Concepts

What is the clipboard?

While working with an application you may encounter the phrase, "Copy the item to the clipboard," or "Cut the item to the clipboard." But what is the clipboard? The clipboard is an operating system concept used to enable copying and moving information within an application and between applications. The clipboard is the conceptual destination of text and objects copied or cut from a document.

For example, to move a block of text from one location in a document to another, you:

1. Select the text.
2. Cut the text with the Edit/Cut menu option.
3. Position the insertion point to the desired destination.
4. Paste the text with the Edit/Paste menu option.

In this example when you cut the text it disappears from the computer screen. It's not really gone, though, because you are able to insert it at another location. So, where did it go? It went to the clipboard–a temporary holding area for text and objects cut or copied from a document. Items placed in the clipboard erase any existing items in the clipboard. Items placed in the clipboard are available until another item is placed in the clipboard or the computer is shut-down. Other additional behaviors of the clipboard include:

1. Data copied or cut to the clipboard from one application can be inserted into other applications.
2. With Windows 95 there is a utility for viewing information in the clipboard. This utility also allows you to save data from the clipboard to diskette, or share information from the clipboard with other computers on a Local Area Network.
3. Not all applications recognize the clipboard. The clipboard is a function of the operating system, but if an application isn't program to work with the clipboard, you won't be allowed to import data to or export data from the clipboard while working with that application.

Copyright 1996 by the Curators of the University of Missouri