If you have one of the most recent Android devices, perhaps you haven’t read the message ” Copied to clipboard ” for some time. It is however very probable that on many devices, more or less current, the message in question is still on the agenda. But what does it mean?
Copied to clipboard: where the text we copy on Android ends
Quite simply when you select text by holding down on the screen and scrolling the appropriate cursor, if you press the ”Copy” button to copythe text so you are literally copying it to the clipboard.
Butwhereare these notes? Is there an application, a process, a text file where they end up or is it a completely transparent process for the user? It depends! Let’s do some clarity.
But where does the copied text go?
As already mentioned, it depends on the device you are using and also on the keyboard you use. Android keepsthe last thing you copied in memory (using the procedure we illustrated earlier). It is therefore a completely transparentoperation for theuser. If after copying text you forgot to use it, Android would keep it in memory and would propose it to you even after several if you find yourself using the Paste button in a text field.
Thanks to certain applications, however, it is possible to ”memorize” more than one note that can be recovered at the right time through a series of simple steps. Some smartphones then, such as those withSamsungbrands , have a special section called Clipboard where all the copied text and even screenshots ends. We see in the next paragraphs some more specific cases, they also analyze a couple of the most exploited keyboard applications.
Gboard
Google’s Gboard is one of the most used keyboards in the Android ecosystem, partly because it is made by Google itself and therefore integrates a whole series of features that go perfectly with Android itself, partly because it is integrated into a large number of devices. Thedownloadfrom the Play Store is completelyfree, you can download it by pressing the badge below.
Butwhere doesthetext copied to the clipboard endup? Gboard integrates a rather advanced clipboard functionality. There is a real section that does not just store the last selected and copied text, but all the pieces that you have copied in the last few hours. Let’s see how to exploit it.
Select the text you want to copy from a web page, from a note or from any other app that allows you to select and copy whole words or phrases. Press the copy button and head to the text field where you want to paste that text. Pressing on the text field your keyboard will appear, in this caseGboard.
If immediately above the keyboard you see the suggested words, press on the “>” symbol you see on the left. The menu will open with various icons related toadditional Gboard functions.
Among them there is alsoan icon in the form of a notebook. If you don’t see it, press on the three horizontal dots that you find on the right of this bar, look for the Clipboard icon and drag it on the bar. Tap on the clipboard icon.
Here you will findall the text copied to the notes of the last few hours. Simply press on one of these pieces of text copied to the clipboard to paste it directly into the desired text field.
If you don’t want to use the clipboard function, just hold down on the text field and press the Paste key. Basically Android stores the last text you copied, allowing you to paste it where you need it.
SwiftKey
SwiftKey in the Android landscape has been around practically forever! It is one of the most famous alternative keyboards, so much so as to be chosen by Huawei (and not only) as the default keyboard. As such it integrates quite a few features, including one for managing the text copied to the clipboard. SwiftKey is free to download, just press the badge below to download it.
So where does the text copied to the clipboard gowhen usingSwiftKey? It is very simple in this case too. Select the text you want to copy from a note, a web page or any other application that allows you to select and copy whole words or phrases. Then go to any text field (whether it’s Google Keep, an app for notes, the Google search bar) and press it to bring up SwitftKey, or the keyboard.
If above the keyboard you only see the bar with the suggestions (where there are precisely words suggested for fast typing), press the + key which is on the right of this bar.
Immediately above the bar will appear with the additional features of SwiftKey. One of these isa clipboard icon, press it. Instead of the keyboard,the Clipboard interfacewill appear where you will find not only the lastpiece of text copied, but all the clips copied in the last hours.
Simply press on one of the notes to paste it into the desired text field. Again, if you don’t want to use the Clipboard functionality, just copy a text, keep pressed in the text field where you want to paste it and press the Paste key. The smartphone will paste the last piece of text you copied.
Huawei
All (or almost) the latest generation Huawei smartphones, or in any case dating back to the last 2 years, use the aforementioned SwiftKey, one of the historical keyboards of the Android ecosystem , as the basic keyboard. And it certainly could not have a clipboard section where to store the copied text!
As already explained in the SwiftKey paragraph, the basic step is as usual to select the text by holding down on the screen and dragging to select the phrase and then press the Copy key.
The copied text is automatically stored in theSwiftKey clipboard. How do you access it? Rather simple! Go to the text field where you want to paste the last copy (or one previously copied) in order to display the keyboard. In the SwiftKey interface, top left, you should have the + key, press it.
This will display the icons related to the additional features. Among these there is one in the form of anotepad, press it. This will openthe clipboard interfacewhere you will find the latest copied texts. Simply press on one of the stored sections to make it appear in the text field.
Xiaomi
All (or almost) the latest generation Xiaomi, or in any case dating back to the last 2 years, use the aforementioned Google Gboard as the basic keyboard . As already explained, Gboard integrates a clipboard functionality that stores all the last pieces of text you have copied. How does it work? Again it is very simple.
Select some text that you have written or found somewhere, press Copy and now go to the text field where you want to paste that text. By holding down you can select Paste to actually paste it into the text field, but if you need some other piece of text previously selected you have to open the Clipboard section.
We have already explained how: when the keyboard is open, press the Google G button on the left and look for the clipboard icon in the shape of a text block. If it doesn’t exist there are two reasons:
- Gboard is not updated to the latest version – In this case go to the Play Store, look for Gboard and check if there are updates to do.
- The clipboard icon is “hidden” – In this case press on G, then on the three horizontal dots that you find on the left, look for the Clipboard icon and drag it in the quick selection bar.
Samsung
The keyboard used by Samsung devices has a very convenient clipboard feature that stores not only the copied text, but also the latest screenshots you have made. Leaving out the screenshots, every time you hold down on the text you will see the Copy option and sometimes even Clipboard. Regardless of which of the two you press, the copied text will be automatically stored in the clipboard. Buthow do you recover the text copied to the clipboard?
Go to a text field so that the Samsung keyboard opens. Just above the characters and numbers you will notice a bar with various icons for quick access to additional features.
If you don’t see this bar it is because you have activated (or is activated by default) the text suggestion. In this case, press the button located on the left of this bar (a T with two concentric arrows) and access this bar. On this bar you should finda notebook icon (as you can see in the screenshots).
Again, if you don’t find it, press on the three dots to the right of this bar, look for the Clipboard icon and drag it to the quick selection bar. Pressing on the notebook icon will open theNotessection at the bottom, where you will find all the copied text and screenshots. Simply press on one of these tabs to paste the text into the desired text field. Simple, isn’t it?
Other Android smartphones
Obviously, there are not only Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei branded Android smartphones. Google smartphones use Gboard, therefore what is said in the dedicated paragraph is valid . Indeed, on many other smartphones you could always find Gboard or SwiftKey.
In the case of your smartphone (be it aSony, anHTC, anOPPO, aLGor aWiko) use a proprietary keyboard, however refer to what is said in the other paragraphs. If the custom keyboard that these devices have has the clipboard functionality you will find it very similarly. Otherwise the copied text is stored and can be reused in another text field just like any other Android smartphone.