The clipboard is something we use probably every few minutes, but seldom see. Like an invisible help it stays out of the way and carries whatever we cut and copy to every corner of our computer. Clipboards have broken free from the boundaries of the desktop and have gone online. And just like their elder cousins, online clipboards have uses we usually ignore in favor of more visible mediums like email and social media.

Saving and sharing are the single biggest reasons for giving rise to the many online clipboards you see around. Whether it is text snippets, links, or images, online clipboards help to capture them in a jiffy and ‘transport’ them elsewhere without the need to save them locally.

Online clipboards are also more flexible; you can communicate visually with ones that allow you to use images. Some have security features built in, protecting your data. Then some clipboards are important programmer tools as they let coders share code snippets with a press of a key. Their breed is large and varied. Here are seven I picked:

iClippy

clipboard data

iClippy is a desktop client with a well-polished interface. iClippy could be your faithful image capturing clipboard as it can capture anything from the screen, camera, or scanner and make it searchable. iClippy has three types of accounts; the free account which we are interested in allows you to store 100 images but image resolution is automatically scaled down to 800 X 600 (sufficient for normal uses). You can do 1000 transfers per month, but they will ride with a small signature. iClippy installs as a desktop sidebar. Any image you clip is also instantly shareable with Twitter.

Features to note:

  • iClippy is available for Windows and Mac OS X.
  • iClippy can intercept your Windows clipboard automatically. The Sleep mode is for manual capture.
  • Images are kept indefinitely. But if you go over the free limit, the oldest images are replaced with the newest ones.
  • Images are also searchable both from the web and from the local sidebar.

ControlC

online clipboard

ControlC is also a similar desktop based application that monitors your clipboard activity and automatically stores any copied text, images, PDF docs etc.  to the corresponding ControlC web account. Every time you select a piece of text and copy it somewhere, your desktop clipboard is synced with the protected ControlC account. You can set ContolC to either keep your clipboard data private or make it public and available to other ControlC users. The Advanced settings give you powerful search and management features.

Features to note:

  • You have a choice of themes for your account.
  • Your data can be encrypted and password protected.
  • Your clipboard contents are searchable from any computer you use.
  • Please note that free account users cannot store clipboard contents set as private for more than 5 days.
  • You can store, edit, share and manage clipboard contents (text and links) online.
  • You can include a program in a blacklist if you do not intend to share clips from it.

WePaste

online clipboard

From the feature packed iClippy, we climb down to the dirt simple usage on WePaste. WePaste is an internet clipboard, where you type in a word, a shareable link and a new page is created. As you can see in the screen above, I have created a page, pasted in some text, and now I can quickly make it shareable by activating the link mode. You can also save it if you do not want to share it right now. Formatting functions are provided.

Features to note:

  • You can also email the note from the page itself.
  • WePaste allows you to set an expiry date after which the page will be expunged.
  • A password protects the page from being accessed by anyone with only the link.

CopyTaste

online clipboard

With CopyTaste you can create your own private URL for sharing notes just like WePaste. But the difference is that this service gives you a choice of text, photo, video, or just share a URL with your friends. You can keep the note public or private. Sharing public notes makes you a part of the community by allowing comments, but if you wish to remain anonymous, check the box next to – Make it private.

Features to note:

  • CopyTaste has a WYSIWYG text editor for rich text notes.
  • You can upload multiple images and keep them store on the server.
  • CopyTaste is available in multiple languages.

Pastie [Broken URL Removed]

restore clipboard data

Pastie is a specialized online clipboard, and I think which the coding gurus among you will love. Pastie is the one you could go to if you want to paste, save, and share code snippets. Pastie has syntax support for a long line of languages from ActionScript to YAML (and more in between, I haven’t even heard the names of). The service is built with Ruby on Rails and comes with advanced features like syntax highlighting and even IRC integration that might not be apparent at first.

Features to note:

  • Pastie doesn't have expiration dates.
  • You do not need to log in to use Pastie.
  • Pastie gives you a variety of themes from the clean to the vibrant.
  • You can embed your pastes with the embed codes next to the clipboard.
  • Pastes can be shared with the URL and can also be marked private.

Pastebin

restore clipboard data

Pastebin is another neat code-sharing online clipboard which is handy when you need something in a hurry. It is also quite well regarded by programmers though anyone else can also use it to store any type of text. You can set your own Pastebin account as public or private and maintain anonymity of what you store online. You can use Pastebin without a registration, but then you are limited to 10 pastes daily. Free members with an account get to use 20 pastes per day. There is a paid PRO account which allows upto 250 pastes per day.

Features to note:

  • You can set the expiration period of your pasted content.
  • You can also use Click.to with Pastebin to store and share code.
  • Pastebin has supporting tools, add-ons, extensions and applications like the iPhone, iPad, and Android apps, browser add-ons, and a download for Windows.
  • Pastebin offers syntax support for a larger cross-section of languages as compared to Pastie.

 

ClipSync

clipboard data

ClipSync automatically synchronizes your Android clipboard with your Windows clipboard and vice-versa. The Android app works with its sister app (ClipSync Server) that’s installed on your Windows computer, and communicates with it over the network or Wi-Fi. Both devices need to be on the same network for the clipboard sync to work. You can connect multiple computers or phones on the same network and share their clipboard. Just a CTRL+C on your computer and you can send over the copied text to the Android phone.

Features to note:

  • The Android app is a free download from the Google App Store.
  • The ClipSync app scans for available servers in your network and adds them.

Summing It All Up…

Any other online clipboard or clipboard sharing app you find or know about would come pretty close to the features showcased by these seven apps. Online clipboards give you another way of sharing something quickly, and are an extension to our use of good old email and social media. But the big question as with any sharing medium on the web today is security. How secure are these online services?

Nearly all of these services offer an option to keep things private or expose them willingly to the public. As I have mentioned with a service like ControlC and WePaste, password protection is another security layer. Setting an expiration date for automatic deletion of the pasted content is a viable alternative you should always keep in mind. I couldn’t find mention of encryption standards in any of the services, so we just have to take their word for it. With that, I wouldn’t of course keep my plans for world domination there. There are far better choices like encrypted cloud storage for that kind of thing.

But if you are looking to share harmless clipboard contents and other files quickly without bouts of paranoia, these services should be worth a bookmark or two. What do you think? Do you use online clipboards for sharing snippets? And what kind are they? Share just your thoughts in the comments.