Can you paste files from your clipboard history?

Yes, you can. When you copy files in File Explorer, Windows puts a list of those files on the clipboard, and Clip by Zaweba records that file list in your history. Later, open the popup, choose the item and press Enter, and the files are pasted again, just as if you'd only just copied them.

That's useful any time you copy files, get distracted by copying something else, and then want to paste the files after all.

What's actually kept

It's worth being clear about what a file list is. When you copy files, Windows doesn't put the files themselves on the clipboard. It puts a list of where they are. Pasting that list into a folder tells Windows to copy the files from those places.

Clip keeps the list, not a copy of the files. That keeps your history small, but it does mean the files need to still be where they were when you copied them. If you've moved, renamed or deleted a file since, pasting the old list won't find it.

Pasting files from the popup

Copy the files in File Explorer as usual. Carry on working, copying other things if you need to. When you're ready, click into the destination folder in File Explorer, press Ctrl+Shift+V to open Clip's popup, choose the file list and press Enter. Clip puts it back on the clipboard and pastes into the folder.

To find a file list among lots of text, type part of a file name or the name of the program it came from. Every word you type has to match, so two words usually narrow things down quickly.

The main window's History page has search and a preview too, which lets you check an item before you copy it back.

Where it helps

Gathering files from several folders into one place: copy a set in one folder, then another, then paste each list into the destination in turn. Sending the same attachments to several people: copy the files once and paste them into each email from your history. Recovering from a slip: you copied files, then copied a line of text before pasting, and the files are still in your history.

If you have a set of files you paste often, such as a standard pack of documents, pin the file list. Pins stay at the top and are never removed by the history limits.

Turning it off

Some people move files around all day and never want a file list in their history. File lists can be switched off in Settings, separately from pictures and formatting, so your popup stays full of text and pictures only.

A few limits

Pasting works by putting the item on the clipboard and sending Ctrl+V to the window you were using, so make sure the destination folder is the active window before opening the popup. Pasting into a program running as administrator doesn't work from a normal Clip, but the file list is left on the clipboard for you to paste with Ctrl+V yourself.

On Linux under Wayland, Clip is copy-only, so the final paste is yours to do with your usual keys.

Copied files used to vanish from the clipboard the moment you copied anything else. In Clip by Zaweba they stay in the list until you need them.