How to see clipboard history with images on Windows
Short answer
Turn on Windows' built-in clipboard history in Settings > System > Clipboard, then press Win+V. It keeps your last 25 copies, including images under 4 MB, but unpinned items clear on restart. For a history that survives restarts, a clipboard manager like AppRig saves your text and image copies, including screenshots, with pinning and search (up to 500 copies with AppRig Pro).
The manual way
Windows has a built-in clipboard history. Turn it on once in Settings > System > Clipboard, then press Win+V to see recent copies and paste any of them. Images under 4 MB are included, so most screenshots show up, and you can pin items you want to keep.
For many people that is enough, and it is worth trying first. The limits are that it holds only the last 25 items, everything unpinned is wiped when you restart, and there is no search box for a long history. It can also sync between PCs if you sign in with a Microsoft account, which some people want and others do not.
The faster way with AppRig
AppRig’s Clipboard tool is a modest step up from Win+V rather than a different idea. It records the text and images you copy, including Print Screen and Snipping Tool screenshots, into a list that is saved on your PC, so it survives restarts. The free version keeps your last 10 copies; AppRig Pro keeps 100 by default and up to 500. Click any entry to copy it again, and pin the ones you want to keep in a Saved section at the top.
Ctrl+Alt+V pops the history out in its own window with a search box, much like Win+V. Ctrl+Shift+V pastes whatever is on the clipboard as plain text, which helps in apps that keep unwanted formatting. Content that password managers mark as sensitive is skipped, and nothing leaves your machine.
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Common questions
Why is my Windows clipboard history empty after a restart?
That is how Win+V works by design. Windows clears clipboard history every time the PC restarts, except for items you have pinned. To keep something, open Win+V and pin that entry with its pin icon (on some versions it sits behind a three-dot menu). If you want the whole history to survive restarts, you need a clipboard manager that saves its history to disk.
Does Win+V clipboard history save images and screenshots?
Yes, within limits. Microsoft says clipboard history supports text, HTML and images smaller than 4 MB, so screenshots from Print Screen or the Snipping Tool usually appear. Very large images are skipped, and the history holds only the most recent 25 items, so an image copied early in the day can drop off quickly.
Is clipboard history safe for passwords?
Most password managers mark copied passwords so that clipboard history and clipboard managers skip them, and Win+V honours this. Some also clear the clipboard after a short delay. Be more careful with passwords copied from plain text files or emails, since nothing marks those as sensitive, and avoid syncing clipboard history across devices if that worries you.
Can I sync clipboard history between my PCs?
Windows can, if you sign in with a Microsoft account and turn on Sync across your devices in Settings > System > Clipboard. Items you copy then appear in Win+V on your other Windows PCs. Local-only clipboard managers, including AppRig, keep history on the one PC and do not sync it.
Related questions
AppRig does this and more, all in one local-first Windows app. See what AppRig does →