The Clipboard

The clipboard was part of the original MacIntosh system and has been a standard feature in Windows since Version 1.0.

• It is used to copy or move data within a document, from one document to another, or to another application.

• It is an area in the computer's memory that functions as a temporary holding place for data which has been cut (removed) or copied from one document and which can be pasted (inserted) into the same or another document.

• The data remains unchanged in the clipboard until something else is written the clipboard. Thus, multiple copies of the data can be created by performing multiple pastes.

• The data could be in any form, such as text, graphics, spreadsheet, files.

• When Windows starts up, the clipboard is initialized to being empty.

• The contents of the clipboard may be viewed and saved with the Clipboard Viewer utility (discontinued in Vista).

Topics:

1. Using the Clipboard
2. Doing a "Print Screen" with the Clipboard
3. Using the Clipboard Viewer

Using the Clipboard

Using the clipboard is meant to be intuitive. At least it is fairly consistent throughout Windows:

1. Within the current document, select the data to be cut/copied; such as:
   • Highlight a range of text.
   • Select an area of a graphic.
   • Select a range of cells in a spreadsheet.
   • Select an icon or a group of icons.

2. Cut the selected data to remove it from the current document or copy it to leave it in the current document. Either action will result in the writing of the selected data into the clipboard.
   • Click on the Edit menu selection and then select Cut or Copy, as appropriate. Keep in mind that if no data is currently selected, then these menu items will be disabled.

     or

   • Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+X to cut or CTRL+C to copy. These shortcuts are given in the Edit submenu. However, they are not universally recognized. Some older applications still use archaic shortcuts based on the Insert and Delete keys. Double-check the Edit submenu of the application you are using if you are not sure.

     or

   • In Windows 95 and later, position the mouse cursor over the selected data and right-click. In most cases, a pop-up menu should appear with options to Cut or Copy. If no data is currently selected, then these menu items will be disabled. Keep in mind that pop-up menus are very application dependent, so you will need to explore and experiment.

3. Go to where you want to insert the clipboard data and issue the "paste" command:
   • Click on the Edit menu selection and then select Paste. Keep in mind that if the clipboard is empty or if it contains incompatible data (eg, if you are trying to paste a graphic into a spreadsheet) then the Paste menu item will be disabled.

     or

   • Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+V to paste. This shortcut is given in the Edit submenu. Again, it is not universally recognized and some older applications still use an archaic shortcut based on the Insert key. Double-check the Edit submenu of the application you are using if you are not sure.

     or

   • In Windows 95 and later, position the mouse cursor over the selected data and right-click. In most cases, a pop-up menu should appear with option to Paste. If the clipboard is empty or if it contains incompatible data, then this menu item will be disabled. Keep in mind that pop-up menus are very application dependent, so you will need to explore and experiment.

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Doing a "Print Screen" with the Clipboard

Another interesting use of the clipboard is to capture a window from the desktop. I have used this technique to save example dialogs for documents and for sending error message boxes to technical support.

The procedure is simple:

1. Select the desired window by making it the current window.

2. Press the Alt+PrintScreen key combination. This will copy the current window into the clipboard as graphical data.
   There are a few caveats to observe:
   • In multiple-document-interface (MDI) applications (eg, Word 97), the entire application window will be copied instead of just the current document or dialog.
   • Some keyboards may display an abbreviation for "Print Screen", such as "Prt Sc". You will need to identify what it is for your system.
   • Some laptops may use a slightly different key combination, especially if "Print Screen" must be used in conjunction with a "Function" control key. If this procedure fails on your laptop, then read the manual furnished with the laptop.

3. You could now either save the image as a file or insert it into a document:
   • To save it as a file:
     1. Open a graphics application (eg, Paint or Microsoft Photo Editor).
     2. Paste the image in.
     3. Do whatever editing is necessary, if any, to make it presentable.
     4. Save it as a file.
   • To insert it into a document:
     1. Go to the desired insertion point in the destination document.
     2. Perform a paste operation. If the data type is incompatible with the document, then it will not allow the paste to occur.

Please note that pressing the PrintScreen key will also copy the screen, only this time it will be the entire screen. Therefore, remember this rule:

• Press PrintScreen to copy the entire screen, including the active window and everything around it.
• Press Alt-PrintScreen to copy just the active window.

Play around with that to learn the effects.

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Using the Clipboard Viewer

The Clipboard Viewer was a Windows utility program that was introduced in Windows 3.1 and discontinued in Vista. It displays the current contents of the clipboard and allows clipboard data to be saved to and retrieved from special clipboard files.

To run the Clipboard Viewer, you would double-click its icon. There wasn't much consistency in the location of that icon, nor in whether it was even displayed. Usually in Windows 95/98, it would be in the "Accessories" or the "Accessories / System Tools" menu. In Windows 3.1, it is usually in the Main group.

If you cannot find the shortcut/icon for Clipboard Viewer, then you should be able to find the program in the Windows directory by the name "CLIPBRD.EXE".

Of course, if you have Vista or later, then it will not be present.

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First uploaded on 2000 March 20.
Last updated on 2016 May 20.

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