ClipX — A Clipboard Manager That's Only 100KB, So Small You'll Forget It Exists
In a word: The smallest clipboard history manager on Windows (only 100KB). Resides in the system tray and automatically records all copied content — supports recalling history for text, images, and files. Uses less memory after 10 years than a single browser tab.
Are You Also Frustrated by “Only Being Able to Store One Copied Item”?
Scenario 1: You’re writing a document. Copy text from source A → paste into the document → switch to source B → copy another piece → switch back and paste. You repeat this cycle dozens of times, switching back and forth between two windows — because the system clipboard can only remember the last thing you copied.
Scenario 2: You copied some important information (a link, an account, a piece of code), and then accidentally copied something else — that important info is gone. You’d have to dig through history, but Windows’ built-in clipboard only remembers one item — it was overwritten long ago.
Scenario 3: You’re working on several things at once — you’ve copied some text, some images, and some file paths. You can’t remember where each one was copied from, so you have to go back and find everything again.
ClipX solves these “clipboard can only store one item” pain points — it silently saves everything you’ve ever copied, and you can recall it with one key when needed.
What Is ClipX?
ClipX is an extremely lightweight clipboard history manager, originally created by developer Eugene Agafonov (hosted on blueMars) and later maintained by the community.
Its function is incredibly simple: resides in the system tray, automatically records all your clipboard operations (text, images, files), and when you need history, press the hotkey to bring up the list and select what to paste.
Now that Windows 10/11 has its own clipboard history (Win+V), ClipX’s positioning becomes even more precise — it adds one thing the system built-in doesn’t have: the ability to save image history. The built-in clipboard only records text; ClipX also records images and files.
In a word: ClipX is the kind of software you “install and never think about replacing for 10 years” — because it’s too small, too stable, and too unobtrusive.
Core Features
1. Clipboard History Record — Everything You Copy Has a Trace
ClipX saves the most recent 500 clipboard entries by default (adjustable in settings), supporting three types of content:
| Content Type | Recorded? | How to View |
|---|---|---|
| Text (plain text, RTF) | Yes, automatically | Shows first few characters in the list |
| Images | Yes, automatically | Shows thumbnail preview |
| File paths | Yes, automatically | Shows filename and type |
| HTML format | Yes, automatically | Text that preserves formatting info |
Usage: Press Ctrl+Shift+V (default hotkey) → history list pops up → select with mouse or arrow keys → press Enter to paste.
2. Keyboard Shortcuts — All Done with the Keyboard
ClipX is designed to “minimize mouse operations”:
| Hotkey | Function |
|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+V | Show clipboard history |
Ctrl+Shift+1-9 | Directly paste the 1st-9th history entry |
Ctrl+Shift+C | Clear all clipboard contents |
Ctrl+Shift+Del | Open clipboard editor (can delete individual entries) |
Ctrl+Shift+1-9 is the most practical hotkey — press it once to directly paste a previous copy, no need to open the list.
3. Extremely Low Resource Usage
This is ClipX’s biggest competitive advantage:
| Metric | ClipX | Ditto | CopyQ | Windows Built-in Clipboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installer Size | 100KB | 3MB | 6MB | System built-in |
| Memory Usage | 2-5MB | 15-30MB | 20-50MB | System integrated |
| CPU Usage | Nearly 0 | Occasional | Occasional | System integrated |
ClipX uses less than 5MB of memory running in the background, with virtually zero impact on system performance. This is an advantage no other clipboard manager can match — especially noticeable on older or lower-end computers.
4. Image History — The Key Advantage Over Built-in Clipboard
Windows 10/11’s built-in Win+V clipboard history only supports text. If you copy a screenshot or a selection from Photoshop — the built-in clipboard history won’t record it.
ClipX can record image history. Every screenshot you’ve copied and every image you’ve copied from a webpage are in ClipX’s history list. You can recall and repaste them at any time.
Practical scenario: You took 5 screenshots and pasted them into a document one by one. When pasting the 3rd, you realize the 2nd was pasted incorrectly — with the system clipboard, you’d have to go back and re-screenshot. But with ClipX, press
Ctrl+Shift+V, find the 2nd entry in history, and paste it again.
5. Plugins
ClipX also supports some plugins (.dll extensions):
| Plugin | Function |
|---|---|
| ClipX PasteAll | Paste all history entries at once |
| ClipX Favorites | Pin commonly used paste entries to favorites |
| ClipX SkipCopy | Ignore clipboard records from certain programs (like password managers) |
However, these plugins are fairly basic. Most users find ClipX’s core features sufficient on their own.
Professional Media and User Reviews
| Source | Review |
|---|---|
| Lifehacker | ”ClipX is exactly what a clipboard manager should be — small, fast, and it gets out of your way” |
| TechSpot | ”A lightweight clipboard manager that’s been a favorite among power users for years — it just works” |
| How-To Geek | ”ClipX adds clipboard history to Windows with minimal footprint — the image history feature alone makes it worth installing” |
What Real Users Say
“ClipX is the first software I install on every new computer. System installed → install ClipX → install Chrome → everything else. Over a decade and 7-8 computers, always in this order. 100KB, 2MB memory usage, never crashed once in over ten years. What more could you ask for?” — Software Engineer, Zhihu
“First thing I do on a new computer is install ClipX. Windows’ built-in clipboard history (Win+V) only supports text, not images — completely insufficient for someone who takes screenshots all the time like me. ClipX preserves image history, and that difference makes it indispensable.” — Product Manager, V2EX
“Used ClipX for ten years, never thought about switching. Not because it’s feature-rich — quite the opposite, because its features are just enough, and it’s so small I don’t even notice it’s there. Ditto does have more features, but having a background tool use 20+MB of memory doesn’t seem worth it to me.” — Operations Engineer, SegmentFault
Comparison with Similar Tools
| Dimension | ClipX | Ditto | CopyQ | Windows Clipboard (Win+V) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installer Size | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100KB | ⭐⭐⭐ 3MB | ⭐⭐⭐ 6MB | System built-in |
| Memory Usage | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2-5MB | ⭐⭐⭐ 15-30MB | ⭐⭐⭐ 20-50MB | System integrated |
| Text History | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Image History | Yes Supported | Yes | Yes | Not supported |
| File History | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not supported |
| Search | No | Yes (history search) | Yes | Yes (Win10/11) |
| Item Preview | Thumbnail | Thumbnail | Thumbnail | Text list |
| Multi-Device Sync | No | Yes (network sync) | No | Cloud sync (Win11) |
| Scripting/Hotkeys | ⭐⭐ Plugin extensions | ⭐⭐⭐ Script support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Programmable | ⭐ Basic |
| Interface Design | ⭐⭐ Outdated | ⭐⭐⭐ Traditional | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ System style |
| Portable Version | No | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Selection advice:
- Ultimate lightweight + image history → ClipX (100KB, install and forget)
- Most features + search + sync → Ditto (the “professional edition” of clipboard managers)
- Programmable + customizable + cross-platform → CopyQ (for advanced users, supports scripts)
Download and Installation Guide
Official Download
ClipX doesn’t have a traditional “commercial website.” It’s hosted by the community:
| Channel | Download Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub (Recommended) | github.com/nefarius/ClipX | Community-maintained version, continuously updated |
| Original Project Page | bluemars.org/clipx | Original author’s hosting page (may not be updated) |
| MajorGeeks | majorgeeks.com/files/details/clipx.html | Reliable third-party mirror |
Safety Note: ClipX is free and open-source software. Since the original project hasn’t been updated in years, it’s recommended to download from the GitHub community-maintained version. After downloading, it’s recommended to scan with antivirus software before running — not because ClipX has issues, but because any exe downloaded from the internet should be scanned.
The original download page
bluemars.org/clipxmay no longer be accessible. It’s recommended to get it from GitHub or MajorGeeks.Installation: Download and extract to any folder (e.g.,
C:\Tools\ClipX\), runClipX.exe. For auto-start with Windows, go to ClipX Settings → General → Auto start with Windows.
Relationship with Windows Built-in Clipboard
Windows 10/11 has a built-in Win+V clipboard history feature. ClipX and it don’t conflict — you can use both simultaneously:
Win+Vopens the system clipboard (text only)Ctrl+Shift+Vopens ClipX (text + images + files)
Their histories don’t interfere with each other.
FAQ
Q: Windows 10/11 already has clipboard history. Do I still need ClipX?
A: Depends on your needs. The built-in Win+V only supports text, not image or file history. If you frequently need to paste previously copied screenshots, ClipX is valuable. If you only use text, the built-in one is sufficient.
Q: Is ClipX still being updated? A: The original author Eugene Agafonov has stopped updating. But the community has a maintenance branch on GitHub (nefarius/ClipX), compatible with Windows 10/11. For a small tool like ClipX whose “features have stabilized,” not being updated is actually a good thing — it means no bugs to fix.
Q: Which is better, ClipX or Ditto? A: Pursue ultimate lightweight → ClipX. Pursue complete features → Ditto. ClipX’s advantage is 100KB + 2MB memory usage; Ditto’s advantage is history search + multi-device sync + richer features. Most people choose ClipX not because Ditto is bad — but because ClipX is so small they “don’t even notice it’s there.”
Q: How many history entries can ClipX save? A: Default is 500, adjustable in settings (Settings → History → Max items). It’s recommended to keep the default or set to 200-300, as too many will increase memory usage.
ClipX is the kind of software you might install for 10 years and never notice running — when others are frantically switching windows to recopy something, you press one hotkey and find anything you copied earlier. 100KB in size for a lifetime of efficiency gains.