The copy-and-paste functionality on Android smartphones may appear to be a “one-time” feature. After you copy a text snippet, you must paste it before copying or cutting another. If you do not, you will lose access to it.
Also, if you copy text and turn your phone off before pasting, the text will vanish.
This is because Android smartphones save copied text to RAM (Random Access Memory), a type of short-term memory.
However, there is a way to view the copied items on your Android phone’s clipboard.
This article describes how to use Clipper Clipboard Manager to access and clear the clipboard history on an Android device. If you don’t use a clipboard manager app, you can use the Android Gboard keyboard instead.
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Table of Contents
Where Is the Clipboard on an Android Phone?
The clipboard service stores it in RAM when you copy text to your Android’s clipboard, you cannot directly access that data on stock Android phones. The clipboard history on Samsung phones is stored in a file in the /data/Clipboard directory.
That file is inaccessible without rooting a Samsung phone, but you can access your clipboard history on any Android phone using a clipboard manager app.
How Can You Use the Clipboard on Android Phones?
A clipboard manager app is the simplest way to access your clipboard history. Although Clipper Clipboard Manager is one of the most user-friendly, there are numerous alternatives available on Google Play.
1. Enter Google Play and download the Clipper Clipboard Manager app.
2. Activate the Clipper Clipboard Manager. When you long-press and copy text to save it to the clipboard, it appears in the app’s Clipboard log.
3. To open a menu with more options, press the three dots to the right of the clipboard snippet.
4. You can View, Edit, Share, or Select that entry in this menu to paste it wherever you want.
5. You’d only have access to the last item copied to the clipboard if you didn’t have a clipboard manager like Clipper. On the other hand, a clipboard manager gives you access to the clipboard history, allowing you to use anything you’ve recently saved.
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How to Clear Your Android Clipboard
You’ll notice a Delete option when you select the three dots to the right of a selection in the Clipper Clipboard Manager. Use this to remove items from your clipboard.
Another option is to activate and use the Gboard keyboard, which is included with newer Android phones. You can download Gboard on Google Play if it isn’t already installed.
- Open your Android messaging app and tap the + symbol to the left of the text field.
- Choose the keyboard icon. Select the > symbol at the top of the keyboard when it appears. To open the Android clipboard, tap the clipboard icon.
- If you’ve never used the clipboard on your phone before, you’ll receive a notification to enable the Gboard clipboard. Tap Turn on clipboard to do so.
- When you enable the clipboard, whenever you copy something to the clipboard and then click the clipboard on the Google Android keyboard again, you’ll see a history of all recent things you’ve added.
- To remove any of these items from the clipboard, tap the edit icon first.
- Tap the trash icon to delete each item you want to get rid of.
The clipboard manager that comes with your built-in keyboard app is heavily influenced by the version and brand of your Android phone.
The Samsung Keyboard, for example, includes a clipboard manager tool. The keyboard is usually the primary way to access and manage your clipboard without an app.
Important Android Clipboard Tips
Please keep in mind that if you turn your phone off or restart it before pasting, anything you’ve copied will most likely vanish. As a result, you should paste the text as soon as possible before losing track of it.
Furthermore, the first copied text will be erased if you copy (or cut) one item before pasting. Android’s clipboard can only hold one piece of text at a time.
It’s critical to remember that you can only cut text in a text entry field. Only if the text is not editable, such as in a web article, will you be able to copy it.
However, you can cut and paste the text if you’re trying to type a text.
If you’re reading an article and want to copy a link to another article, tap the link, then long-press in the URL bar to copy the URL.
There is, however, a much faster method: simply long-press on the original link and select Copy link address. This works in most apps.
You can copy more than just text and links on Android. Photocopying is also an option, though the exact method varies depending on the app. In Chrome, long-pressing an image will create a menu with a Copy image option.
If you have the image open in another app, you may need to tap the three-dot menu button and then select Copy.
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Alternative Clipboard Managers for Android
As previously stated, Android’s built-in copying and pasting capabilities are limited; however, most keyboards include clipboard manager functionality that fills in the gaps.
If you dislike Gboard and your device lacks a clipboard manager, consider the alternatives listed below.
Clipper
A Clipboard Manager for Android Versions 9 and Below. Unfortunately, Google made changes that make third-party clipboard managers unusable, beginning with Android 10.
Apps can no longer collect clipboard data in the background, which is a security measure intended to protect you from malicious apps that may try to steal data you paste on the clipboard.
On the other hand, Clipboard managers are still available for Android 9 and earlier. Even though it hasn’t been updated since 2019, Clipper is the best all-around clipboard manager for older Android versions.
Swiftkey
If you don’t want to make use of Gboard and are running Android 10, you should use a different keyboard app to manage your clipboard. SwiftKey is a popular choice in this category.
It’s one of the best Android keyboards because of its powerful predictions, but it has a lot more features. One of them is an integrated clipboard manager.
FAQ
Tap and hold a word until it is highlighted, then drag the handles to highlight the desired text and tap Cut. Tap and hold in another app, then tap Paste.
To add a website shortcut to your Android home screen, open it in Chrome and tap the three dots > Add to Home screen. There is no need to copy the URL to the clipboard.
Tap and hold in the Instagram comments, then tap Clipboard and select the content from your clipboard. Tap the Aa icon, hold the text entry box, and then tap Clipboard when posting Instagram Stories.
No, Android does not support this by default. You’ll need to use a third-party app, such as Swiftkey.`
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Bottom Line
I hope this tutorial helps you access and manage the Android clipboard effectively. I hope you find this article helpful.
References
- lifewire.com– How to Use the Clipboard on Android Phones
- freecodecamp.org– How to Access Clipboard in Android (and Clear it)