SwiftKey finally brings Apple-style Universal Clipboard to Windows and Android

By Prakhar Khanna Published November 3, 2021

One of the most useful features of the Apple ecosystem is finally coming to Windows and Android. Apple offers a Universal Clipboard across its devices, letting you copy something on your iPhone and paste it on your MacBook, iPad, or other compatible devices. A similar feature is now being rolled out to Windows and Android via Microsoft SwiftKey.

The feature was first spotted by MSPoweruser. Microsoft SwiftKey’s latest update (7.9.0.5) brings the ability to cloud-sync your clipboard across Windows and Android. The company is calling it Cloud Clipboard. It is now available for Android, but there is no word on iOS availability yet. The minimum requirement for a PC to have Cloud Clipboard is it should run Windows 10 (October 2018 update or later).

Recommended Videos

To use Cloud Clipboard on Microsoft SwiftKey, you need to go to Rich input > Clipboard > Sync clipboard history to the cloud. On the PC side, you need to enable it by going to Settings > System > Clipboard > Clipboard history toggle on > turning on Sync across devices. The latest feature will only keep a clip for one hour. The last copied clip will also be displayed on the SwiftKey toolbar.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The Cloud Keyboard feature for SwiftKey requires a Microsoft account. You will be asked to log in or create a Microsoft Outlook.com or Hotmail.com account. To access the feature, you need to have version 7.9.0.5 of SwiftKey installed on your Android phone. Once installed, you will be able to copy text from your Android phone or tablet clipboard and paste it on your Windows PC. It’s important to note that SwiftKey must be set as the primary keyboard on Android in order for all this to work correctly.

Topics

Mobile Writer

Prakhar writes news, reviews and features for Digital Trends. He is an independent tech journalist who has been a part of the…

Computing

Windows 11 brings back another highly requested Taskbar feature

Windows 11 Woman on Laptop Lifestyle

Microsoft has confirmed the weather widget that was initially introduced via Windows 10 will be integrated into Windows 11. A new voice access feature for the operating system has also been added.

The latest Insider preview build for Windows 11, dubbed . 22518, displays live weather content on the left side of the taskbar. Users will also be able to open the widgets board by hovering over the entry point.

Mobile

After 9 years on Android and Windows, here’s why I’m all-in on Apple’s ecosystem

macbook air, iPhone 12, iPad Air and Apple Watch SE on a table.

With product launches happening around us year-round, we seldom take a step back and talk about “experience.” Not just the experience of using a particular device, but also how well it works with your other gadgets like your laptop and tablet. It's this ecosystem experience that all companies try to achieve, but not all succeed equally well at it. For nine years, I've exclusively been a Windows and Android user, but something changed over the past year -- I switched to the MacBook and iPhone.

Not just that, I'm fortunate enough to own four Apple devices: The iPhone 12, Apple Watch SE, iPad Air 4, and MacBook Air. These four devices work so seamlessly with one another that they blend into both my work life and personal life. Here’s why I, and many like me, love the Apple ecosystem.

Computing

Windows 11 is finally bringing a highly requested feature to the Start Menu

Laptop sitting on a desk showing Windows 11's built-in Microsoft Teams experience.

Microsoft is testing some highly-requested changes to the Windows 11 Start Menu. In the latest Windows Insider Dev Channel build, beta testers are getting additional customization options, including the ability to right-click on Start to quickly access Start settings.

Available in Windows 11 build 22509, Microsoft is dubbing these changes as "a good set of improvements." With the changes, beta testers can choose the “more pins” or “more recommendations” layout option to show an extra row of either pins or recommendations, respectively. One of the most desired options from Windows 11 users, this should make it easier to access more frequently used apps.