Clipboard Bridge

Copy on one device. Use it on another.

Share text, links, photos and files between Windows, Android, iPhone and iPad. For example, send a photo from your phone to your PC, or copy a link on Windows and receive it on your phone. Mac can use the same workflow through Apple Shortcuts.

Use an always-on home server for the full experience, or let the Windows app be the server if you do not have one. Your devices connect through your local network or a private VPN. A Clipboard Bridge account is optional.

No mandatory cloud service, online account, subscription or telemetry.

On iPhone, sharing is within easy reach: add Send and Receive to Control Center, or run the Send Shortcut from another app's Share Sheet. Once set up, you do not need to reopen the Shortcuts editor for each transfer.

See the illustrated iPhone setup and quick-access tips.

English | Italiano

Website | Downloads | Desktop demo | Start here | Full guide | Developers | Request a feature

New here? Follow the step-by-step setup tutorial.

Device-specific guides: Windows to iPhone clipboard sharing and sharing a clipboard between Apple and Android devices.

Desktop in action

Find a previous clipboard, preview an image or PDF, and copy it again. The Windows app keeps search, file groups and Send/Receive together in one window.

Real application screen with public sample data, not private clipboard contents.

Quick actions next to the clock. Right-click the tray icon for Send, Receive and History; left-click opens History directly.

Real Windows recording in English, cropped for privacy. It demonstrates the tray controls, not a phone-to-PC transfer. Replay GIF or watch video.

Prefer automatic sharing? Enable Automatic synchronization in Settings > Automation and keep the app running. Leave automatic file downloads enabled to receive files too. Manual Send/Receive buttons remain available. Auto-sync can also share sensitive text you copy, so enable it deliberately.

Choose your setup

Every device connects to one place that stores the shared clipboard. Choose where it runs:

	Standalone server: full experience	Windows Server mode: no extra hardware
Runs on	A NAS, home server, Raspberry Pi or Docker/Python host	The Windows app itself
Why choose it?	Available while your Windows PC is off	The quickest phone-to-PC setup
Shared text, photos, files and history	Yes	Yes
Web page and separate user accounts	Yes	No
Must stay running	Your server	Your Windows PC and the app
Windows setting	Client mode	Server mode

The standalone server improves everyday use with an always-on clipboard, browser access and isolated accounts. It is not required: Windows Server mode handles the same shared content without Docker or a separate computer.

Download

Current releases: Windows 2.0.21 | Android 1.0.0-beta.12 | Server 1.0.12

Your device	Ready-to-use downloads
Windows 10/11, Intel or AMD (x64)	Installer or portable EXE
Windows 11 ARM, such as Snapdragon PCs	Native ARM64 installer or native ARM64 portable EXE
Android 10 or newer	Android APK, currently a public beta
iPhone and iPad	Send Shortcut and Receive Shortcut
Mac	Apple Shortcuts setup guide; no native Mac app
NAS or home server	App-store installation or Docker setup

The installer is the easiest Windows option. The portable EXE needs no installation. Both save settings and history in your user folder and preserve them across updates. From Windows 2.0.18, open Settings > Updates to check GitHub and install a new stable version. Automatic checks are on; automatic download/install is off until you enable it and Save. It keeps your current x64/ARM64 and installed/portable type, waits for active client transfers and restarts the app. Downloads are checked against GitHub's SHA-256, not a publisher certificate. Windows may still ask for approval. Older clients need one manual installation of 2.0.18 first.

To check your processor, open Settings > System > About > System type. Quit the app before switching between x64 and ARM64; both architectures share your settings.

Windows security: installer and portable downloads are not digitally signed yet. Defender or Smart App Control may block them. Read CODE_SIGNING.md; do not disable Windows protection to bypass a warning.

All assets, checksums and release notes are in the 2.0.21 release. Image/PDF previews and native ARM64 packages are included. See CHANGELOG.md for the full changes; Android and the standalone server have independent version numbers.

Start here

First, check the network: your devices must reach the clipboard host through the same trusted Wi-Fi/LAN or a private VPN. Mobile data alone cannot reach a home LAN address. See Network and security for remote use.

Without a home server

1. Install or open the Windows app.
2. Open Settings > General and select Server mode.
3. Keep port 5088, unless it is already in use, and allow the app through the Windows firewall on your private network.
4. Enter the address shown by Windows in Android and both iPhone Shortcuts.
5. Keep the PC and app running. Send from one device and receive on the other.

With a home server

1. Install the standalone server and open http://SERVER_IP:5088/.
2. Choose Client mode in Windows Settings and enter that server address.
3. Use the same address on Android and in both Apple Shortcuts.
4. Leave token/account fields empty for the shared clipboard, or use the same configured account on every device. Run Check connection or Test connection.

In Windows and Android settings, enter the base address, not an API endpoint. Apple Shortcuts use the complete send/receive URLs described below.

What gets shared

Unicode text, multiline notes, links, photos and files of any type: PDFs, Office documents, archives, audio, video and custom extensions such as .shortcut.

Copied text arrives as plain Unicode text, even if the source app uses RTF. Emoji, accents, tabs and line breaks are retained; fonts, colours and bold styling are not transferred. Actual .rtf documents sent as files remain unchanged. This works with server 1.0.9 or later, or Windows Server mode 2.0.18 or later, for every connected client.

The latest upload always wins. Text, images and files have equal priority. Several files sent together stay in one history item; restoring or deleting it affects the whole group. Generic clients receive groups as a transport ZIP.

History supports search, type filters and previous/next pages. Search matches text previews and filenames, including group members, not the complete document contents.

Connection diagram: two alternative hosting modes

Your devices

Windows

The tray app supports manual sharing, configurable hotkeys, optional auto-sync, image/PDF previews, shared history and automatic receiving. Left-click its icon to open History; sending is a separate action. Only one instance runs at a time.

Quick actions, next to the clock: right-click the tray icon to send your clipboard, receive the latest item or open History. Left-click opens History directly.

Windows can sync automatically: enable Automatic synchronization in Settings > Automation to send copied content and receive new shared items without pressing Send or Receive each time. Keep the app running and leave Automatically download new files enabled to receive files automatically too. Only enable auto-sync if you want copied content to be shared, including sensitive text.

See the desktop screenshots and animated tray demo.

Windows settings, notifications and history

• General: choose Client/Server mode, light/dark appearance and language.
• Connection: set the server address and optional token/account; use Check connection now to verify the connection.
• Automation: configure synchronization, automatic incoming file downloads and separate text/image/file notifications.
• Shortcuts: configure global hotkeys for Send, Receive and opening History. History defaults to Ctrl+Alt+H; change it in Settings > Shortcuts. Click Set keys..., press and release your chosen combination, then Save. Escape cancels recording. Shortcuts pause while recording to prevent accidental transfers. Windows reports combinations already used by another app before settings are saved. Press the History hotkey once to open it and again to close it; the next press reopens it. Tray clicks still open or focus History. Neither action sends your clipboard. Invalid or duplicate shortcuts are rejected before saving; existing settings are preserved during upgrades.
• Received files are saved in Downloads/Clipboard Bridge and placed in the Windows clipboard. Clicking a file notification opens the received-files folder.
• Select a file/image in History for Open file and Open folder, also in its right-click menu. Choose a member for a file group. Downloads run in the background and are reused; opening does not change your clipboard. Common executable/script types require confirmation. Only open files you trust.
• Enable Preview in History to see the selected image or first PDF page, including the first previewable member of a file group. Text previews show the complete content in a read-only scrollable pane, including long texts and emoji, rather than only the short history extract. Use the visible vertical scrollbar, ordinary wheel, or middle-click and move up/down to autoscroll; click again or press a key to stop. Middle-drag stops on release. Thumbnails load in the background without changing your clipboard or saving downloads.
• History automatically follows the host selected in Settings: your external server in Client mode, or this PC's embedded host in Server mode. There is no separate Local/Server selector. Use the compact type filters and search to find shared items.
• The lightweight desktop uses matte graphite or light surfaces, blue accents, clearly separated file icons and a responsive image/PDF preview pane. It does not capture the desktop or require a heavier graphics engine.
• Clipboard changes made by an administrator-level application may not be detected by an ordinary Windows process. This affects all Windows packages; Clipboard Bridge may also need administrator privileges in that situation.
• The interface is available in English and Italian. Settings and data belong in your writable user folders, not Program Files.

Android

Send from the clipboard, file picker or another app's Share menu. Receive the latest item, browse live server history, restore an older item or delete it after confirmation. Text and file notifications can be configured separately.

Android installation, account setup and Quick Settings

1. Open the downloaded APK, authorize installation from that browser/file manager if Android asks, then select Install or Update.
2. Open the gear button and enter the server base address.
3. Choose Shared space for the general clipboard; enter a token only if configured.
4. Choose Account for an existing standalone-server user and enter its credentials.
5. Run Test connection, save and allow notifications for incoming monitoring.

Account status must show Connected - @USERNAME. If histories differ between Android and the browser, verify the selected account. Android reads the server's history directly; it does not maintain a separate local history. The visible list refreshes every five seconds.

Send clipboard uploads the current clipboard. Receive latest restores the newest item. Send file and the Share menu accept one or several files, keeping a multiple selection together. Share uploads close without leaving the main app open. Received files are saved in Downloads/Clipboard Bridge; Android uses content URIs for file clipboard entries, so pasting depends on the destination app's support.

Add Send clipboard and Receive clipboard through Quick Settings > Edit. The tiles use a brief transparent helper for clipboard access and return to your previous screen instead of opening the main interface.

Background limits: Android 10+ restricts continuous background clipboard reads. Outgoing auto-send works while Clipboard Bridge is visible; Share and the Send tile are the alternatives in other apps. Optional incoming monitoring uses a foreground service and notification; use Receive for reliable clipboard placement. Manufacturer battery restrictions may require allowing background activity and excluding the app from battery optimization. Notifications for received text, files and sent items are separately configurable. The interface is English/Italian.

Updates signed with the same project key preserve the configuration. Android documentation and build instructions.

iPhone and iPad

Use two Shortcuts for every content type: Load Clipboard sends and Download Clipboard receives. Add both to the iPhone Control Center for quick access.

Shortcut URLs, accounts, photos and multiple files

Replace SERVER_IP with your host's address; use its configured port if not 5088.

Shortcut	Request	Shared-space URL
Load Clipboard	POST	http://SERVER_IP:5088/clipboard
Download Clipboard	GET	http://SERVER_IP:5088/clipboard/latest/raw

For an isolated account, append the URL-encoded credentials to both URLs:

http://SERVER_IP:5088/clipboard?user=alice&password=YOUR_ENCODED_PASSWORD
http://SERVER_IP:5088/clipboard/latest/raw?user=alice&password=YOUR_ENCODED_PASSWORD

For a protected shared space, use ?token=YOUR_TOKEN instead. With no protection configured, use the plain URLs. Token and account are optional; URL credentials are in plain text. The web login uses the same account; an empty username selects the general clipboard.

Enable Show in Share Sheet to send from Photos, Files and other apps. For the Control Center, add a Shortcut control, select Load Clipboard, and add a second one for Download Clipboard.

For grouped files and uncommon extensions, apply the actions in the complete Shortcut guide after importing the signed downloads. They cannot be rewritten/re-signed on Windows:

• A single non-text file includes its URL-encoded filename, preserving .shortcut and other extensions even with a generic MIME type. Text does not use this parameter.
• Several files are packed into a temporary ZIP and posted to /clipboard/bundle; the server stores the members together, not as an ordinary ZIP attachment.
• Receiving checks /clipboard/latest/meta, extracts a group when required and copies its members together. The content-type choice is automatic.
• A ZIP deliberately sent to the normal /clipboard endpoint remains a ZIP file.
• If the URL already has credentials, append parameters with &, not another ?.

Shortcut notes and full setup guide.

Mac

Use the manual send/receive workflow in Apple Shortcuts, optionally with a keyboard shortcut. There is no native Mac client or continuous background sync. The distributed iPhone files have not been device-tested on a Mac; build the same actions if importing fails. See Mac compatibility.

Ubuntu desktop beta

Download the Ubuntu .deb | Installation and shortcuts

The Python desktop app connects to the Docker server or to Windows in Server mode. It supports optional automatic text sync, desktop shortcuts, manual file transfers, grouped files, searchable server history and previews. It is an early beta: no tray, notifications, automatic file sync or embedded server. Global shortcuts are assigned in your Linux desktop settings.

For a source installation instead, install Python 3.10+ with Tkinter and the clipboard utility for your session. For Debian/Ubuntu (substitute xclip for wl-clipboard on X11):

sudo apt install python3-tk wl-clipboard
python3 scripts/linux/install.py

Run the installer from the repository folder as your normal user. It adds Clipboard Bridge to the application menu, or run python3 clipboard_bridge_linux.py without installing it. On Fedora, Tkinter is provided by python3-tkinter; on Arch, install tk alongside Python. For source installs, image/PDF previews use Pillow and Poppler. Use Connection settings for optional credentials; they are kept in memory.

Standalone server

Stable Docker image: ghcr.io/mattboxx/clipboard-bridge-server:1.0.12

Supports Linux amd64 and arm64. The service listens on 5088, stores persistent data in /data, and needs no separate database. The web page supports text/file uploads, searchable history, downloads, refresh, deletion and optional login.

The web interface and login support English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and simplified Chinese. Choose a language in Settings; the browser remembers it. English is the default. Open Connect your devices for Windows, Android and Apple Shortcuts setup, the server address, and safe container update steps. The footer links to the project website and full guide; the heart button opens optional Ko-fi support. These languages apply to the standalone web interface, not the native client apps.

Browser interface

Open Settings (the top-right button), then choose Theme: Light, Dark or System. Your browser remembers your choice. Text and file uploads have separate tabs. Use Connect your devices for short setup steps for Apple, Windows, Android and Docker, or open http://SERVER_IP:5088/setup directly. The QR opens the public downloads page; it does not pair a device or contain credentials.

Save text or upload files from any browser, without installing another client. This interface belongs to the optional standalone server, not Windows Server mode.

Search the shared history, download an item or delete it. Files sent together remain in one entry; images have a thumbnail.

Real screens from the published Docker server, using public sample data only.

App stores: follow Clipboard Bridge App Store for ZimaOS, Portainer, Umbrel, Runtipi and Dockge. For ZimaOS, add this permanent JSON v2 source, not a repository ZIP:

https://mattboxx.github.io/Clipboard-Bridge-AppStore/store.json

Basic Docker Compose commands

Docker Engine/Desktop and Compose must already be running. New installation, Linux/Mac terminal (no Git or source build required):

mkdir clipboard-bridge
cd clipboard-bridge
curl -fL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Mattboxx/Clipboard-Bridge/main/compose.yaml -o compose.yaml
curl -fL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Mattboxx/Clipboard-Bridge/main/.env.example -o .env
nano .env
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
docker compose ps

Save .env before starting. Open http://SERVER_IP:5088/, using your host's IP. On Linux, prefix Docker commands with sudo if required. Do not overwrite an existing installation's .env or data.

First time, Windows/PowerShell, accounts, updates or an error? Follow DOCKER.md: complete command-by-command installation for Docker installation, a full configuration example, phone connections, backups and troubleshooting.

Network and security

• Devices need the same trusted local network or a private VPN, for either server mode.
• Away from home or on untrusted Wi-Fi, we recommend Tailscale. Install it on the clipboard host and your devices, join the same private Tailscale network and use the host's Tailscale address in every client and Apple Shortcut. It works with Docker/Python hosting and Windows Server mode. Tailscale is optional; another private VPN can work too, and a trusted LAN needs no VPN.
• To keep the same LAN IP and port at home and away, configure an always-on home server/NAS as a subnet router. Advertise and approve the LAN route, allow access and reserve the host's IP. Clipboard Bridge does not configure routing automatically.
• Accounts and tokens are optional. The general clipboard stays available when users are added. Use protection when untrusted people can reach the network.
• user, password and token parameters are visible in URLs. Plain HTTP does not encrypt them; a VPN does not encrypt every possible LAN hop either.
• Do not expose port 5088 directly to the internet. Use a trusted LAN, private VPN or an HTTPS reverse proxy. A web password is not a substitute for API protection.

Network, VPN and subnet-routing guide | Security policy

Developers

The repository contains the complete sources, dependencies, tests and packaging. Browse the server source and Windows client source in the repository. Release downloads contain ready-to-use apps and iPhone Shortcuts, not standalone Python scripts. Clone the repository for development or running from source.

Run from source

Use Python 3.12 for the server and x64 Windows client; native Windows ARM64 builds use ARM64 Python 3.13. Prefer an isolated virtual environment.

python -m venv .venv
# Activate .venv for your shell, then:
python -m pip install -r requirements-server.txt
python clipboard_bridge-Server.py

On Windows, install requirements-client.txt and run python clipboard_bridge_windows.py. The client uses Tkinter/pystray; clipboard images and files use Windows APIs through ctypes. Image/PDF previews use Pillow and pypdfium2/PDFium. See third-party notices. The standalone server uses Flask. Its Docker image uses one Gunicorn worker with threads: do not add independent workers against the same JSON data store.

Server configuration

Python environment variable	Default	Purpose
CLIPBOARD_PORT	5088	Listening port
CLIPBOARD_TOKEN	empty	Optional shared API token
CLIPBOARD_PASSWORD	empty	Optional shared web-login password
CLIPBOARD_ACCOUNTS	empty	Comma-separated user:password accounts
CLIPBOARD_ACCOUNTS_FILE	empty	One user:password per line in a file
CLIPBOARD_SESSION_DAYS	3650	Remembered web login, 1..3650 days; use 90/365 for a shorter session
CLIPBOARD_MAX_HISTORY	200	Retained entries per clipboard space
CLIPBOARD_MAX_UPLOAD_MB	64	Maximum request/upload size in MB
CLIPBOARD_DATA_DIR	./clipboard_data	Persistent data directory

In Compose, edit the shorter variables in .env: APP_PORT, DATA_ROOT, APP_IMAGE, API_TOKEN, WEB_PASSWORD, ACCOUNTS, ACCOUNTS_FILE, MAX_HISTORY and MAX_UPLOAD_MB. They map to the container settings; /data is the container's storage path. Mount account files and use their container path.

Accounts have isolated files and histories with no fixed account-count limit; practical limits depend on host resources. Prefer CLIPBOARD_ACCOUNTS_FILE for many users. The shared space remains available. Web login remembers the selected account in a long-lived session; logout or cleared browser cookies ends that device session.

API reference

Endpoints, authentication, payloads and history pagination

The table describes the standalone server. Windows Server mode implements the shared clipboard workflow, without the standalone web login or isolated accounts.

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
POST	/clipboard	Universal text, image, file or multipart group upload
POST	/clipboard/bundle	A ZIP used specifically as a grouped-file transport
GET	/clipboard/latest	Latest item, including text or Base64 binary content
GET	/clipboard/latest/meta	Latest metadata without downloading the content
GET	/clipboard/latest/raw	Latest raw text/file, or transport ZIP for a group
GET	/clipboard/history	Metadata list, search, filtering and pagination
DELETE	/clipboard/history	Clear the selected space's history and stored files
GET, DELETE	/clipboard/item/<id>	Read or delete one item/group in the selected space
GET	/clipboard/item/<id>/raw	Download an exact item/group
GET	/clipboard/item/<id>/file/<index>/raw	Download one group member by zero-based index
GET	/health	Public service status and version
GET, POST	/login	Standalone web login
GET	/logout	End the browser session

Legacy endpoints remain supported: /1 for upload, /clipboard/raw for raw receiving, plus /clipboard/text, /clipboard/text/raw, /clipboard/image, /clipboard/image/latest, /clipboard/image/latest/raw, /clipboard/file and /clipboard/file/latest. New integrations should use the universal endpoints.

Authentication: optional ?token=... or X-Auth-Token for the shared API; ?user=...&password=... or X-Clipboard-User/X-Clipboard-Password for an account. Apply credentials to uploads, metadata, history, member downloads and deletion, not just receiving. URL-encode parameter values; append further parameters with &. CLIPBOARD_PASSWORD protects the shared web page; it does not enable API-token protection by itself. Browser sessions can authenticate browser requests.

Native clients and Apple Shortcuts retain compatible account URLs. Header authentication remains an optional API alternative, not a new requirement. No extra login, pairing or refresh token is introduced. Neither headers nor URL encoding encrypt credentials over plain HTTP.

Payloads: raw text/binary, multipart files and JSON/Base64 are accepted. Set the original filename via multipart or filename/supported filename headers when MIME alone is ambiguous. Raw replies expose X-Clipboard-Id, X-Clipboard-Type and, for files, filename metadata. A normal uploaded ZIP stays a file; /clipboard/bundle explicitly requests group extraction.

curl -X POST http://localhost:5088/clipboard \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8' --data-binary 'Hello from another device'
curl -X POST http://localhost:5088/clipboard \
  -F 'files=@report.pdf' -F 'files=@photo.jpg'
curl http://localhost:5088/clipboard/latest/raw

These Bash examples use an open shared space. Add authentication if configured.

History search: GET /clipboard/history?q=report&type=file&limit=30&offset=0. Types are text, image, file, bundle; omit type for all. Search examines previews and filenames, not full documents. limit is 1-1000, offset is nonnegative, and q is at most 200 characters. The response includes items, count, total, offset, has_more; count is the returned page size, total the matching count.

Errors: invalid input 400, failed authentication 401, missing item 404, oversized request 413. Latest metadata returns {"type":"empty"} for an empty space; latest raw content is an empty response. Retention limits remove old entries.

Build and test

Task	Command or documentation
Server/metadata tests	Install requirements-server.txt and pytest, then python -m pytest -q tests/test_server.py tests/test_clipboard_text.py tests/test_clipboard_storage.py tests/test_release_metadata.py
Windows tests	Install requirements-client.txt and pytest, then python -m pytest -q tests/test_windows_client.py tests/test_clipboard_text.py tests/test_clipboard_storage.py on Windows
Version consistency	python scripts/release_metadata.py --check
Windows x64 packaging	Build Windows x64 Actions workflow, or scripts\windows\build_release.bat 2.0.21; requires x64 Python and Inno Setup
Windows ARM64 packaging	Build Windows ARM64 Actions workflow; native runner, tests, payload and installer verification
Android build	Java 17, Android SDK 35; Gradle and private signing instructions
Docker source build	docker build -t clipboard-bridge-server:dev .

VERSION drives Windows release metadata. Keep sources, downloads and docs in sync. Never commit credentials, clipboard data, Android signing keys or local build output. CONTRIBUTING.md covers setup, validation and ARM64 artifact publication; CODE_SIGNING.md explains Windows signing and release checksums.

Repository map

Path	Purpose
clipboard_bridge_windows.py	Windows client and built-in server
clipboard_bridge-Server.py	Standalone Flask server and web interface
clipboard_text.py	Shared Unicode/RTF conversion; keep alongside either Python script
clipboard_storage.py	Shared fail-safe history reads and atomic index writes; keep alongside either Python script
android/	Android source and build files
Iphone Shortcuts/	Signed Shortcut exports and update instructions
Dockerfile, compose.yaml, docker-compose.yml, .env.example	Container deployment
requirements-*.txt	Python dependencies
scripts/	Development, validation and Windows build commands
packaging/windows/	Inno Setup installer and generated Windows version metadata
tests/	Regression tests
.github/workflows/	Validation, native ARM64 build, images and website deployment
docs/	GitHub Pages source and public sample screenshots
docs/development/	Architecture, component boundaries and developer documentation
maintainer/	Release checklists, manual validation and media provenance
distribution/	Store adapters; the separate AppStore repository publishes the catalogs

Architecture and repository layout | Script commands | Windows packaging

Quality audit and remaining verification gates | Backup and recovery

Full user guide | Docker guide | Android documentation | Changelog | Security

Current project source is licensed under the GNU GPL version 3 only. Earlier MIT releases retain their original terms. Dependency licenses are described in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

Support the project

If Clipboard Bridge makes sharing between your devices easier, a donation helps keep the project maintained and updated. Using it is free; support is entirely optional. Thank you for choosing to contribute!

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