ClipX – Great Unknown Productivity Tool

As a web worker, I’m constantly copying and pasting stuff between various windows and applications. I may copy and paste a URL from my browser to a blog post, or from an email to a Firefox tab. Copy and paste are vital functions to me, and I use them constantly. What’s frustrating, then, is that, by default, Windows only keeps track of a single item on your ‘clipboard’ at a time. That means, if I copy a URL, I have to use it immediately, before I copy something else, or else it’s lost.

However, a long while ago, I discovered ClipX, and it’s become a vital tool. The best part of ClipX, though, is that you don’t think about it – it’s one of those killer pieces of technology that enriches and enables your real life. It does not require you to change any behaviours or actions, but simply works behind the scenes to allow you to accomplish more, quicker.

ClipX installs quietly, and simply rests on your taskbar. By default, it stores the last 25 things that you have copied/pasted on your computer, and better yet – assigns them a number (1-25). You can then continue to use copy/paste as you normally would, across any application in Windows, using CTRL+C or CTRL+V. However, there is also a hotkey combination (WIN+Insert, by default) that brings up the list of your past clipboard items. You can either click on that, or you can use ‘WIN+Insert, #’ where # is the number assigned to what you’re looking to paste.

Here’s a real-life scenario: I’m writing a blog post, referencing 2 different articles (with unique permalinks). I copy the first URL, link it in the post, and then copy the second, and link it in the post. However, I now realize that I wanted to link the first URL twice. No worries, I simply highlight the text to link, and press WIN+Insert, 2, and wa-la! Alternatively, I could right-click on the taskbar to bring up a drop-down list of my past copies, as well.

The uses are endless, really, and apply for anyone who multitasks on their computer often. ClipX is free (donationware, more accurately), and takes up 1MB of RAM, so you’ll barely notice it’s there. I love that it simply works in the background and doesn’t require me to change any behaviours or anything. It’s awesome. You can download it here.