I didn't build CopyPaste to sell you something. I built it because I needed it—and I believe you might need it too.
There are clipboard managers out there, sure. But many feel clunky, outdated, or over-complicated. In 2026, software on Windows shouldn't feel like it was designed for Windows XP, 2000, or Windows 7. It should feel native, responsive, and beautiful.
I was tired of:
- Tools that hog system resources
- Interfaces that feel disconnected from your OS
- Applications that treat you as a customer, not a collaborator
- Closed ecosystems where you're locked into someone else's vision
This started as a passion project, not a startup chasing metrics. It's a personal project that I'm sharing with you:
- 🔒 Your data stays yours — Everything is local. I don't collect, track, or send anything anywhere. There's no analytics, no telemetry, nothing. Because I don't need to know what you're copying.
- 💻 100% Open Source — Every line of code is here for you to read, modify, or learn from
- 🆓 Completely free — No premium versions, no "pro" features locked behind paywalls
- 🤝 Built together — Your feedback shapes what this becomes. You're not a user, you're part of this
I wanted to bring the polish and fluidity you find in great tools to Windows. Things like:
- Windows 11 design language — so it feels native, not foreign
- Performance — every millisecond counts when you use something hundreds of times a day
- Reliability — something you can count on without thinking about it
CopyPaste is a Clipboard Manager I built for Windows 10 and 11.
It's designed to feel like it belongs in Windows—not like some third-party tool that sticks out. I wanted something fast, clean, and native. Something that just works without getting in your way.
🧪 Beta Release: I've been using this daily on Windows 11, but every setup is different. If something feels off or breaks, please tell me. Your feedback literally shapes what gets built next.
🚀 Latest Release — See all features and improvements in our Release Notes.
- 🎨 Feels Like Windows: Uses your system theme (Light/Dark) and native controls—it doesn't feel foreign.
- ⚡ Fast & Light: Starts quickly and doesn't hog resources.
- 📂 Handles Everything: Text, images, files, audio, and video—with thumbnails so you know what's what.
- 🏷️ Card Labels & Colors: Personalize your clipboard items with custom labels (up to 40 characters) and 6 color options (Red, Green, Purple, Yellow, Blue, or None).
- 📌 Pin Important Items: Keep your most-used items always accessible at the top.
- 🔒 Private by Default: Everything stays on your computer. No cloud, no sync, no servers.
- 🔐 Respects Sensitive Data: Passwords and API keys aren't stored. Password managers (1Password, Bitwarden, etc.) are ignored—their clipboard content never gets saved.
- 🌐 Multi-language: English and Spanish supported, with automatic detection.
- ⌨️ Full Keyboard Navigation: Work without the mouse — navigate, search, and paste using only your keyboard.
- � Built-in Help: Quick access to keyboard shortcuts reference window from the sidebar.
- �🔍 Full-Text Search: Instantly find any item with powerful FTS5 search across content and labels.
- ⚙️ Configurable: Hotkeys, appearance, panel width (400-600px), retention days, and more.
This isn't a product pitch. It's a tool I built for myself that I'm sharing with you:
- No Bloat. Just what you need, nothing extra.
- No Tracking. I don't want your data. I don't collect it, period.
- No Paywalls. Everything is free. No "premium" tier hiding basic features.
- No Corporate BS. This is a personal project, open source from day one.
- Your Feedback Matters. You tell me what's broken or missing, and I'll work on it.
CopyPaste is designed for power users who prefer keyboard navigation:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Win+Alt+V |
Open/close CopyPaste (default hotkey, customizable) |
↓ or Tab |
Navigate from search to clipboard items |
↑ / ↓ |
Navigate between clipboard items |
→ |
Expand/collapse selected card to see more text |
Shift+Tab |
Return to search box |
Enter |
Paste selected item and return to previous app |
Delete |
Delete selected item |
P |
Pin/Unpin selected item |
E |
Edit card (add label and color) |
Ctrl+1 |
Switch to Recent tab |
Ctrl+2 |
Switch to Pinned tab |
Esc |
Clear search box (if focused) or close window |
Each clipboard card can be personalized with:
- Custom Label: Add a descriptive name (up to 40 characters) to identify your items quickly
- Color Indicator: Choose from 6 colors (Red, Green, Purple, Yellow, Blue) or None to visually categorize your items
To edit a card:
- Right-click on any card → Select "Edit"
- Press
Ewith a card selected - Click the
...menu on hover → Select "Edit"
Clipboard items (cards) can be expanded to show more text content:
With Mouse:
- Single click on a card → Expand/collapse to see more text (3 lines → 7 lines)
- Double click on a card → Paste the item immediately
- Only one card can be expanded at a time
- All cards collapse when the window is hidden
- No visual hover effect on cards (clean minimal design)
With Keyboard:
- Right arrow
→→ Expand/collapse the selected card - Cards automatically collapse when you navigate to a different item with
↑/↓ - Only one card can be expanded at a time
- Press
Win+Alt+V→ Window opens with focus on search box - Type to filter (optional) → Results update in real-time (searches content and labels)
- Press
Esc(optional) → Clear search to see all items again - Press
↓→ Navigate to first clipboard item - Use
↑/↓→ Select the desired item - Press
→(optional) → Expand card to see full text - Press
E(optional) → Edit card to add label/color - Press
Enter→ Item is pasted to your previous application
This workflow matches the efficiency of double-clicking with your mouse but keeps your hands on the keyboard.
- Navigate to the Releases Page.
- Download the Installer (
.exe) — it installs to your AppData folder and creates Start Menu shortcuts automatically. - Run the installer and follow the prompts.
Since CopyPaste is an independent open-source project, we use a self-signed certificate. This means Windows and your browser may show security warnings. This is normal and expected.
🌐 Browser Warning (When Downloading)
Your browser may block or warn about the download:
- Chrome: Click the
⋮menu on the download →Keep dangerous file - Edge: Click
...→Keep→Keep anyway - Firefox: Usually allows the download, but may warn
🛡️ Windows SmartScreen (When Running)
When you run the installer or app for the first time:
- Windows shows "Windows protected your PC"
- Click
More info(small link below the message) - Click
Run anyway
This only happens once. After installation, CopyPaste runs normally.
🔒 Why the warnings?
- Code signing certificates cost $200-800/year from trusted authorities
- This is a free, open-source project—I can't justify that expense
- The code is 100% open source — you can inspect every line
- SHA256 checksums are provided for each release
CopyPaste uses a dual-process architecture for the best user experience:
CopyPaste.exe— A lightweight native launcher that shows a splash screen instantly.CopyPaste.App.exe— The main .NET application that runs in the background.
When you launch CopyPaste, the native launcher appears immediately while the .NET app initializes. Once ready, the splash closes automatically and CopyPaste is ready to use. This only takes a few seconds on first run; subsequent launches are nearly instant.
- OS: Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11.
- Architecture: x64 (64-bit) fully tested and supported.
Your feedback literally shapes what gets built next. Here's how to reach me:
| Type | How |
|---|---|
| 🐞 Found a Bug? | Open an Issue — tell me what happened and how to reproduce it |
| 💡 Have an Idea? | Open an Issue — tell me what you'd like to see |
| 💬 Want to Chat? | Start a Discussion — ask anything or just say hi |
| ⭐ Like It? | Star the repo — helps other people find it |
| 📝 Want to Code? | Check CONTRIBUTING.md — PRs welcome |
When reporting bugs, include:
- Windows version (like Windows 11 23H2)
- What you were doing
- Any error messages
- CopyPaste version (check Settings)
I try to keep a clear record of what's been added, fixed, and what's planned:
📋 View Release Notes & Changelog — Complete history of all changes.
CopyPaste should speak your language. Currently we support English and Spanish, but we want to reach people everywhere.
| Language | Tag | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 English (US) | en-US |
✅ Complete |
| 🇨🇱 Spanish (Chile) | es-CL |
✅ Complete |
- Automatic Detection: The app detects your Windows display language and applies the appropriate translation.
- Regional Fallback: If your exact region isn't available (e.g.,
es-MX), it falls back to the base language (e.g.,es-CL). - Manual Override: You can force a specific language in the Settings panel.
Can you contribute a translation? We need help from people who care about their language and community. Whether it's German, French, Portuguese, Japanese, or anything else—your translation makes CopyPaste accessible to more people.
This isn't just translation work. It's bridge-building. You're bringing a tool to your community in the language they think in, speak in, and deserve to use.
-
Create a branch from
mainin the repository. -
Copy the base language file:
CopyPaste.UI/Localization/Languages/en-US.jsonThis is the reference file with all translation keys.
-
Name your file using BCP 47 language tags:
de-DE.json(German - Germany)fr-FR.json(French - France)pt-BR.json(Portuguese - Brazil)ja-JP.json(Japanese - Japan)zh-CN.json(Chinese - Simplified)
-
Translate all values (keep the JSON keys in English):
{ "window": { "title": "CopyPaste", "appBranding": "CopyPaste" }, "ui": { "section": { "recent": "Récents", // ← Translate this value "pinned": "Épinglés" // ← Translate this value } // ... continue for all keys } } -
Register your language in
LocalizationService.cs:private static readonly string[] _availableLanguages = ["en-US", "es-CL", "de-DE"]; // Add yours
-
(Optional) Add regional fallback in
language-config.json:{ "fallbacks": { "de": "de-DE", // German variants → de-DE "fr": "fr-FR" // French variants → fr-FR } } -
Test your translation by changing your Windows language or using the manual override.
-
Submit a Pull Request with your translation!
- ✅ Keep translations concise (UI space is limited)
- ✅ Use formal/neutral tone
- ✅ Preserve placeholders like
{shortcut}or{time} - ✅ Test that all strings fit in the UI
- ❌ Don't translate brand names (
CopyPaste,Windows, etc.) - ❌ Don't change JSON keys (only values)
CopyPaste gets better when people contribute. That doesn't just mean code:
- Write Code — Fix bugs, add features. All skill levels welcome.
- Improve Docs — If something's confusing, help me explain it better.
- Translate — Add your language so more people can use it. See guide.
- Report Bugs — If something breaks, let me know.
- Share Ideas — Tell me what you wish it could do.
- Spread the Word — If you like it, tell people about it.
- Just Use It — Honestly? Using it and giving feedback is huge.
Please read our CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct, setup instructions, and the process for submitting pull requests.
If you're curious about what's under the hood:
| Technology | Why |
|---|---|
| C# / .NET 10 | Modern C# features, good performance. |
| WinUI 3 | Native Windows UI—looks and feels like it belongs. |
| ReadyToRun | Pre-compiled to start faster. |
| Native C++ Launcher | Shows something immediately while .NET loads. |
| Win32 Interop | Low-level clipboard hooks to catch everything. |
| SQLite + FTS5 | Local storage with full-text search. |
| SkiaSharp | Generates image thumbnails. |
CopyPaste - The ultimate clipboard tool for Windows. Copyright (C) 2026 Mario Hidalgo G. (rgdevment)
This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.
Distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for more information.
I believe software should make your life easier, not more complicated. I built CopyPaste because I was tired of the alternatives—and I figured maybe you were too.
Here's the deal: This started as my personal tool, but it's better when we build it together. Every bug report, feature suggestion, or translation makes it better for everyone using it.
I'm not trying to build a startup or make money from this. I just want to prove you can build something useful, share it freely, and do it all in the open.
If that sounds good to you, welcome. I'm glad you're here.
Thanks for giving CopyPaste a shot. 💙
Built with ❤️, C#, and too much coffee.