Google Chrome: how to activate and use the shared clipboard

Google has just updated its Chrome browser to version 79 with many new features.

Among these, a hidden function, disabled by default, allows you to share the contents of the clipboard between Chrome mobile and Chrome Desktop. Here’s how to activate and use it now.

1. Update Chrome

Start by updating your version of Chrome. To do this, click on the main menu then, in the Help menu, go to About Chrome.

The browser should automatically check for the latest update, download it, and install it if it isn’t already. Sharing the clipboard between the different versions of Chrome is available from version 79.

2. Use synchronization

To work, the feature requires that Chrome sync is enabled with your Google account.

If it’s not already the case, click on the main menu of Chrome, and go to the Settings menu where you should find a button to Enable synchronization.

3. Activate the flag

Disabled by default, the function allowing to share the clipboard between Chrome desktop and Chrome mobile is in the menu dedicated to the experimental functions of the browser.

To access it, type chrome: // flags in the browser’s address bar.

In the search field, enter the term Clipboard. Three entries should in principle stand out.

For each of them, click on the drop-down menu displayed on the right, and change the Default value to Enabled. A blue dot confirming the activation of these three options should appear in front of each one.

Then click on the Relaunch button to restart the browser to apply the changes.

4. Share the contents of the clipboard

After restarting the browser, you should be able to send content from Chrome Desktop to Chrome on Android. To do this, select some text and then right click to open the context menu. Then choose Copy to your device.

All you have to do now, from your Android smartphone, is to keep your finger pressed on a text entry area to bring up the Paste menu, and paste the text copied from Chrome Desktop.