Many often heard about the clipboard, but not all users know why it is needed. In fact, when you work at a computer, you regularly use this tool, you simply never pay attention to it.
In principle, all the subtleties to know and not necessary. However, if you still wonder 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 transfer files from one place on your computer to another. Choosing the “Copy” item in the context menu, you place the file (text, photo, video) in a temporary storage, which is called the clipboard.
This program operates due to allocated RAM. How much 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 away very little “RAM”. If you put the movie in HD quality in the buffer, respectively, the result will be completely different.
How to find the clipboard?
In order to find the file that is used by the clipboard, you need to open the drive where your operating system is installed (as a rule, this is drive “C”) and go to the “Windows” folder. Find the “System32” folder here.
In Windows XP, the clipboard file is called clipbrd.exe. Opening it, you can see what is now in the repository.
As for Windows 7, the file will have a different name - clip. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to open it and see the contents. It is not known for what reasons the developers did not provide such an opportunity. However, there are programs that let you know what is stored on the clipboard. One of them will be discussed later.
Punto Switcher Program
So, you already know where the clipboard is in Windows 7. But how to see the files that you put there? This opportunity provides a free program Punto Switcher. 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.
Including the function of tracking the clipboard history in this program, you can see the files that were added to the storage.
How to run the tracking tool in Punto Switcher?
If you have Windows 7, and you can’t see the history of the clipboard, then after installing the program described above, the problem will be solved.
In the taskbar, right-click on the Punto Switcher icon and go to settings. In the "General" section, click on the "Advanced" tab. Find the item “Follow the clipboard” and check the box next to it.
Now go to the "Hot Keys" section, find the item "Show clipboard history" and click the "Assign" button. Set a keyboard shortcut convenient for you to call the buffer history.
You can use another option. Click on the program icon in the RMB taskbar. In the context menu, select the item “Clipboard”. In the drop-down list, click "View History".
So, now you know where the clipboard is in Windows 7 and how to see its history.
Clipdiary Program
Another program that allows you to track clipboard history is Clipdiary. You can download it for free from the official site. There shouldn’t be any problems installing Clipdiary, as this process doesn’t mean anything complicated. The program starts automatically every time the operating system boots. Moreover, if there is a desire, it can be removed from startup.
In order to open the window with the history of the buffer, you must click the button that you must specify in the settings. By the way, the window shows the last 50 files placed in the repository. But at the bottom there is a page scrolling function. This way you can see earlier 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" in the drop-down list of actions. As a result, it will be placed in a temporary storage. Now select the place where you want to insert it, and again call up the drop-down menu. Click Paste. File transferred.
- Select a file or, for example, a piece of text and press the key combination Ctrl + C. Copying of the material will occur. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V pastes the copied information to the selected location.
In order to cut the file to the clipboard, you need to use the keyboard buttons Ctrl + X.
How to clear the clipboard?
Clearing the clipboard allows you to delete files from the storage that consume RAM. Of course, if we are talking about a little information, then this is not critical. However, if a large file is located in the buffer, it is recommended to delete it.
The easiest way to clear the clipboard is to replace the large file that is located there with a smaller one. For example, you can take a screenshot (“Prt Sc” button) or send a small text document to the buffer. Only one file can be in the repository at a time, so the old one will be ejected with the new one.
It is worth remembering that when you turn off or restart the computer, the information from the buffer is also deleted, so if you cut out 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 focus on tablets.
Clipboard in tablets
There are many people who do not know how to add information to the clipboard on the tablet. There is really nothing complicated here. Hold your finger for some time on a piece of text so that delimiters appear. They must be installed at the beginning and at the end of the copied passage of the article. Now once with a finger touch the selected fragment - and it will move to the clipboard.
In order to insert text, you need to hold your finger for a few seconds in the place where you want to insert the file. In the context menu that appears, select the "Paste" option.
If the menu does not appear, then simply touch the screen again.
Conclusion
Now you know where the clipboard is located in Windows 7, which means you can clear it if necessary. Indeed, 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 unexpected power outages. Therefore, if you cut out information in order to transfer it to another place, then perform the action without delay, because no one is safe from troubles.