You’d by no means realize it, however one of the potential-packed components of your favourite Android telephone is a function you not often truly see.
It is largely invisible by design, actually — and but, if you happen to educate your self faucet into it, you will save time, improve your effectivity, and really feel like a complete smartphone sorcerer.
The function of which we converse is the humble-seeming Android clipboard — the easy digital area the place something you copy stays tucked away out of sight ’til you are prepared to make use of it.
If you have not spent a lot time serious about the Android clipboard, consider me: You are not alone. However my goodness, are you ever lacking out.
So enable me to introduce you to a few of the most superior and simply missed productiveness boosters hiding away in your telephone’s invisible holding area. Copy these methods into your noggin, and earlier than you understand it, you will be slashing all kinds of wasted seconds out of your day.
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Android clipboard trick No. 1: The short on-screen copy
First up is a function particular to Google’s personal totally featured Android software program, as seen on its self-made Pixel telephones (and if you happen to do not personal a Pixel, don’t be concerned: Virtually the entire ideas after this can work on nearly any Android system!).
So Pixel palmers, take be aware: Anytime you are in your telephone’s Overview display screen, you possibly can copy any textual content from any app thumbnail, proper then and there — no matter whether or not it is the kind of textual content you’d usually consider being copy-friendly or not.
- First, make your means into your Pixel’s Overview space — both by swiping up and holding from the underside of your display screen with the present Android gestures system or by tapping the square-shaped button on the backside of the display screen, if you happen to’re nonetheless utilizing the previous legacy three-button nav setup.
- Subsequent, press and maintain your finger onto the textual content you need inside any Overview thumbnail — or, if you happen to’d fairly, faucet the “Choose” possibility on the backside of the display screen to have your Pixel choose all out there textual content after which slim it down as wanted.
- As soon as you have received any textual content chosen, faucet “Copy” within the pop-up menu that seems.
JR
And that is it: The textual content you chose will now be in your system clipboard and prepared for quick pasting wherever you need it.
All comfort apart, what’s particularly cool about this trick is that it means that you can copy textual content from issues like system menus and even textual content from inside photos in a thumbnail, the place such actions would not often be attainable.
Talking of which…
Android clipboard trick No. 2: The picture textual content copy
It doesn’t matter what type of telephone you are utilizing, you possibly can snag textual content out of any picture — be it a screenshot, a photograph of a doc or whiteboard from the actual world, or perhaps a snapshot of a turtle with a top-secret message scrawled onto its shell — just by opening up the Google Pictures app.
- When you’re in Pictures, discover the picture you wish to copy from — both in the primary Pictures tab or within the app’s Library space, if it is a screenshot or one thing you have downloaded.
- Open up the picture and faucet the “Lens” possibility alongside its decrease edge.
- Choose “Textual content” from the menu that comes up, then use your finger to focus on the particular portion of textual content you need.
JR
At that time, you possibly can both faucet “Copy textual content” to convey the textual content onto your Android clipboard for future pasting — or you possibly can faucet “Copy to pc” to repeat the textual content immediately onto a related pc’s clipboard for pasting wherever on that entrance. (It in all probability goes with out saying, however you will must have a pc the place you are actively signed into the identical Google account in Chrome to ensure that that possibility to look.)
And whereas we’re serious about Lens…
Android clipboard trick No. 3: The true-world textual content copy
Google Lens is one among Android’s most underappreciated superpowers. Along with its integration in Pictures, Lens can truly search for textual content proper in entrance of your face after which copy it onto your clipboard, immediately from the actual world.
- For those who’ve received a Pixel, hearth up your digital camera and search for the “Modes” possibility within the sliding menu on the backside of the display screen, then faucet “Lens” from there.
- With some other type of Android system, obtain the standalone Lens app after which open it out of your app drawer.
- Both means you get there, as soon as Lens is open, simply faucet the “Textual content” possibility on the backside of its major display screen after which level your telephone at something with textual content on it.
- Press and maintain your finger on any textual content in your view and search for those self same “Copy textual content” and “Copy to pc” choices.
JR
Fairly spiffy, would not ya say?
Android clipboard trick No. 4: The swift clipboard share
Thus far, we have thought of fancy methods to get textual content onto your Android telephone’s clipboard. Now it is time to begin serious about all of the issues you are able to do with that textual content as soon as it is current.
Up first: Along with the helpful “Copy to pc” possibility constructed into Lens, Android’s received a easy system for sending textual content straight out of your clipboard to some other Android system or Chromebook in your space with a pair fast faucets.
It is a freshly rolled-out function for the present Android 13 model, so that you will must be operating that software program with a purpose to use it.
Offered you have received Android 13 in your system:
- Copy textual content from wherever in your telephone.
- Search for the little pop-up that seems within the lower-left nook of your display screen instantly after you copy. (Observe: Samsung for some cause did not embody this aspect in its model of Android 13. Sorry, Galaxy friends!)
- Faucet the little icon inside that pop-up that appears like a pc with a telephone inside it, then decide from any suitable system within the space to share the textual content you copied.
JR
And if you do not have Android 13 otherwise you want a simple strategy to share textual content with different sorts of computer systems, worry not — ‘trigger our subsequent clipboard trick is strictly what the geek-doctor ordered.
Android clipboard trick No. 5: The common related clipboard
The Android 13 clipboard sharing setup is good and all, however there’s an much more versatile strategy to join the clipboard out of your Android telephone to the clipboard on any type of pc you are utilizing.
The key is a intelligent little app known as Clipt.
- All you have gotta do is set up Clipt in your telephone after which set up the companion Chrome extension on no matter pc you are utilizing — Home windows, Mac, Linux, you identify it.
- Signal into the identical account in each locations, and growth: Something you copy from wherever in your pc will instantly be inside your Android telephone’s clipboard and able to paste.
- You may ship textual content from Android to your pc, too, although one additional step is required — resulting from some system safety measures inside Android in that space.
That is one among my all-time favourite Android hacks. You may learn all in regards to the ins and outs of the setup and take advantage of it on this separate information.
Android clipboard trick No. 6: The clipboard-keyboard connection
The trick we simply went over is ok and dandy for sharing stuff out of your clipboard to different environments — however what about while you wish to discover textual content you have copied proper inside Android?
The quickest strategy to entry your system clipboard in your telephone is through Google’s glorious Gboard keyboard.
For those who aren’t already utilizing Gboard, set up the app and set it up — then:
- Open Gboard by tapping in any clean textual content discipline wherever in your telephone.
- For those who see a clipboard icon on the keyboard’s prime row, faucet it. For those who do not see any such icon, faucet the three-dot menu icon inside that very same space after which faucet the clipboard icon on the panel that comes up.
- Be sure that the tiny toggle within the upper-right nook of the Gboard clipboard interface is within the on place — with the change pushed over towards the suitable. If it is not, faucet it to show it on, then observe any prompts that seem to grant the permissions it must function.
Now, another little bit of one-time setup earlier than we get this present a-goin’:
- Open up the total Gboard settings menu by tapping the three-dot menu icon within the keyboard’s prime row after which deciding on “Settings” from the panel that pops up.
- Faucet “Clipboard.”
- Be sure that the entire choices that seem on the following display screen are activated and within the on place.
- Elicit the tiniest yip of satisfaction and/or do a pleasant little arm-flapping dance in your chair.
With all of that out of the best way, you will begin seeing two useful clipboard-related additions:
- Anytime you copy textual content from wherever on Android, it will routinely seem as a one-tap suggestion inside Gboard’s prime row at any time when the keyboard’s subsequent open. You may faucet it to insert the textual content into any textual content discipline, wherever in your telephone.
- You can too pull up the newest bits of textual content and even photos you have copied from wherever by tapping that clipboard icon in Gboard’s prime row (or inside its three-dot menu space, if you do not have it in a top-row place).
JR
And one other trick price surfacing in that very same Gboard clipboard interface…
Android clipboard trick No. 7: Your clipboard save-board
You may truly save necessary gadgets inside your Android clipboard space after which pull ’em up anytime, wherever for straightforward ongoing entry.
It is an effective way to maintain generally used textual content snippets or perhaps even screenshots at your beck ‘n’ name and out there for immediate pasting everytime you want ’em.
And it could not be a lot simpler to arrange:
- Open up Gboard once more and faucet that very same clipboard icon we have been simply talkin’ about.
- Press and maintain your finger onto any merchandise you have copied not too long ago — textual content, picture, you identify it — then search for the “Pin” possibility that pops up. (And if you happen to do not see any not too long ago copied gadgets there, by golly, go copy one thing!)
- Faucet “Pin,” then scroll down within the Gboard clipboard view to seek out your merchandise there and ready.
JR
You may pin a number of bits o’ textual content and/or photos into that space, and all it takes is a single faucet of your sticky fingie insert any pinned merchandise in any textual content discipline you have received open.
And at last…
Android clipboard trick No. 8: Picture paste magic
After we take into consideration our telephone’s clipboards, most of us are inclined to give attention to textual content. However it’s price emphasizing: You may copy photos onto your Android clipboard, too, after which paste ’em immediately into plenty of completely different locations.
Do that:
- Open up an online web page in Chrome — any random internet web page (although I extremely advocate one with photographs of bespectacled monkeys).
- Press and maintain your finger onto a picture throughout the web page and choose “Copy picture” from the menu that comes up.
- Now, go begin a brand new electronic mail inside Gmail or open a thread throughout the Android Messages app.
- Press and maintain your finger onto the open textual content discipline and faucet the “Paste” possibility that seems — or, if you happen to’d fairly, pull up that Gboard clipboard interface and search for your not too long ago copied picture there to faucet it.
And hey, how ’bout that?!
JR
No matter picture you copied will immediately be inserted into your message, with none additional effort required.
Not dangerous for an space of Android that is nearly all the time out of sight, eh?
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