The WinPaste is a clipboard utility designed to store text (with its rich text formatting information) and HTML data. Any bitmaps within the rich text and HTML data is stored as well. It is not intended to be used for copying images, folders, files, icons or shortcuts.

The basic idea is to provide an extended "Paste" (Ctrl+V) functionality across all windows applications. While windows clipboard can store only a single item at a time, WinPaste can be configured to house upto 25 items for quick paste employing an user configurable hot key.

Basic Operation

Keyboard Navigation

WinPaste is best used with keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys), although you may use your mouse too for selecting and pasting clipboard items. As said before, the aim is to provide an extended "Paste" (Ctrl+V) functionality. Hence, WinPaste comes preconfigured with two hotkeys - 'Windows Key+V' and the configurable shortcut 'Ctrl+Shift+V', for pasting data into your applications.

Copying Data

Work normally as would with any of the text editors, IDE environments, email or office applications. Any data you copy using standard "Copy" (Ctrl+C) function will be stored in the regular list in the WinPaste window. The WinPaste can be configured to hold upto 25 such items copied to clipboard.

Pasting Data

Now, when it's time to paste any data you have copied before, instead of clicking on the Paste option in the "Edit" menu or pressing Ctrl+V, click on the WinPaste system tray icon or press hotkey 'Windows Key+V' or 'Ctrl+Shift+V'. The WinPaste window opens up with a list of items you copied before to the clipboard, ready to be pasted into your application.

Select one of the text clips in either the top list or the permanent list and press the ENTER key or the OK button or simply double click on the clip. The complete text behind the selection is copied automatically to the text window of your application. The WinPaste window immediately minimizes or hides to the system tray until your next paste and you can continue working with the foreground application. If you wish to paste the same text to other applications, press 'Edit→Paste' option or press Ctrl+V in their respective text windows, without the need to reactivate WinPaste.

When it's time to paste again, press the WinPaste hotkey again to reactivate the "smart" paste function. Repeat the above procedure.

Previewing Clips

In most cases, the information provided by the main window should be sufficient enough for you to choose a clip item for pasting. In cases where you require more information or if you wish to view an item before you paste the same, you may preview a clip item by selecting the desired item in the list and clicking on the preview button or the menu option 'Edit→Preview Item'. For clips with text data, formatted or otherwise, a rich text dialog window is opened with the data that can be pasted by you. If the clip item was copied from a browser and hence if the type of the clipboard data is HTML, a browser preview window is displayed.

The WinPaste preview windows are resizable. To see more, just resize the window.

Permanent Storage of Clips

Any important clip item that you do not wish to lose and which will be needed regularly for pasting into various applications, like your phone number or your address, can be stored in the 'Permanent' list. Select the item in the regular list that you wish to make permanent and choose the menu option 'Edit→Make Permanent' to move the selected item to 'Permanent' list.

Alternately, using the left mouse button you may drag and drop the item from the top list to the 'Permanent' list, in which case the item is copied to as the first element in the 'Permanent' list.

Deleting Clips

Select the clip item you wish to delete from either of the two lists. Click the menu option 'Edit→Delete Item' to delete the selected item.

The menu option 'Edit→Delete All Items' helps delete all the clip items from the regular list while the option 'Edit→Delete All Permanent Items' accomplishes the same for the 'Permanent' list.

Note: A few handy WinPaste 'Tips and Tricks' well worth reading are documented here.

The Preferences screen is activated either through the right click menu in the system tray or by pressing the button at the lower left hand corner of the WinPaste window. You may wish to modify the default behavior of the application here.

1. Start with Windows

You may wish to have WinPaste start automatically during system startup. To achieve this, check the option 'Start with Windows'.

2. Minimize to System Tray

The WinPaste main window is minimized to taskbar after you paste a clip selection or whenever you press the 'Cancel' button on the main window. As an alternative to minimizing, you may prefer to hide the application to system tray. To achieve this, check the box 'Minimize to System Tray'.

3. Always on Top

The 'Always on Top' function helps WinPaste stay visible in the foreground as you navigate between windows looking to copy and paste text clips into and out of your applications. By default, this is turned off since WinPaste can always be activated for viewing by pressing the hotkey.

4. Hide Permanent List

If you do not have too many items in your 'Permanent' list that you would need often, you may find it useful to hide the 'Permanent' list. This helps to maximize the area occupied by the regular clip list.

The 'Permanent' list can be hidden either by checking the box 'Hide Permanent List' here in the 'Preferences' screen, or by clicking the menu option 'View→Hide Permanent List' in the WinPaste main window.

5. Enter Hotkey

The default hotkey Ctrl+Shift+V provided for activating WinPaste window can be changed in the Preferences window to suit your needs. You may also use the more convenient standard hotkey 'Windows Key+V'.

6. Number of Entries

By default, WinPaste stores 15 clipboard entries in the regular list of the main window. You may wish to either limit or increase this number using the option provided in the Preferences screen. The 'Permanent' list can hold upto 25 clip items and this number is not configurable.