But not all users know why it is needed. In fact, when you work at a computer, you regularly use this tool, you just never pay attention to it.
In principle, it is not necessary to know all the subtleties. However, if you are still wondering where the clipboard is located in Windows 7, then the information below will be useful to you.
What is a clipboard?
Almost every day you move files from one place on your computer to another. By selecting the “Copy” item in the context menu, you place the file (text, photo, video) in temporary storage, which is called the clipboard.
This program functions at the expense of allocated RAM. How much specific memory does it consume? Depends on what you put on the clipboard. For example, if we are talking about a small text document, then it will take very little "RAM". If you buffer an HD movie, then the result will be quite different.
How to find clipboard?
In order to find the file that is used by the clipboard, you need to open the drive where you have the operating system installed (as a rule, this is the "C" drive) and go to the "Windows" folder. Here, find the "System32" folder.
In Windows XP, the clipboard file is called clipbrd.exe. By opening it, you can see what is currently in the vault.
As for Windows 7, the file will have a different name - clip. Unfortunately, you won't be able to open it and view the contents. It is not known for what reasons the developers did not provide for this possibility. However, there are programs that allow you to find out what is stored on the clipboard. One of them will be discussed further.
Program Punto Switcher
So, you already know where the clipboard is located in Windows 7. But how do you see the files you put there? This feature is provided by the free Punto Switcher program. You can find it on the Internet.
In fact, this application is designed to automatically switch keyboard layouts. There are situations when you write a text in Russian, and then you need to write a few words in English. Sometimes a person forgets to return the Russian layout, but Punto Switcher does it for him.
By enabling the clipboard history tracking function in this program, you can see the files that have been added to the storage.
How to launch tracking tool in Punto Switcher?
If you have Windows 7, and you cannot view the clipboard history, then after which it is written above, the problem will be solved.
On the taskbar, right-click on the Punto Switcher icon and go to settings. In the "General" section, open the "Advanced" tab. Find the item "Watch clipboard" and check the box next to it.
Now go to the "Hotkeys" section, find the "Show clipboard history" item and click the "Assign" button. Set convenient for you to call history buffer.
You can use another option. Right click on the program icon on the taskbar. In select "Clipboard". Click "View History".
So, now you know where the clipboard is located in Windows 7 and how to view its history.
Clipdiary program
Another program that allows you to track your clipboard history is Clipdiary. You can download it for free from the official website. There should be no problems with installing Clipdiary, since this process does not imply anything complicated. The program starts automatically every time the operating system is loaded. At the same time, if there is a desire, it can be removed from startup.
In order to call a window with the history of the buffer, you must press the button that you must specify in the settings. By the way, the window shows the last 50 files placed in the storage. But at the bottom there is a page scrolling function. This way, you can view older files added to the clipboard.
How to copy to clipboard?
In order to send information to the clipboard, there are two options:
- Right-click on the file and select "Copy" from the drop-down list of actions. As a result, it will be placed in temporary storage. Now select the location where you want to paste it and bring up the drop down menu again. Click Paste. The file has been moved.
- Select a file or, for example, a piece of text and press the key combination Ctrl + C. The material will be copied. The Ctrl + V key combination pastes the copied information in the selected location.
In order to cut a file to the clipboard, you must use the keyboard buttons Ctrl + X.
How to clear the clipboard?
Clearing the clipboard allows you to remove files from storage that consume RAM. Of course, if we are talking about small information, then this is not critical. However, if there is a large file in the buffer, it is recommended to delete it.
The easiest way to clear the clipboard is to replace the large file that is there with a smaller one. For example, you can take a screenshot of the screen ("Prt Sc" button) or send a small text document to the clipboard. Only one file can be in storage at a time, so the old one will be squeezed out by the new one.
It is worth remembering that when you turn off or restart the computer, information from the buffer is also deleted, so if you cut and do not copy an important file, then do not forget to immediately paste it into the selected location.
You have learned how to find the clipboard and clear it on a regular computer or tablet. Next, we will talk about tablets.
clipboard in tablets
There are many people who do not know how to add information to the clipboard on the tablet. In fact, there is nothing complicated here. Hold your finger for some time on a piece of text so that the limiters appear. They must be installed at the beginning and at the end of the copied article passage. Now touch the selected fragment once with your finger - and it will move to the clipboard.
In order to paste text, you need to hold your finger for a few seconds in the place where you want to paste the file. In the context menu that appears, select the Paste option.
If the menu does not appear, just touch the screen again.
Conclusion
Now you know where the clipboard is located in Windows 7, which means you can clear it if necessary. After all, sometimes files placed in this temporary storage significantly slow down the operation of the operating system.
By installing one of the programs, you will be able to view the clipboard history. At the same time, remember that it is undesirable to have two programs on the same computer aimed at performing the same task.
Also, do not forget about the unexpected. Therefore, if you cut out information to transfer it to another place, then perform the action without delay, because no one is immune from trouble.
This article will be divided into two parts:
- for newbies who have just begun to study the computer and want to know where the clipboard is and what it is;
- for more experienced users who like to dig into the files of the windows operating system and answer some questions that haunt them;
We immediately offer a video on this topic
About the clipboard in simple words - for beginners
When we hover over a file or folder with the cursor, right-click and select "Copy" (or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C), at this moment the information is placed on the clipboard.
There we can copy anything: text, folder, pictures, video files, audio recordings and other files. The computer will allocate the right place in RAM to store the right amount of information in the buffer.
You can imagine that this is the computer's RAM, or a kind of invisible area where information is placed for a while, and then deleted.
That is, when we go to the right place on our computer and again right-click, but choose "Paste" (or the Ctrl + V key combination), then that folder, or file, or piece of text that you copied, will be taken from the clipboard and pasted to the desired location.
And this means that a novice user should not worry about exactly where this information is stored. The main thing is that we can insert it in the place we need.
It should also be understood that when you click "Copy" again, the old information in the clipboard is replaced with the new one and when inserted, of course, a new one is inserted. The same thing happens if you "cut" something.
You can also paste information from the clipboard any number of times, i.e. When you insert information from there, it is not deleted, it is, as it were, copied.
And if you copied the folder, then you can paste it on the C drive, and on the E drive, and anywhere else on the computer.
Also note that if you copied some piece of text from a document, say Microsoft Word, or a web page, to the clipboard, then you need to paste it into the document or text field. You can't just paste it into a folder.
And vice versa, you will not paste the copied folder into the document either.
Also, be careful with important information that you have copied to the clipboard: if the computer suddenly shuts down, restarts, or you accidentally forget and turn it off, the information from the clipboard will be deleted.
Therefore, immediately when something is placed in it, paste it in the place you need and save if it is some kind of document.
It is not necessary to clear the buffer, because when copying some file or text, it replaces the previous one and therefore your computer's memory will not be clogged.
Key combinations that are necessary for work
Answer about finding clipboard for more advanced
Perhaps among the readers there are those who want to know where is that secret folder, or that invisible space called the clipboard.
Finding the clipboard in Windows XP
In the Windows XP operating system, you can go to drive C, or to the drive on which it is located, then to the "Documents and Settings" folder, and then to "System 32", that is, the path is: "C: / Documents and Settings/System 32".
There is file (special program) clipbrd.exe, by running which, you can see that there is exactly what you copied.
You can find this file faster and run it even without going into the “System 32” folder, but simply go to the “Start” > “Run” menu, enter clipbrd.exe and press the enter key.
Now I will give an example of how this program works. I will select a piece of text and click "copy".
And then I will run the clipbrd.exe file. We will see that this text is located exactly there:
And this means that this is the secret place where the information copied to the buffer is stored - in the standard clipbrd.exe program for windows XP. If you just turned on the computer, then it will be empty there, since nothing has been copied there yet.
If there is already some information there (in my case there is already text there), then you you can delete it if you want. through the "Edit - Delete" tab or click on the cross, which can be found on the toolbar of the clipbrd.exe program under the tabs.
Buffer situation in Windows 7 and Vista
In later versions of Windows, such as Windows 7 and Vista, the standard clipbrd.exe program is not available.
To replace it, there is a clip.exe file, which is responsible for storing information for the clipboard, but you will not be able to run it and see what is there too.
But if you hover over this file, then we will be shown information that the file is really intended for these purposes.
Convenient programs for working with the clipboard
Here are some convenient programs that have proven themselves.
CLCL 1.1.2 program for Windows
For Windows XP and Windows 7 and some other versions, there is a very good free program CLCL 1.1.2. It does not require installation, is easy to run and does not take up much space.
After unpacking the archive, you will see only 4 files, run "CLCL"
After launch, it minimizes to tray
By clicking on the icon, it opens and you see that there are those documents or texts that you copied.
For convenience, on The screenshot shows a list of the main advantages and features of the CLCL 1.1.2 program.
Comfort Clipboard - convenient manager
For Windows 7 there is a handy utility called Comfort Clipboard. You can search for it through Google.com or Yandex.ru, download and install it.
- Its capabilities:
- When you copy Something, the program not only copies and saves the fragments you need, but you have the opportunity to select previous fragments of texts copied to the clipboard, folders and other files. It does not replace, but keeps separately in memory;
- When you turn off the computer, the information placed in the program is not deleted. You can remove it when you don't need it;
- Setting up hot keys, changing the design, a clear interface makes the program very convenient to work with the clipboard;
Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Today we will talk about the clipboard, how to find it and whether it is possible to open it to view the contents, as well as some other features of this concept.
Speaking specifically, clipboard is an intermediate data storage that occupies a certain place in the computer's RAM. This is what allows you to transfer the necessary information, namely copy, cut and paste into the right places, folders or just text.
In the process of narrating, I will try to uncover the essence of this term a little deeper, indicate the physical location of the corresponding file on the computer, and also analyze the possibility of clearing the buffer if necessary, using a variety of methods.
What is clipboard and how do we use it?
In fact, when carrying out some actions, we often do not think about their content and essence. The same is true in our case. Let's see how we use the clipboard ( english clipboard) for simple manipulations with files or text, if you have the most popular Windows OS installed.
Let's say we need copy or cut any file, located in a particular folder on the computer, to transfer it to another directory. I hope you know that in the first case we make a copy of the file, leaving the original intact, and in the second we physically move it to a new folder.
This can be done in two ways: call the context menu by clicking the right mouse button and select "Copy" or "Cut" from it, or, respectively ctrl+c and Ctrl + X:
As soon as you perform one of the above actions, the copied or cut file is moved to the clipboard. Next, open the desired folder, right-click again, select "Paste" (or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V), moving the file from the buffer to the selected location:
See how simple it is? Similar operations can be performed with absolutely any files, including video, and they can be moved from one application (program) to another. For example, let's try to copy a piece of text from a simple Windows notepad to the clipboard, and then paste the content into a document created in the Google Sheets online service:
It is important to keep the following in mind when using clipboard. You can place objects (files, text) on the clipboard and then extract them from there to paste into the desired area an unlimited number of times, but this only applies to the last object on which you perform such an action. Not quite clear?
I'll try to explain more clearly. Let's say you copied some file, then you can paste as many times as you like in different places without repeating the copying procedure, but simply each time choosing the "Paste" item from the context menu or typing the above-mentioned Ctrl + V combination.
However, as soon as you copy or cut another file, it will immediately end up in the buffer and displace the previous object from there, which will be deleted. Of course, all the above actions are possible only until you need to restart or turn off the computer, that is, during the working session of the system. After restarting or shutting down the PC, the buffer will automatically be cleared.
Summarizing, we will testify that only the last object is stored in the clipboard, on which we perform the procedure (including repeatedly repeated) of copying or cutting. As soon as you start to perform similar actions with another file, all information about the previous one is erased. When watching the following video, you will get an idea about the clipboard based on interesting examples:
Where is the clipboard in the Windows operating system?
So, we have determined that the clipboard occupies a certain place in the computer's RAM, equal to the size of the copied or cut file. You may have a quite reasonable question about how and where to find this very clipboard and go into it to view information?
Strictly speaking, the area occupied by the buffer is in some sense a virtual concept and invisible in the usual sense. However, in fact, there is a file in Windows that launches a special program that is responsible for performing the necessary copy and cut actions.
On Windows XP this is clipbrd.exe, which is located in the system folder at:
C:\Windows\system32\clipbrd.exe
Naturally, this information is given for general development, in no case experiment and do not take any action with this file (as well as with all other objects located in the system folder), this can lead to irreversible consequences.
To view the contents of the buffer in the XP version, you can use the Start menu and the button located there "Run". In the line enter the name of the launching file "clipbrd.exe". After these actions, the contents of the last copied object will appear in the window that opens.
In modern versions of the Windows OS, developers have changed the structure of the clipboard. In the same Windows 7 and later versions (8 and 10), there is no such file. Instead of him clip.exe is responsible for storing data in the clipboard, also located in the system folder:
However, you will not be able to open it and see what is there. This is one of the shortcomings, which, in general, are many. Actually, we use the buffer on the machine only when moving objects.
And with certain specifics of working on a computer, it is sometimes important to track the clipboard history and delete only the information that you really do not need. Some other functions are also required, which can only be used with the help of third-party software.
How to clear clipboard on computer
In the general case, this is usually not required, because, as mentioned above, after turning off the computer or restarting it, all data from the buffer is deleted. But sometimes a situation may arise when you just need to urgently clear the clipboard.
Let's say you copied or cut a large object (say, a video file) that takes up a decent amount of space, which can negatively affect the performance of the device, especially if your computer cannot boast of a large amount of RAM.
Or you need to remove some confidential information (for example, a password). Of course, it is generally not recommended to place such data in the operating system clipboard. It is better to use special programs to store passwords.
For example, I have your buffer, the information in which is automatically deleted in the order that you yourself can configure:
But this is so, by the way, I had to ... And now let's continue directly on the topic. There are several ways to clear the buffer, each of which is quite within the power of even novice users. Moreover, they are available for all the latest versions of Windows (7, 8, 10).
This method is not a cleanup in the full sense of the word, but nevertheless ... It is suitable when you urgently need to delete a "heavy file" or confidential information from the buffer. In this case, just copy any part of the text, even from a web page open in the browser:
As you can see from the screenshot above, it is quite enough to copy a single symbol (letter) to force out an object of any size and content located there from the clipboard.
Cleaning clipboard by Windows OS
This method involves using the command line. For Windows 8/10 the easiest way is to right-click on the logo in the lower left corner, where the Start menu opens, or press , as a result of which a list of quick links will appear, among which there is the link we need to launch the command line utility:
For Windows 7 Open the start menu and type in the search bar cmd:
Run command prompt as administrator. To do this, place the cursor on the link found by the system, right-click and select the desired item from the context menu:
As a result, a black dialog box should appear. There you need to enter the following command:
echo off | clip
It will turn out like this:
Press "Enter" on the keyboard, as a result, the buffer will be cleared, which is what we wanted. If you intend to constantly resort to such an operation, then making several clicks each time will not be very convenient. Therefore, you can stake out the cleaning and perform it in one click.
To do this, you just need to create a shortcut right on your desktop. Click on the screen again with the right mouse button and select "Create" - "Shortcut":
Then, in the object location line, enter the path to the utility and the desired command to clear the clipboard:
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c "echo off | clip"
It will look like this:
After clicking "Finish", the system will create a shortcut that will be placed directly on the desktop. Now at any time you can clean the clipboard with one click, spending just a few seconds on it. As an addition, watch the video:
How to clear the buffer using third-party software?
I consider it unprofitable to install software specifically for cleaning only (however, how many people, so many opinions). But if you need additional features related to other functions, for example, those related to saving the history of the clipboard, then the best solution would probably be clipdiary program, about which I will definitely write a separate article, as it deserves it.
Well, now let's see what multifunctional programs, often used by users, can be used to complete the cleaning task. Perhaps you are using the same CCleaner? If not, then I recommend it, especially if your PC is not "first fresh" and needs constant cleaning of any "garbage".
Even the free version of this software (and there is also a paid version with the widest possibilities) can bring invaluable benefits, cleaning the registry, temporary files, etc. in one session. Among all this variety, there is also an option to clear the Windows buffer:
Surely many users use a free program to switch the keyboard Punto Switcher, which allows you to repeatedly increase the performance of your computer. Punto can offer the user, in addition to a number of other useful options, also extended clipboard functionality, including the ability to clear it.
Every PC user is familiar with the key combination Ctrl-C - Ctrl-V. Copy paste.
It allows you to quickly transfer large amounts of information from one place to another without the need to create new files or documents.
Thanks to this, work on a PC is greatly simplified - texts do not need to be retyped, but files must be searched and downloaded again.
As with any workflow, even such a small and simple action requires a program and a file. At the moment when the data is being prepared for transfer, they fall into a special place called the clipboard.
What it is
What is a clipboard? This term refers to a special program that is permanently open in the background in the system.
Its main function is to transfer information to a separate area of memory for a while.
It is worth considering that if the user copies other data again, then those that were before are automatically erased. The same thing happens when you restart or turn off your PC.
There are programs that allow you to expand the capabilities of your native temporary data storage.
For example, Ditto, which allows you to view the history of copied data and interact with the database in a more comfortable way.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to a PC, temporary data storage is also available in portable devices - phones, mobile computers.
The principle of its operation in the OS android or iOS exactly the same as in laptops and stationary PCs.
Where is the buffering function
On the computer
Like any system data, the temporary data storage file is located on the system drive in the folder system32.
In it, you need to find a file with the name clipbrd.exe, clicking on which will open the clipboard program.
But it is much easier to launch it from the start menu, using the "Run" button. In the window that appears, you must enter the name of the file and then the desired window will also open.
It will contain the text copied earlier, or a file of any format. In this case, its information will be encoded and displayed using text.
This method only works for PCs running Windows XP.
On Windows 7, the data store is not available by default and cannot be opened. In the system, it is located under the file name clip.exe.
To access it, you need third-party auxiliary programs - for example, Clipboard Viewer or Clipslim.
Utilities will make it easy to manipulate and interact with it. The same applies to Windows 8 as well.
On the phone
On Android phones, the temporary storage of information is located in RAM and also exists as a separate program.
However, it is impossible to enter it, you can only view its history.
1. On new phone models, the temporary data warehouse has the ability to save more than one copied text.
In order to get into it, you need to enter any text editor, hold down the field where you want to copy the text with your finger, and wait until the Clipboard box appears in the corner.
Click on it, and a list of phrases placed there recently will open on the screen.
2. In addition, you can use the Clipboard Mamager mobile application, with which you can also see the history of the phrases placed there.
In addition, with its help, you need to clean up the data warehouse, as well as interact with it in different ways.
Clearing the clipboard
The specificity of the buffer is that it places a certain amount of data in RAM, which is subsequently transferred to another medium or address.
Therefore, on weak or overloaded PCs, situations often arise when, after copying a particularly large file, the system starts to slow down.
In this case, the only way out is to clear the temporary storage of information.
On the computer
1. In fact, the surest way to clean up the data store is to restart or shut down the computer. Then all data from the RAM will be erased automatically.
Unfortunately, other unsaved information will also be lost, so this method is not very good.
2. In the Windows XP operating system, you can go to the utility that manages the clipboard, and there click on the "Clear" button. The window will become white and clear, and all data from RAM will be erased.
3. The temporary storage of information is cleared if you simply copy any one letter. The past information will be deleted, and the new one will not weigh so much - the device will stop slowing down.
4. Again - you can use third-party additional utilities. The Clipboard Viewer has a feature that allows you to clear temporary data storage.
On the phone
Similar problems with brakes are found on phones. In this case, their ability to clean up temporary storage is more modest.
2. Copying one letter. The information store will erase a large amount of data and replace it with a smaller one.
In new phone models, this is especially convenient because the previous copying will be saved in history and it can be slowly restored.
3. Use of third party programs. The Clipboard Manager mobile application allows you to interact with the clipboard on your Android device, including clearing it.
In addition, the save history will be saved, which means it can be obtained later.
That's all that can be said about temporary data storage.
This seemingly small program makes working on a PC more convenient and faster, helping to solve many problems of working with information.
What clipboard utilities do you use?
Have you ever thought that every day our computer performs hundreds of thousands of different processes. In everyday use, there is always a clipboard, which inexperienced users most likely have not even heard of. In this article, you will find answers to questions such as what is a buffer, where is it located and what is it used for?
Clipboard - what is it?
The clipboard is an intermediate data storage used to transfer any selected information, for example, from a web page to any text editor. The information contained in the clipboard (original word - from English) can be used multiple times. That is, there are no restrictions on the use of one selected piece of text.
What can be copied to the clipboard?
Intermediate data storage allows you to transfer not only text information, but also media files. For example, thanks to him, each user (PC user) can transfer images of various formats, audio and videos.
How to save to clipboard?
Clipboard in all Windows operating systems works on the same principle. Transferring temporary information to a special compartment for storing it is a very easy process. The first step is to copy (or cut) the necessary piece of information that you want to use. The selected information is placed on a special area of RAM, where it is stored.
Only one record is stored in the intermediate storage. That is, if you first copied some text, and then any other information (for example, an image), then the first entry will be erased, and a second one will appear in its place (in our case, the image that we copied). This means that the information in the clipboard is constantly being overwritten. This process occurs automatically, but not without the participation of the user.
Working with clipboard is possible using special "hot" keyboard shortcuts:
Full automatic clipboard cleaning occurs when you turn off or restart your computer. Using this function simplifies and facilitates working with the device, because thanks to it, the information that is available in most programs of the Windows system does not need to be typed on the keyboard yourself, you can simply copy and paste it into the file you need.
How to find clipboard?
Most users, having learned about clipboard, are wondering: how to open the clipboard? Despite the fact that it is hidden from users, you can still find it.
On computers with different Windows operating systems, the location of the clipboard is almost unchanged. And yet, how to see the clipboard?
- Windows XP. On this operating system, the intermediate storage of temporary data is located in the system folder, which can be found in two ways:
- directly to the address C:/WINDOWS/system32;
- via the start menu: enter the menu and open the command line by simultaneously holding down the Windows keys (located between the fn and alt keys) + R. In the window that opens, enter "clipbrd.exe" and click "OK".
By launching clipboard in one of the above ways, you can view all the information stored in it.
- Clipboard in Windows 7 and Windows 8. On these operating systems, the name of the intermediate storage has been changed to "clip.exe". The location of the file remains the same, but the ability to open it is no longer there.
- Clipboard in Windows 10. As already mentioned, in the latest versions of Windows OS, the name has been changed to "clip.exe". But as in the previous two versions, users are not given the opportunity to open and view it. Unless using special widgets, which you can download on various Internet resources for free. Such add-ons allow you to see not only the latest history of saving information, but also for a certain period (day, week, and in some cases even for a whole month).
How to clear the clipboard in Windows OS?
This article has already mentioned that clipboard has the ability to overwrite information automatically. As a result, the information contained in it before is cleared. This is one of the ways to clear the buffer in Windows - copy new information.
You can remove information from the clipboard using the command line. To do this, by calling it (how to do this was already mentioned above), you must enter the following command: C:\Users > echo off:clip and press the Enter key. After that, the permanent cleaning of the temporary file storage will begin.
If you often clear the clipboard, for your own convenience, you can create a shortcut on the desktop, in the location of which you specify this combination: cmf c "echo off | clip". After launching such a shortcut, you will immediately see a window for clearing the storage of temporary files.