This tutorial shows how to use the Clipboard in Microsoft Word.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
[Chime sound]
We recently covered the basics of cutting, copying, and pasting in Microsoft Word.
Today, we’re going to expand on that topic by taking a throughout look at how to use the Clipboard.
Specifically, we will look at how to copy content,
paste content,
and delete content in the Clipboard.
Plus, we’ll look at how to customize the Clipboard options
and how to turn off the Clipboard for all your Office apps.
But first, let’s answer an important question.
What is the difference between basic copying and pasting and using the Clipboard?
Your PC has two clipboards.
The Windows Clipboard and the Office Clipboard.
The basic copy and paste methods use the Windows Clipboard, which lets you copy one piece of content at a time.
As soon as you copy a new piece of content, the old piece is deleted.
In contrast, the Office Clipboard in Microsoft Word is divided into slots
where you can copy up to twenty-four different pieces of content and then paste them individually or all at once.
It’s important to note that the content in the top slot in the Office Clipboard is the same as the content in the Windows Clipboard.
For simplicity, all references to the “Clipboard” in the remained of this tutorial refer to the Office Clipboard,
not the Windows Clipboard.
The Clipboard is accessible to all your Office apps.
So, if you copy content to the Clipboard in Word and then open the Clipboard in PowerPoint,
you will have access to the same copied content in each of the twenty-four slots.
Today I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365.
These steps also apply to Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.
These steps don’t apply to Word for Mac or Word for the Web.
To begin copying content into the Clipboard, select the Home tab in the ribbon.
Then, select the dialog box launcher in the Clipboard group.
The Clipboard pane will open on the left side of your screen.
Next, select the content you want to copy
and then use the Copy button in the ribbon
or press Ctrl + C on your keyboard.
You can copy text, images, tables, figures, or even embedded videos.
Continue to copy content as necessary.
Each time you copy new content, it will be placed in the top slot in the Clipboard.
To paste content from the Clipboard, place your cursor where you want to make the insertion.
Then, select an individual item in the Clipboard.
Alternatively, hover over it to select the menu arrow and then select Paste from the drop-down menu.
You can also paste all the content in the Clipboard simultaneously by selecting the Paste All button.
The content will be inserted in the order you copied it,
so the top item in the Clipboard will be the last item pasted into your document.
After you’ve pasted your content, you can select the Paste Options button
and then choose an option from the shortcut menu, if you want to.
These options primarily apply to text rather than images or other visuals.
Keep Source Formatting maintains the formatting such as font, size, and color of the pasted text.
Merge Formatting changes the formatting of the pasted text to match the formatting of the new location
without removing existing emphasis formatting, which are boldness, italics, and underlining from the pasted text.
Use Destination Style maintains the current style type but matches it to the equivalent style type in the new location.
So, if you copy text with a default Heading 3 style and then paste it into document with a custom Heading 3 style,
the pasted text will still be a Heading 3, but will take on the new custom style.
Interestingly, when the Clipboard is turned off, Paste as Picture appears
instead of Use Destination Style in the Paste Options menu in Word for Microsoft 365.
Keep Text Only removes the formatting of the pasted text and adds the formatting of the new location.
Admittedly, these options can appear very similar.
For additional information, please see my previous tutorial titled “How to Cut, Copy, and Paste in Microsoft Word,”
which is linked in the description box below.
It’s important to note that you must use the Paste Options button immediately after pasting your text
because it will disappear when you perform another action such as typing or pressing the Enter key.
To delete an individual item from the Clipboard, hover your cursor over it,
select the menu arrow,
and then select Delete from the drop-down menu.
To delete all the content from the Clipboard, select the Clear All button.
The Clipboard offers several options, which you can access through the Options button at the bottom of the pane.
Show Office Clipboard Automatically opens the Clipboard every time you copy content.
Show Office Clipboard When Ctrl + C Pressed Twice does just what is says,
it opens the Clipboard when you press Ctrl + C on your keyboard twice.
Collect Without Showing Office Clipboard lets you copy content into the Clipboard without opening it.
However, you can still open it by pressing the dialog box launcher in the Clipboard group
or pressing Ctrl + C twice, if you selected that option.
Show Office Clipboard Icon on Taskbar places the Clipboard icon in the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
The icon may be placed in the Hidden Icons menu
accessible through the up arrow near your Wi-Fi, sound, and battery icons.
Show Status Near Taskbar When Copying reveals a small pop-up message
in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen when you copy new content.
The message will tell you the number of slots that have been filled, such as “2 of 24.”
The Clipboard will turn off when you close all your Office apps,
such as Excel, PowerPoint, and of course Word.
However, you may want to turn it off before closing your apps.
Unfortunately, the closing X doesn’t turn off the Clipboard.
It just closes the Clipboard.
The Clipboard will continue to collect copied content even when the pane is closed.
To turn it off and return to the basic copying and pasting method,
right-click the Clipboard icon in the Windows Taskbar.
And then select Stop Collecting from the menu.
The Clipboard icon should be removed from your Taskbar after a few moments.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word including “How to Use the Format Painter in Microsoft Word”
and, “How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
All the steps we just performed also appear in written format
with images on erinwrightwriting.com,
along with all my other writing-related software tutorials to help you succeed at work and in the classroom.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss future tutorials.
And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]