1. Check any clipboard history you already had on
- Windows: press Win+V. This only has the item if clipboard history was switched on before you copied it. Details.
- Mac (Tahoe): press Cmd+Space, then Cmd+4. Only works if you enabled Results from Clipboard beforehand. Details.
- Android: most keyboards have a clipboard button that shows recent items.
- iPhone and iPad: only the latest item is kept.
- vClipboard: if you saved it, open the app and click Copy on the earlier card.
2. Undo the cut
If you cut the text (Ctrl+X or Cmd+X) and then copied something else, the original is still recoverable in the app you cut it from. Press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) there to bring it back, then copy it again.
3. Go back to the source
Most of the time the thing you copied is still where you copied it from: the web page, email, chat, document or spreadsheet. Copy it again. For a screenshot that only went to the clipboard, check whether your screenshot tool also saved a file.
4. Look for drafts and version history
If you pasted it somewhere and then lost it, check for unsent drafts in your email or chat app, and the version history in Google Docs, Word (AutoRecover) or whichever editor you used.
If none of that works, it is almost certainly gone. Windows and macOS do not keep an archive of old clipboard contents, and no website can reach back and pull one out of your system clipboard.
5. Make sure it does not happen again
- Turn on the history your system offers: Win+V on Windows, Spotlight clipboard on macOS Tahoe.
- For anything important, press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) on vClipboard straight after copying, or switch on its auto-save option while it is open in a tab.
- Pin the clips you must not lose. Everything else can be set to delete itself.