The ability to copy and paste is a simple and straightforward feature of any Android smartphone or tablet. However, if you want to take it to the next level, make the most of the clipboard feature to find everything you’ve copied. Let’s start.
Like many things in Android, the clipboard feature works differently depending on your device̵
For the purposes of this guide, we’ll focus on using the clipboard with a keyboard app. This method works on any Android device.
First, you need a keyboard app with a clipboard function. Two popular choices are Google’s Gboard and Microsoft’s SwiftKey. The clipboards in these two apps work much the same.
Once you have installed and set up your keyboard, we can try the clipboard. First, copy some text or a link. The clipboard does not support images.
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Then go to the app where you want to paste what you copied and tap the text box to open the keyboard. Look for a clipboard icon in the top toolbar.
This will open the clipboard and show you the recently copied item at the front of the list. Just tap one of the options on the clipboard to paste it into the text field.
Android doesn’t store items in the clipboard forever. After a while, the oldest clipboard entries are deleted. With both Gboard and SwiftKey, you can “pin” items to the clipboard to prevent them from being deleted after an hour. This can be done by long pressing on an item and choosing the “Pin” option.
If you find yourself copying and pasting a lot on Android, the clipboard is an invaluable resource. You can copy a lot of things at once and then paste them independently without jumping back and forth.
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