Windows 10 has already expanded the bulletin board capabilities with a history and a sync function. That’s nice, but there is actually some more functionality that the Windows 10 bulletin board should have. And it is provided by the Ditto Clipboard Manager utility. Let’s see what we can do with that.
Let’s start downloading, installing and running Ditto Clipboard Manager. You will find this tool here. By the way, Ditto Clipboard Manager can also be found in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10. And that creates trust, because of course you don’t just get in there.
Bulletin Board Windows 10
The name Ditto Clipboard Manager indicates that we are dealing with an extension for the pinboard (clipboard or clipboard) of Windows 10. That pinboard of Windows 10 is one of the operating system’s most underrated features. The average Windows 10 user knows the key combinations Ctrl+C (copy), Ctrl+X (cut) and Ctrl+V (paste) only in combination with plain text. But you can do much more with it.
With the option To process in any program you can put anything in the Windows 10 bulletin board and take it out again. Think of images, sounds, worksheets and other files. And then there’s the function Paste special. Secure Excel is equipped with an extensive adhesive function. This allows you to retrieve the contents of the bulletin board in many different ways.
Existing options
Before we move on to Ditto Clipboard Manager, let’s first tell you how the Windows 10 clipboard works. In fact, the bulletin board is a piece of specially reserved memory in which you can temporarily and fleetingly store some random data. That data remains in the Windows 10 Wall until it is overwritten with other data or until you turn off your computer.
There is a third option: until you force clear the Windows 10 wall. Just go to Start, Settings, System and clipboard to see how you can arrange the latter. Here you can also find the clipboard history and the Sync between devices switch. Those are definitely two nice bulletin board options that are not discussed further here, but that do deserve your attention.
Ditto Clipboard Manager
Then let’s go to Ditto Clipboard Manager. This tool can be found in the system tray of Windows 10. The number of options in the context menu of Ditto Clipboard Manager immediately tells us that we are dealing with a serious addition to the Windows clipboard. Choose Options to click on the tab General to see what the great power of Ditto Clipboard Manager is. Surely that’s the underlying database.
In addition to all the extras, about which more later, all items that you place on the Windows 10 bulletin board are simultaneously placed in the Ditto Clipboard Manager database. This is set by default to no less than five hundred pieces. The side effect is the fact that that database is not cleaned up when the computer is turned off. However, a maximum retention time can be set on the items in the database. Seven days should be long enough. But maybe not, because some items you might need every time. Think of a logo, a salutation and a letterhead. The great thing is that Ditto Clipboard Manager can also keep such items ready forever.
Back to the Options from Ditto Clipboard Manager. On the tab General you can indicate how many clips you want to keep for how long. The language can English can be set and the screen theme can also be specified. Also pay attention to where the database is placed. You may want to move or copy that database. Backups and restores are already facilitated by Ditto Clipboard Manager.
Pay attention, because on the tab Shortcuts This includes setting which key displays the Ditto Clipboard Manager paste screen. With the Windows key+~ we might make a useful proposal.
Special paste function
Be sure to take the time to see all Options of Ditto Clipboard Manager. All kinds of shortcut keys can be assigned and used. It is also possible to work with several pinboards almost simultaneously. But in the end, of course, it’s all about bringing up the clips that you put in the Ditto Clipboard Manager database. The intention is that you place the (text) cursor in the right place in the program, after which you press the special key combination that shows the special paste function of Ditto Clipboard Manager.
What is so special about the paste function, of course, depends on the clip you want to paste. There is more possible with plain text than with an image, but that is obvious. In the meantime, you have already got a glimpse of all the clips that Ditto Clipboard Manager manages for you. You can, among other things, discard, edit, title or place clips under a shortcut. The most important feature – we repeat that again – is the fact that Ditto Clipboard Manager stores the clips securely in a database: for reuse!
