A Clipboard Manager Built for the Command Line
Clipboard is a command-line clipboard manager that gives your terminal the convenience of a graphical desktop. It works through one command, cb, which copies, cuts, pastes, adds, removes, and shows stored content. Older tools make you memorise different flags for each file type; here you run one consistent action and CB handles the rest. Stored material can be plain text, whole files, entire directories, or raw binary data, and it can also arrive through a pipe. Each collection keeps its own history, so earlier content stays available long after you have moved on. The result is a faster, tidier workflow for anyone who lives in a shell and moves data constantly.
Where Clipboard pulls ahead of a basic desktop shortcut is its ability to juggle many clipboards at once. Append a number to any action and you get a separate temporary clipboard; lead a name with an underscore and it becomes persistent, surviving restarts and holding whatever you put there until you clear it. That makes it easy to park a block of configuration text in one slot while keeping another free for the file list you are pasting into a build directory. Notes attached to each collection remind you what it holds, and a status command summarises everything. Anyone who also keeps network utilities on hand, such as a Global VPN Client, will recognise the appeal of one small command that behaves predictably.
Benefits of Using Clipboard
The biggest benefit of Clipboard is that it removes the friction that makes terminal copy and paste painful. Every action follows the same simple pattern, so you stop looking up flags and start finishing tasks. Because each collection keeps unlimited history, nothing is lost the moment you copy something new — the text you replaced ten minutes ago is still there when you need it back. Persistent clipboards turn the tool into lightweight storage for snippets you reuse daily, while regular expression support lets you drop unwanted items or pull out exactly the lines you want in a single command. Ignore patterns add a safety net: define what should never be stored and stray passwords stay out of the history. The scriptable interface means all of this works inside automated jobs, not only interactive sessions, and content copied in the terminal can still be pasted into graphical applications. Add a small footprint, translated menus, and theme options, and you have a genuinely pleasant daily utility rather than another burden.
Clipboard Software Information
- Developer: Slackadays
- Current Version: 0.9.0.1
- File Size: 1.1 MB
- License: Open Source
- Language: en-US
- Downloads: 2.8K
- Platform: Windows Desktop
System Requirements
- Processor: 2-core CPU
- RAM: 2 GB RAM
- Storage: 1 GB available storage
- Graphics / GPU: Not required
Visit the official Clipboard website
Clipboard Features
Unified Copy, Cut, Add, and Paste
One command covers every kind of transfer. Copy or cut text, files, directories, and binary data, add further items to an existing collection, or pipe results straight into another program. Because CB detects what you hand it, you never memorise file-type specific flags the way xclip forces you to.
Multiple Clipboards With Independent Histories
Hang a number off any action to reach a separate temporary store, or lead a name with an underscore to create a persistent one that survives restarts. Each keeps its own contents and history, so you can stage several sets of material side by side without overwriting anything.
Regular Expression Filtering
Retrieve or delete stored items by pattern rather than by exact name. Paste only the entries matching a regular expression, or remove everything that does, which beats clearing a collection and starting again when you only need to trim part of it.
Ignore Patterns for Sensitive Content
Define patterns that CB should refuse to store, such as anything resembling a password or key. Matching content is skipped before it is ever saved, so credentials stay out of your history while you keep working normally in the same shell session.
Notes and Status Overview
Attach a short note to any stored collection so a payload explains itself, then read those notes later instead of guessing. A status view lists every collection with its contents, and an info command reports extra detail when you need to inspect one closely.
Scriptable Interface for Automation
Every action accepts piped input and writes to standard output, so CB slots directly into shell scripts, build steps, and scheduled jobs. Capture generated output, hand a file list to the next command, or tidy collections unattended — no manual interaction required at any point.
Bridges the Terminal and the Desktop
Copies made in the terminal are shared with the system clipboard used by desktop applications, so material taken with CB can be pasted into a browser, an editor, or a chat window. Moving content the other way works too.
Short Commands, Themes, and Translations
Actions have abbreviated aliases such as cp, ct, p, ad, rm, and sh, which keeps long command lines readable and quick to type. Colour themes make terminal output easier to scan, and the interface is offered in several languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, and French.
Clipboard FAQs
What is Clipboard used for?
It is a command-line clipboard manager, so you use it to store and move things you would otherwise keep in a single desktop slot. Instead of copying over your last item, CB holds text, files, folders, and raw data in separate collections, lets you retrieve them later, and lets you script those transfers inside shell workflows.
How is it different from xclip or a normal system clipboard?
A normal system slot holds one item at a time. CB keeps many collections, each with its own history, handles files and directories as readily as text, and uses one consistent set of actions rather than a different flag for every content type. It also hands copies back to the system slot, so pasting into desktop applications still works.
Can it store files and folders, not just text?
Yes. You can copy or cut complete files, several files at once, and whole directories, then paste them into another location. Piped command output and raw binary data are accepted too, so the same command covers everything from a short string to a directory full of assets.
Can I keep several clipboards at once?
Yes. Adding a number to an action targets a temporary collection, while an underscore followed by a name creates a persistent one that lasts until you clear it. You can hold a snippet in one, a file list in another, and paste from either without disturbing the rest.
Does it work in scripts and automated jobs?
It does. Every action reads from standard input and writes to standard output, so you can pipe command output into a collection, feed a stored file list to the next program, or clear entries between build steps without any interactive prompts.