in your computer. I will show both ways. Follow the process that fits your use case.

From Settings:

1. Open Settings in Windows 11.
2. Click on “System” on the sidebar.
3. Select “Clipboard” on the right panel.
4. Turn on the “Clipboard Sync” feature.
5. Choose the “Automatically sync text that I copy” option.
6. Close the Settings app.
7. With that, the clipboard sync feature is turned on.

Same steps with pictures:

Use the “Start key + I” to launch Windows 11 Settings. You can also right-click the Start menu and select the “Settings” option.

After opening the Settings app, select the “System” option. This page hosts most of the essential options related to your computer settings. Scroll down and click on the “Clipboard” option on this page.

As the name suggests, you find all the options for managing the additional clipboard functionality on this page. Here, turn on the “Clipboard Sync” feature.

After that, you have two choices. Select one of the below options depending on how you want the clipboard sync to work.

Automatically sync text that I copy: Windows 11 will automatically sync the clipboard items with other devices as soon as you copy them. You don’t have to do anything to start the sync process.

Manually sync text that I copy: You have to manually click the sync button in the clipboard tray (Win + V) to sync clipboard contents. You have to do it every time. As you can guess, though it adds a bit more work, it gives you greater control and the ability to remove sensitive clipboard items before syncing.

After selecting the appropriate option, you can safely close the Settings app. All the changes are automatically saved.

That is it. With that, you have turned on clipboard sync in Windows 11 via Settings.

From Group Policy Editor:

If you have multiple users and want to enable clipboard sync for all of them, the Group Policy Editor is useful. However, it is only available in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions. Here is how.

1. Press the Start key.
2. Search and launch “Edit Group Policy.”
3. Open the “Administrative templates” folder under “Computer Configuration.”
4. Go to the “System > OS Policies” folder.
5. Double-click on the “Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices” policy.
6. Choose the “Not configured” option.
7. Click the “Ok” button.
8. Close the Group Policy Editor.
9. Reboot the computer.
10. With that, the clipboard sync feature is turned on for all users.

Turn off Clipboard sync in Windows 11

You can disable clipboard sync via Settings or Group Policy. I will show both ways, follow the one you like.

From Settings:

1. Open Settings in Windows 11.
2. Click on “System” on the sidebar.
3. Select “Clipboard” on the right panel.
4. Turn off the “Clipboard Sync” feature.
5. Close the Settings app.
6. With that, the clipboard sync feature is turned off.

From Group Policy Editor:

1. Press the Start key.
2. Search and launch “Edit Group Policy.”
3. Go to the “Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > System > OS Policies” folder.
4. Double-click on the “Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices” policy.
5. Choose the “Disabled” option.
6. Click the “Ok” button.
7. Close the Group Policy Editor.
8. Reboot the computer.
9. With that, the clipboard sync feature is turned off for all users.

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That is all. It is that simple to turn on or turn off clipboard sync in Windows 11.

I hope this easy and straightforward Windows 11 how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.