How to clear your clipboard on Windows, Mac and iPhone

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Clear the history (Win+V)

1. Press Windows + V.
2. Select Clear all (on some versions, in the … menu at the top).

This clears everything except pinned items.

Clear one item

Windows + V, then … on the item, then Delete.

Clear from Settings (device and cloud)

Start > Settings > System > Clipboard > Clear clipboard data > Clear. Microsoft notes this clears your device and the cloud copy (if sync is on), except pinned items (Microsoft Support).

Unpin sensitive items

Pinned items survive both Clear all and restarts. If you pinned something sensitive, unpin it (… > Unpin), then delete it.

Turn history or sync off

To stop keeping a history at all, turn off Clipboard history in Settings > System > Clipboard. To stop sending copies to your other PCs, turn off Clipboard history across your devices.

Note: restarting your PC also clears the history (except pinned items).

Mac

Clear Spotlight clipboard history (macOS Tahoe and later)

• In Spotlight: press Command-Space, then Command-4, click the button to the right of the search field, and choose Clear History (Apple Support).
• Or: System Settings > Spotlight > Clear Clipboard History.

To keep less in the future, set Clipboard history is available in Spotlight to 30 minutes, or turn off Results from Clipboard (Spotlight settings).

Replace the current item

macOS has no "empty clipboard" button. Either:

• copy something harmless, such as a single space, which replaces what was there; or
• in Terminal, run pbcopy < /dev/null to empty the current clipboard.

Universal Clipboard

If Handoff is on, a recent copy may also be available, briefly, on your nearby Apple devices. Copy something harmless on that device too, or simply wait: Apple says Universal Clipboard content stays only for a short time.

iPhone

iOS keeps only one item and has no built-in history.

1. Select a harmless word (or a space) in any app.
2. Tap Copy.

That's it: the previous item is gone. If you use a clipboard manager app or a Shortcuts log, delete the item there too.

Clipboard managers

If you use a third-party clipboard manager, its history is separate from the system's. Most let you:

• delete a single item;
• clear the entire history;
• ignore certain apps (such as password managers);
• set history to expire after a period.

In Clipster, you can delete any copy from your history or from a Pin. Synced copies are end-to-end encrypted. Check your app's settings to exclude password managers. Comparisons: best clipboard managers.

Good habits

• Use autofill instead of copying passwords. Password managers and the built-in Passwords app can fill fields directly.
• Clear after sensitive work, especially before screen sharing.
• Keep history short on shared machines, or turn it off.
• Think about sync. If clipboard sync is on, a copy may also exist on your other devices.

For a deeper look at the risks, read is clipboard history safe?.

Checked against Microsoft and Apple Support in October 2026. Something out of date? Tell us at contact@clipster-app.com.