Multiple Clipboard in Windows: Copy & paste multiple items with Autohotkey (freeware).

If your work include copying multiple items and pasting then you have come to the right place. This blog will tell you how to enable multiple clipboard in Windows using safe, secure and free software Autohotkey.

Clipboard is the temporary memory where items that you copy (control + x) are saved. Windows by has only one clipboard. Multiple clipboard is new feature that has been added in Windows 10. You can turn on multiple clipboard in Windows 10 for more instruction please visit.

Multiple clipbaord are not supported in earlier version of Windows.

But, there is a trick!!!. You can have multiple clipboard in every version of windows for free. See multiple clipboard in action.

To enable this feature, you need to install Autohotkey. Autohotkey is light and free general purpose windows automation tool. You can do a lot of windows automation with Autohotkey, visit this blog to see glimpse of what Autohotkey can do and help you to automate most of tasks.

Steps for enabling Multiple Clipboard

1. Install Autohotkey (visit https://www.autohotkey.com/)
2. Copy the following script in text file and save file with .aht extension
3. Double click on above file to activate multiple clipboard in Windows.
4. To disable this, just right click on autohotkey script in task bar and disable/stop it.

#Persistent

; Hotkeys
^Numpad1::Copy(1)
^Numpad4::Paste(1)

^Numpad2::Copy(2)
^Numpad5::Paste(2)

^Numpad3::Copy(3)
^Numpad6::Paste(3)


Copy(clipboardID)
{
	global ; All variables are global by default
	local oldClipboard := ClipboardAll ; Save the (real) clipboard
	
	Clipboard = ; Erase the clipboard first, or else ClipWait does nothing
	Send ^c
	ClipWait, 2, 1 ; Wait 1s until the clipboard contains any kind of data
	if ErrorLevel 
	{
		Clipboard := oldClipboard ; Restore old (real) clipboard
		return
	}
	
	ClipboardData%clipboardID% := ClipboardAll
	
	Clipboard := oldClipboard ; Restore old (real) clipboard
}

Cut(clipboardID)
{
	global ; All variables are global by default
	local oldClipboard := ClipboardAll ; Save the (real) clipboard
	
	Clipboard = ; Erase the clipboard first, or else ClipWait does nothing
	Send ^x
	ClipWait, 2, 1 ; Wait 1s until the clipboard contains any kind of data
	if ErrorLevel 
	{
		Clipboard := oldClipboard ; Restore old (real) clipboard
		return
	}
	ClipboardData%clipboardID% := ClipboardAll
	
	Clipboard := oldClipboard ; Restore old (real) clipboard
}

Paste(clipboardID)
{
	global
	local oldClipboard := ClipboardAll ; Save the (real) clipboard

	Clipboard := ClipboardData%clipboardID%
	Send ^v

	Clipboard := oldClipboard ; Restore old (real) clipboard
	oldClipboard = 
}

If you have followed above procedure properly then you have successfully activated multiple clipboard. Now apart from Control + C (default clipboard) now you have 3 more clipboard where you can copy. Following table show keyboard shortcut that you can use for copying and multiple items at once. Numpad are numeric keys in numpad, but if you want to chance this shortcut you are free to change it. Just replace Numpad in above script and replace it with a key that you want to use as shortcut. For more details on code for keys please visit Autothotkey List of Keys.

Disable Multiple clipboard

Whats good with Autohotkey, you can disable any of the shortcuts that you have created using it by single click. To disable multiple clip, just click on H symbol in notification area (Bottom left side of windows) and right click it and say exit.