Capture · Clipboard history
A private clipboard history manager for Windows, Linux and Mac
Barside's clipboard history keeps the text and images you copy, encrypted on your computer. Press Alt+Shift+V in any app to search what you copied, pin what you reuse and paste it back. It stays off until you turn it on, and it skips private copies.
Your computer's clipboard holds one thing at a time: copy something new and the last copy is gone. A clipboard history manager keeps a list of what you copied, so you can go back and paste the link from ten minutes ago or the paragraph you copied this morning. Barside has one built in, for Windows, Linux and Mac. Turn on Keep clipboard history, press Alt+Shift+V in any app, pick an earlier copy, and Barside pastes it where you were typing. The history is encrypted on your computer, never synced and never in your backups.
What Barside's clipboard history manager does
- Keeps the text and images you copy in any app: up to 200 text items and 30 images.
- Opens a small search box next to your mouse when you press
Alt+Shift+V. - Pastes the item you choose back into the app you were using.
- Pins the items you reuse, like an address or a standard reply. Pinned items never expire.
- Skips private copies, like passwords that a password manager marks as private, and AI keys.
- Pauses while the screen is locked.
It is off until you turn it on. Nothing you copy before that is recorded.
How to turn on clipboard history
- Open Settings and scroll to Clipboard history.
- Turn on Keep clipboard history.
- Under Keep items for, choose 1 day, 7 days (the default) or 30 days.
- Copy something as usual, then press
Alt+Shift+Vto see it.
Turning the switch off deletes the whole history. Clear history deletes every item but keeps the feature on; it asks for a second click first. Besides the shortcut, you can open the list with Open in Settings, with Clipboard history in the tray menu, or by typing clip in the search bar.
Paste an earlier copy
Press Alt+Shift+V wherever you are typing. The popup lists your copies, newest first, with how long ago you copied each one. Long texts show their length in characters, and images show as thumbnails with their size in pixels.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Type a few words | Search the history |
Up and Down | Move through the list |
Enter | Paste into the app you were using |
Shift+Enter | Copy only, without pasting |
Ctrl+P | Pin or unpin the item |
Shift+Delete | Delete the item |
Esc | Close the popup |
You can also click an item to paste it, or use the pin and trash buttons on each row. When Barside cannot paste for you, for example into an app running as administrator, it copies the item and asks you to press Ctrl+V.
What it keeps, and for how long
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| One text copy | Up to 100,000 characters |
| One image | A PNG picture up to 8 MB |
| Text items | Up to 200 |
| Images | Up to 30 |
| Kept for | 1, 7 or 30 days |
| Pinned items | Never expire |
When the list is full, the oldest unpinned copy makes room. Copy the same thing twice and it moves to the top instead of appearing twice; for images, Barside compares the pixels, so the same picture is saved once. Barside keeps the plain text of what you copy: formatting is not kept, and neither are copied files.
What it never keeps
- Copies marked private. Password managers can mark a copy so that clipboard tools skip it: Windows has its own private marks; on Linux, Barside honors the KDE password manager hint, which KeePassXC uses; and Barside for Mac honors the concealed and transient marks from nspasteboard.org. Barside checks the marks again after reading, so a private copy that lands mid-read is dropped too.
- Two-step codes from Barside Passwords, and anything copied while the Passwords window is in front. See the built-in password manager.
- AI keys, including the key you copy while you connect Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini in Settings → AI.
- Anything copied while the screen is locked.
- Very large copies, over the limits above.
Where your clipboard history is stored
- In Barside's private folder on your computer, apart from your notes library.
- Encrypted. The list is encrypted for your user account: with Windows' own encryption on Windows, with your system keyring on Linux, such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet, and with the macOS Keychain in Barside for Mac. Images are separate files, encrypted with AES-256-GCM under a random key kept inside the encrypted list.
- Never in backups or sync. ZIP backups, the cloud backup and cloud sync all leave clipboard history out, so it stays on the computer where you copied. Read more about local-first storage and backups.
- Paused, not exposed. If your system's encryption is not available, for example a Linux desktop with no keyring open, clipboard history pauses instead of saving anything unencrypted.
- Hidden from screen sharing on Windows. The popup is kept out of screen sharing and recordings, so people in a call do not see your history.
The privacy guide explains how clipboard history is stored.
Everyday uses
- Research and writing. Copy five quotes from five tabs, then paste them one by one into your note.
- Support and sales. Pin the replies you send every day, then type a word from one in the popup and press
Enter. - Forms. An address, a tracking number or an order ID you copied earlier.
- Development. A command, a file path or an error line you copied before you switched windows.
- Screenshots. Paste a screenshot you copied earlier into a chat, after you have copied other things since.
- Text from images. Text you copy with screen text capture lands in the history too, ready to paste later.
Tips for a history you can trust
- Keep items only as long as you need them. Choose 1 day if you often copy sensitive details, 7 days for everyday work, or 30 days for a long research project.
- Pin the handful of things you paste every day. Pinned items never expire, and they are never pushed out when the list is full.
- Copy without pasting with
Shift+Enterwhen you want to paste the same item into several places yourself. - Search by any words you remember. The list filters as you type and keeps the text copies that contain all of them, in any order. Images show only while the search box is empty.
- Clear the history before someone else uses your computer. And on Linux, or in Barside for Mac, avoid opening the popup while you share your screen: only on Windows is it always kept out of screen sharing.
Troubleshooting
- "Turn on clipboard history in Settings first." Clipboard history is off. Turn on Keep clipboard history in Settings → Clipboard history. Until then, Barside does not answer
Alt+Shift+V, and the tray menu has no Clipboard history item. - Nothing happens when you press
Alt+Shift+V. Check that clipboard history is on. If it is, another app may hold that shortcut. Settings says so under Paste an earlier copy; choose another hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys and aliases, or open the list from the tray menu. - "Your system keyring is unavailable, so clipboard history is paused." Barside needs your system's encryption to keep the history (on Windows, the message names Windows encryption, and in Barside for Mac the macOS Keychain). On Linux, make sure a keyring such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet is running and unlocked.
- An item was copied but not pasted. Barside could not paste into that app, so press
Ctrl+Vyourself. On Linux, installing xdotool lets Barside paste for you. - Something you copied is missing. It may have been marked private, copied while the screen was locked, copied in Barside Passwords, or over the size limits. Copied files and formatting are not kept.
Windows, Linux and Mac
On Windows 10 and 11, Barside hears each copy the moment it happens, with no polling. When you press the shortcut, it remembers the app you were in, and pastes only once that app is back in front.
On Linux, not every desktop reports clipboard changes, so Barside checks the clipboard twice a second while clipboard history is on. To paste for you, it needs xdotool, which the .deb recommends (sudo apt install xdotool on Ubuntu and Debian); without it, Barside copies the item and you press Ctrl+V. On a Wayland desktop, global hotkeys work while an X11 app is active; to use Alt+Shift+V everywhere, copy its command in Settings → Hotkeys and aliases and add it as a shortcut in your desktop's keyboard settings. On GNOME, the tray icon needs the AppIndicator extension.
In Barside for Mac, Barside watches the clipboard for new copies. To paste for you, it switches back to the app you were using and presses ⌘V, which needs the Accessibility permission: the first time, macOS asks you to allow Barside in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Until you do, Barside copies the item and you press ⌘V yourself. In the popup, ⌘P pins an item. Barside waits in the menu bar instead of the tray, so Clipboard history is in its menu there.
How it compares
Windows has a clipboard history of its own, opened with Win+V. It keeps 25 items of up to 4 MB each, in text, HTML and bitmap formats. Restarting clears everything you have not pinned, and it can sync between devices with your Microsoft account or work account. Barside's history keeps up to 200 text items and 30 images for the days you choose, including across restarts, lets you search them, and never leaves your computer. It pastes plain text, so Windows' own history is the better fit when you need formatting.
On Linux, KDE Plasma includes Klipper, a clipboard history in the system tray that you can search. Barside gives you the same popup, shortcut and limits on Windows, on Linux and in Barside for Mac. For a wider comparison, see the best clipboard managers, or the Raycast alternative for Windows if you want a launcher with more tools.
Works well with
FAQ
Questions and answers
Is Barside's clipboard history on by default?
No. It is off until you turn on Keep clipboard history in Settings. Nothing you copied before that is saved, and turning it off again deletes the whole history.
Does clipboard history save the passwords I copy?
It skips copies that password managers mark as private, two-step codes copied by Barside Passwords, anything copied while the Passwords window is in front, and AI keys. A password copied from somewhere that does not mark it, like a plain text file, is saved like other text, so delete it with Shift+Delete.
Is my clipboard history backed up or synced?
No. It is encrypted on your computer and never included in ZIP backups, cloud backup or cloud sync. Each computer keeps its own history, and it never leaves that computer.
How many items does Barside's clipboard history keep?
Up to 200 text items and 30 images, for 1, 7 or 30 days (7 is the default). Pinned items never expire. When the list is full, the oldest unpinned copy makes room. Each text can be up to 100,000 characters and each image up to 8 MB.
Why does Barside ask me to press Ctrl+V instead of pasting?
Barside could not paste into that app: for example, an app running as administrator on Windows, any app on Linux when xdotool is not installed, or, in Barside for Mac, any app until you allow Barside under Privacy & Security → Accessibility. The item is already on your clipboard, so press Ctrl+V yourself, or ⌘V on a Mac.
How is it different from Windows clipboard history (Win+V)?
Windows keeps 25 items of up to 4 MB each, including formatted text, clears unpinned items when you restart, and can sync with your Microsoft account. Barside keeps up to 200 text items and 30 images for the days you choose, across restarts, encrypted and never synced, and it works on Linux and Mac too. Barside pastes plain text.
Can I change the Alt+Shift+V shortcut?
Yes. Open Settings → Hotkeys and aliases and give Clipboard history another shortcut. You can also open it from the tray menu, with Open in Settings, or by typing clip in the search bar.
Does clipboard history work on a Mac?
Yes: Barside for Mac is out, and clipboard history is part of it. The feature also works on Windows 10 and 11 and on 64-bit Linux; on a Mac, it pastes with ⌘V once you allow Barside under Accessibility.
Sources
Where the facts come from
Checked on September 28, 2026. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us at support@barside.space.