Use a clipboard across your PC, phone and tablet

What you need: Any Windows PC, phone or tablet Time required: 20 minutes

The Windows 10 October Update includes a new clipboard that, for the first time, lets you sync all pieces of text that you’ve copied on your PC across your other PCS and phones. Free program Pinclipboard is a great alternative because it lets you save and sync all copied text and images across all your devices, including tablets. It also has a useful feature that lets you instantly access PC folders you use often.

STEP1 We’ll first show you how to set up and use Windows’ new Clipboard tool. First ensure you’re running the latest Windows version. Go to Settings, click ‘Update & Security’, then ‘Check for Updates’ to install it. To activate the new Clipboard, open Settings, click System, Clipboard 1 , then switch on ‘Clipboard history’ 2 . Now press Windows key+v to open the Clipboard tool, then click ‘Turn on’.

STEP2 From now on, Windows will automatically store all text and images that you copy (Ctrl+c). To sync your copied text items (but not images) across your PCS and phones, return to the Clipboard section in Settings, then turn on the ‘Sync across devices’ slider 1 . Click the link below 2 to receive a text message on your phone with a URL that you can use to download the phone app. Finally, select ‘Automatically sync text that I copy’ 3 . You can now access any text that you’ve copied in the phone app or via Clipboard on another PC that uses the same Windows account.

STEP3 We’ll now show you how to use Pinclipboard to sync copied text and images across your PC, phone and tablet. Go to www.pinclipboard.com, click Download Free 1 (or its portable version 2 ), then run the downloaded setup file. If Windows Defender Smartscreen pops up with a warning, click the ‘More info’ link, then click ‘Run anyway’ – the file is perfectly safe. Once the installation instructions begin, click Next twice, Install, Yes, tick Launch Pinclipboard 3 , then click Finish 4 .

STEP 4 Now simply copy any text or images on your PC as you normally would. The program saves all your items to a clipboard. You can access it from the desktop icon 1 or the taskbar icon 2 . Opening either reveals a window with five tabs 3 . By default, the program opens in the History tab listing all copied items in reverse chronological order 4 . Move your cursor to an item to see the entire text or an image’s location.

STEP 5 Double-click an item to copy it. If you tend to copy and paste certain text or images often, it’s a good idea to move it to the Pin Board section 1 for quick access (right-click the relevant item in the History tab, then click Pin 2 ). You can drag folders into the Pin Folder tab 3 , from where you can access them. You can also drag images (only JPEGS) to the Pin Image section 4 .

STEP 6 Next, click the Settings tab. By default, all sliders are switched off. Turn on the first one 1 if you want to always see the Pinclipboard window on your desktop. Turn on the second slider 2 to ensure the program launches when you start up your PC. The third option 3 lets you create a keyboard shortcut to open the program. Finally, switch on Synchronize 4 , then click Yes to confirm. You’ll now see a QR code and IP address 5 .

STEP 7 You can now sync your clipboard across other devices on your home network. To sync it to another PC, open any browser on that PC, type the IP address (from Step 6) in the address bar, then press Enter. You’ll see the copied text and images you synced, with options to copy or download them. To sync your clipboard items across phones and tablets, scan the QR code using a QR code scanner app (Android www. snipca.com/29423; IOS www.snipca.com/29424). Alternatively, open your device’s browser and go the IP address to see your list of synced items 1 and tabs 2 . Long-press any item, then tap Copy/download to do that.