InformIT: Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional in 10 Minutes

Using the Clipboard

One of the handiest features of the Windows environment is its capability to copy or move information (text, graphics, and files) from one location to another. This feature enables you to share information between document windows, applications, and other computers on your network.

When you cut or copy data from an application, Windows places the data on the Clipboard; it remains there until you cut or copy again. You can paste the data from the Clipboard to a document or application. Note, however, that you don't have to open the Clipboard to use it—and 99 percent of the time, you won't. You simply cut or copy your data, and then paste it to a new location. Also note that the Clipboard is temporary storage; each time you cut or copy something, it replaces the current contents of the Clipboard, and when you exit Windows, the contents of the Clipboard are deleted. Now, there is an exception to this rule. You can view the contents of the Clipboard by opening the ClipBook Viewer; you can save the contents of the Clipboard by choosing File , Save As from the Clipboard menu. You learn how to open the ClipBook Viewer later in this lesson.

Plain English

Copy, Cut, and Paste When you copy information, the application copies it to the Clipboard without disturbing the original. When you cut information, the information is removed from its original location and placed in the Clipboard (don't confuse cutting with deleting, which removes the information but does not store it in the Clipboard for retrieval later). When you paste information, the application inserts the information that's on the Clipboard to the location you specify. (The copy on the Clipboard remains intact, so you can paste it again and again, if necessary.)

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