ClipTen Copy and paste shortcuts on Windows
Every copy and paste shortcut on Windows
The whole clipboard, from the keyboard, on Windows 11 and 10. The ones everybody knows, the ones almost nobody does, and the one Windows is missing.
The short answer
Copy Ctrl C · Cut Ctrl X · Paste Ctrl V · Clipboard history Win V · Paste as plain text Ctrl Shift V in most apps.
What Windows does not have is a shortcut for a particular earlier copy. ClipTen adds one: Ctrl C 1 saves to slot 1, Ctrl V 1 pastes it back, for ten slots from 1 to 0.
The everyday ones
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl C | Copy what is selected |
| Ctrl X | Cut: copy it and remove it |
| Ctrl V | Paste the last thing you copied |
| Ctrl A | Select everything, usually right before a copy |
| Ctrl Z | Undo a paste that went wrong |
| Ctrl Y | Redo it |
The clipboard holds one thing. Every copy replaces the last, which is why the next two sections exist. There is more on that in how to copy multiple things at once.
Clipboard history: Win + V
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win V | Open clipboard history. The first time, click Turn on |
| ↑ ↓ then Enter | Move through the list and paste the one you chose |
| Win . | Opens the emoji panel, which also has a clipboard tab |
It keeps your last 25 copies, up to 4 MB each, and empties when the PC restarts apart from items you pin. Everything about Win + V, and what to do when it will not open.
Pasting without the formatting
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl Shift V | Paste as plain text in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Slack, Teams and many other apps |
| Ctrl Alt V | Paste Special in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Choose Unformatted Text or Values |
| Ctrl after pasting, in Office | Opens the paste options for what you just pasted |
The older keys that still work
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl Insert | Copy |
| Shift Insert | Paste. Handy where Ctrl + V is taken, such as some terminals |
| Shift Delete | Cut in text. In File Explorer it deletes a file permanently, so be careful |
| Ctrl Shift C / Ctrl Shift V | Copy and paste in Windows Terminal, where Ctrl + C stops a running command |
Screenshots straight to the clipboard
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win Shift S | Drag out any part of the screen; it is copied, ready for Ctrl + V |
| Alt PrtScn | Copy just the window in front |
| PrtScn | The whole screen. On Windows 11 it may open Snipping Tool instead, depending on your settings |
The shortcut Windows is missing
Every shortcut above works on the clipboard: one item, or a list you open and read. None of them lets you say “paste the address I copied ten minutes ago” without opening something and looking for it.
That is the gap ClipTen fills. It is the same Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, with a number on the end:
| Press | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl C 1 … Ctrl C 0 | Save what is selected to slot 1 to 0. Keep Ctrl held through the number |
| Ctrl V 1 … Ctrl V 0 | Paste slot 1 to 0, in any app, with no window opening |
| Ctrl C and Ctrl V | Unchanged. Plain copy and paste work exactly as before |
Slots hold formatted text, links, images and several files at once, and stay put after a restart. See it working.
Last checked September 2026, on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 10 22H2.
Questions
What is the shortcut to copy and paste on Windows?
What is the shortcut to see everything I copied on Windows?
How do I paste without formatting on Windows?
Is there a shortcut to paste several different things without copying each again?
How do I copy a screenshot to the clipboard?
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