Clipboard history is definitely one of the useful features of Windows 10. It allows you to copy multiple things and use them later. But a lot of the users have been complaining about that Windows 10 clipboard history not working issue.
So if you are facing a similar issue and copy-paste is not working, I will be sharing a couple of fixes with you.
What Gets Stored in Clipboard History?
Clipboard history wasn’t always an integral part of Windows 10. Instead, it was introduced with Windows 10’s October 20218 update (Version 1809).
The best part of this feature is that it allows you to copy and store not just text but HTML and images less than 4MB in size. So you can use them later on.
Also, the clipboard history supports a maximum entry of 25. Plus, the clipboard cleans itself every time you restart or shut down your computer. But if pin an entry, only then it will not get erased. Find out how you can view all the clipboard items.
So in case if you have more than 25 entries saved in your clipboard history, then it is why the Windows 10 clipboard is not working.
How To Fix Windows 10 Clipboard History Not Working?
There are a couple of ways to fix clipboard history not working error on Windows 10. And in this article, I am going to address the following methods to fix the error:
- Enable Clipboard History
- Turn Sync across devices
- Edit Registry
- Edit Local Group Policy
You will need admin permission to achieve this.
1] Enable Clipboard History
By default, clipboard history is disabled on Windows 10. As a result, most users are not aware of this feature or don’t know how to use it. As a result, if the feature isn’t enabled, then you can only copy and paste one item at a time.
However, below are the steps that you can follow to enable clipboard history on Windows 10:
- Go to the Windows search bar.
- Type down clipboard settings and press enter.
- Over here, toggle on the button under the Clipboard history.
- Once enabled, press Windows key + V at the same time and see if the clipboard is opening or not.
- If it does, then you can try copying multiple items and then check if Windows 10 clipboard history is working or not.
2] Turn Sync across devices
If you haven’t turned on the sync feature under clipboard history settings, then the clipboard might not work as smoothly as it should. So you can try enabling the option and see if it has helped you to fix the issue:
- Go to the Windows search bar and type down clipboard settings and launch it.
- Next, toggle on the Sync across devices option.
- Finally, select the Automatically sync text that I copy option and then use the Windows key+V together to check if it is working or not.
Also, you should know that the sync feature would only work if you are signed into your computer using a Microsoft account.
3] Edit Registry
If the above two options didn’t work for you, then you can try editing registry files. However, before you edit or modify any registry files, I recommend you take a backup of registry files to prevent any errors.
- At first, press Windows key + R to launch the RUN dialog box.
- Then type down, regedit, and press enter to open Registry Entry.
- Now using the side menu, go to this location:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System
- Right-click on the empty space from the right side and select New and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Now name this new key to AllowClipboardHistory.
- Then double click on the AllowClipboardHistory key.
- Next, set the key value to 1 and click on Apply and OK to save the changes.
- Now, on the right side, click on the white space again.
- Then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name this key to AllowCrossDeviceClipboard.
- Then double click on the AllowCrossDeviceClipboard key.
- Set the value to 1.
- Then click on Apply and OK to save the changes.
Finally, restart your computer and check if you are still facing the Windows 10 clipboard history not working error.
4] Edit Local Group Policy
There is also a high chance that issues like Windows 10 clipboard history greyed out may appear because of incorrect local group policy settings. To fix it, you can follow these steps:
- Launch RUN dialog box by pressing Windows key + R.
- Type down, gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open Group Policy.
- Now from the Local Group Policy Editor, go to this following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > OS Policies
- Now on the right side, double click on the Allow Clipboard History policy.
- Over here, select the Enabled option to enable the policy.
- Next, click on Apply and OK to make the changes.
- Next, from the right side, double click on the Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices policy.
- Then select Enabled and click on Apply and OK.
- Finally, restart your computer, and it should solve your issue.
If you have Windows 10 Home, you need to enable Group Policy on your computer.
So those were a couple of fixes for the Windows 10 clipboard history not working issue. However, in case if you face issues like the Windows 10 clipboard not showing in settings. Then there is a high chance that you are running an older version of Windows 10. Hence, it would be best to upgrade Windows 10 to a newer version, and it should solve the issue for you.
Thanks Nayan, I finally got the clipboard to work under the edit local group policy editor.