Ditto — Every Piece of Content You've Copied is Archived. Forgot that text from 3 days ago? Ctrl+` and search
One-liner: Clipboard history manager that automatically archives all copied text and images, searchable anytime.
Windows Clipboard Only Remembers One Thing: What You Just Copied Overwrites What You Just Copied
You’re writing a report, copied some data from a webpage, and want to paste it into Word. Before pasting, you casually copy another quote. Then you go back to Word, Ctrl+V — the second quote appears. Where did that data go? Gone. You go back to the webpage, search again, and re-copy.
This is the most frustrating thing about Windows’ native clipboard: it’s a one-slot bucket — a new piece goes in, the old one falls out.
Windows 10/11 added Win+V clipboard history, but it only stores the last 25 items, clears on restart, can’t search, and doesn’t sync across devices.
Ditto is completely different. It silently records every Ctrl+C (or right-click copy) in the background — text, formatted text, images, file paths — all saved in a local database. It keeps 500 items by default, and you can set it to 1000, 5000, or even unlimited. That piece of config code you copied three weeks ago, a client’s email address, a frequently used phrase — press Ctrl+` (backtick) to open Ditto, search, and find it instantly.
What Makes Ditto Better Than Win+V?
1. Unlimited Capacity, Permanent Retention
Win+V stores at most 25 items and loses them on restart. Ditto stores 500 by default, configurable to 1000, 5000, or auto-grow based on available disk space. Items are saved in a SQLite database — they survive restarts, and you can back up and restore after reinstalling.
2. Full-Text Search
The top of the Ditto window has a search box. Type a keyword, and all historical entries containing that word are filtered in real-time. You only need a rough memory — “that paragraph I copied last time had ‘gross margin’ in it” — search “gross margin” and you’ll find it immediately.
Supports mixed Chinese and English search, and regex (advanced mode).
3. Plain Text Paste
Text copied from websites usually carries formatting (fonts, colors, sizes, links). Pasting directly with Ctrl+V into Word or email gives you messy formatting that needs re-adjusting. Ditto can set a “plain text paste shortcut” (e.g., Ctrl+Shift+V) to paste clean, unformatted text.
4. Groups and Favorites
Frequently used replies, email signatures, code templates, invoice headers — pin them to “Favorites” or “Common” groups. Pop up Ditto when needed, click from favorites, and it auto-pastes. No need to keep a separate document for these common texts.
5. Cross-Device Sync
Ditto supports clipboard sync across multiple computers on a LAN. Copy something on one PC and paste it on another. Setup: enable “Send clipboard” on the primary computer and configure receiving on other machines. Great for working across a desktop and laptop simultaneously.
6. Encrypt Sensitive Content
Some copied content shouldn’t appear in clipboard history (passwords, ID numbers, bank card numbers). Ditto can set up encrypted “secure paste” — flagged content won’t be stored in plaintext in history, or will be automatically cleared when you exit Ditto.
Professional Reviews and User Feedback
| Media | Review |
|---|---|
| How-To Geek | ”Ditto is the clipboard manager Windows should have built in” |
| Lifehacker | ”Once you’ve used Ditto for a week, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it” |
| Softpedia | 4.5/5.0 — “An indispensable clipboard extension that works flawlessly” |
What Real Users Say
“When I worked in customer service, I kept response templates for 30+ common questions in Ditto’s favorites. When a customer asked something, I’d pop up Ditto and click the relevant template to paste. So much faster than hunting through a Word doc — and customers never felt like I was copy-pasting.” — Customer Service Supervisor, Zhihu
“When coding, I often need to reference config files from previous projects. Ditto keeps everything I’ve ever copied. For a project from three months ago, I search a config key name, Ditto finds the snippet I copied back then, and I paste and tweak it.” — Software Engineer, V2EX
“Ditto’s database file is at
%APPDATA%\Ditto\Ditto.db. I put this file in my Dropbox sync folder and created a symlink. Now my clipboard history syncs between home and office computers. It’s not real-time, but syncing once a day is enough for me.” — Productivity Tools Enthusiast, SSpai
Comparison with Similar Tools
| Aspect | Ditto | Win+V (Win11) | CopyQ | ClipClip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History capacity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unlimited | ⭐ 25 items | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unlimited | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Large |
| Full-text search | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Real-time | ⭐ None | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Powerful | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported |
| Plain text paste | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dedicated shortcut | ⭐⭐⭐ Needs setup | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported |
| Groups/Favorites | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ⭐ Fixed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tag system | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Folder management |
| Cross-device sync | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ LAN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Microsoft account cloud | ⭐⭐ No built-in | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cloud sync |
| Interface design | ⭐⭐ Traditional | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern | ⭐⭐ Traditional | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Most beautiful |
| Encryption | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ❌ None | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ⭐⭐⭐ None |
| Installer size | 7MB | System integrated | 11MB | 25MB |
| Open source | ✅ Yes | ❌ Closed | ✅ Yes | ❌ Closed |
| Price | Free | Free | Free & Open Source | Free/Pro |
Recommendations:
- Need the most stable, mature clipboard manager → Ditto (20 years old, open source, most trusted)
- Just need simple clipboard history without extra software → Win+V (sufficient, no install needed, convenient cloud sync)
- Need the nicest interface + folder-style grouping → ClipClip (best management experience)
- Need scripting and automation → CopyQ (programmable, customizable scripts for clipboard processing)
Download and Installation Guide
Official Download (Recommended)
Ditto’s only official website is ditto-cp.sourceforge.io:
| Channel | Download Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official site (SourceForge) | ditto-cp.sourceforge.io | Official download page, installer and portable versions |
| GitHub Repository | github.com/sabrogden/Ditto | Project source code, not official release download |
Safety Reminder: Ditto’s official site is
ditto-cp.sourceforge.io, hosted on SourceForge. The Ditto installer is very clean with no bundled promotional software. However, SourceForge’s download page has some ads around it — click on the “Ditto_Setup_xxx.exe” filename, not the blinking ad buttons.Also avoid getting “Ditto clipboard enhanced Chinese version” from domestic download sites — Ditto has built-in Chinese interface support, no localization needed.
2-Minute Quick Start
- Go to ditto-cp.sourceforge.io, download the installer (Ditto Setup)
- During installation, check “Start Ditto with Windows” (auto-start)
- After installation, Ditto appears in the system tray as a small blue icon, silently recording
- Copy some text (Ctrl+C)
- Press Ctrl+` (the key to the left of 1) to pop up the Ditto window — your copied text is all there
- Double-click any entry to auto-paste at the current cursor position
Recommended Settings
Right-click the Ditto icon in the system tray → Options:
- General → Maximum Saved Copies: Change to 1000 (default 500 is a bit low)
- General → Paste Delay: Set to 0 (no delay when pasting)
- Quick Paste Keys: Set Alt+1 to paste the 1st entry, Alt+2 for the 2nd… (keyboard-only operation)
- General → Language: Choose your language
- Keyboard Shortcuts → Activate Ditto: Keep Ctrl+` or change to your preferred shortcut
Database Backup
Ditto’s history data is stored in %APPDATA%\Ditto\Ditto.db. If you reinstall your system or switch computers, copy this file to the same location on the new computer and your clipboard history will be fully migrated.
FAQ
Q: Will passwords and sensitive info be recorded? Yes. Ditto records all copied content by default (including passwords copied from password managers). It’s recommended to go to Options → General and check “Exclude applications by process name,” then add your password manager’s process name (e.g., “Bitwarden.exe”) so content copied in your password manager won’t be recorded. Or use Ditto’s “secure paste” feature.
Q: Where is Ditto’s clipboard history stored? Is it private? It’s stored in a local SQLite file on your hard drive. It’s not uploaded to any cloud (unless you manually configure network sync). Ditto is fully open source, and the database file can only be read by Ditto itself.
Q: Can I set different paste shortcuts for specific apps? Yes. Ditto supports different paste behaviors for different applications. For example, preserve formatting when pasting into Word, auto-convert to plain text when pasting into WeChat. Configure this in Options → Pasting Rules.
Ditto is like a notebook that never loses anything you Ctrl+C. You never need to worry about “where did that text go” — just flip through it, and it’s there.