Getting Started
Installation
Install ClipLens
Install ClipLens directly from the Microsoft Store — one click, auto-updates, no warnings. A portable .exe is also available from cliplens.dev. Works on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit).
Run ClipLens
Double-click ClipLens.exe — it runs directly, no installation needed. No admin rights required.
If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC": this is normal for new apps. Click More info → Run anyway. ClipLens is safe and keeps all data on your machine.
Find ClipLens in your tray
ClipLens runs in the background. Look for the magnifier icon in your system tray (bottom-right of your taskbar). Right-click it for options.
First Launch
Press Ctrl+Shift+V to open ClipLens. A floating window appears in the center of your screen.
Start copying text, URLs, code, or anything from any app — ClipLens captures it automatically. Click any clip to re-copy it to your clipboard.
Pro Activation
Subscribe to Pro
Go to cliplens.dev/pricing and subscribe for $4.99/month. You'll receive a license key by email.
Open Settings
Click the gear icon (⚙) in the top-right corner of ClipLens.
Paste your license key
Paste your key in the License field and click Activate. You'll see "Pro Plan — Active" and all features unlock instantly.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Clipboard history & categories | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clip Lens (colors, math, JSON, URLs) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Text search, pin, quick-paste | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Search (natural language) | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI Explain Code & Errors | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI Translate & Improve Writing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export JSON / CSV | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-select & Merge | ✗ | ✓ |
Features
Clipboard History
Every time you press Ctrl+C, ClipLens saves the content automatically. Your clipboard history is stored locally on your machine in an encrypted database.
Auto Categories
ClipLens automatically detects what you copy and tags it with a category badge:
Use the filter bar at the top to show only one category at a time.
Organizing Your Clips
Beyond auto-categories, ClipLens gives you a few ways to keep the clips you reach for most within easy reach:
Clip Lens — Smart Actions
When you copy something, a small floating panel appears near your cursor with contextual actions. It auto-hides after 8 seconds, or you can press Esc to dismiss it.
#ff6b6b256*48+12AI Search
Type a natural language query in the search bar, then click the AI button. Instead of matching exact words, AI understands what you mean. AI features are free — they run on your own computer with local Ollama:
Local AI (Ollama) — free & private
ClipLens runs its AI features (Explain, Translate, Rewrite, AI Search) on your own computer using Ollama — a free tool that runs AI models locally. Nothing leaves your machine, and there is no subscription.
- Install Ollama — download it from ollama.com and install it (Windows, macOS or Linux).
- Download a model — open a terminal and run
ollama pull llama3.2(small and fast). You can also tryqwen2.5ormistral. - Enable it in ClipLens — open Settings (⚙), check Local AI (Ollama), click Detect, and choose your model.
That's it — the AI buttons now work, 100% free and offline. Just make sure Ollama is running when you use them.
Multi-Select & Merge
Click the checkmark icon in the header to enter multi-select mode. Select multiple clips, then:
- Merge — combine selected text clips into one and copy it
- Export — export selected clips as JSON
- Delete — batch-delete selected clips
Export
Open the stats panel (chart icon in the header) to see your clipboard analytics and export buttons:
- Export All (JSON) — full clipboard history as a JSON file
- Export All (CSV) — spreadsheet-compatible format
Settings
Keyboard Shortcuts
Change the shortcut to open ClipLens in Settings (⚙). Choose a preset or record a custom shortcut:
Right-click menu
Right-click any clip for additional actions:
- Copy / Copy as plain text
- Show QR Code
- UPPERCASE / lowercase / Title Case / Trim / Reverse
- Pin / Unpin
- Delete
Auto-Clean
ClipLens can automatically delete old clips to save space. Set this in Settings:
Pinned clips are never deleted, regardless of the auto-clean setting. The default is 7 days.
Security & Privacy
Sensitive data blocked
Passwords, credit cards, API keys, private keys, SSNs, JWT tokens, and crypto seed phrases are detected and never stored.
100% local storage
All clipboard data stays on your machine. Nothing is sent to any server unless you explicitly use an AI feature.
AI privacy filter
When using AI Search, sensitive clips are automatically filtered out before sending to the AI service.
Protected database
The clipboard database is stored in your user folder with restricted permissions — only your Windows account can access it.
App lock
Set a password (6+ characters) to lock ClipLens. While locked, your history stays hidden and writes are paused, with brute-force throttling on failed attempts. Unlock with the lock icon in the header.
Security hardened
Content Security Policy, sandboxed renderer, input validation on all IPC channels, and no inline script execution.
Audited
ClipLens has undergone 3 rounds of security audits with 18 vulnerabilities identified and fixed.
Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my clipboard data stored?
In a SQLite database at %APPDATA%\cliplens\cliplens.db. This is your user's AppData folder — only your Windows account can access it.
Does ClipLens send my data anywhere?
No. All data stays on your machine. The only time data leaves your computer is when you explicitly use an AI feature (AI Search, AI Explain, AI Translate) — and even then, sensitive clips are filtered out before sending.
Why didn't my password get saved?
By design. ClipLens detects passwords, credit cards, API keys, tokens, and other sensitive data and blocks them from being stored. You'll see an orange notification "Password blocked" when this happens.
How do I lock ClipLens with a password?
Click the lock icon in the header and set a password of at least 6 characters. Once a password is set, ClipLens locks behind it — your history is hidden and no new clips are saved until you unlock. Repeated wrong attempts are throttled to prevent brute-forcing.
Can I tag or favorite specific clips?
Yes. Right-click a clip (or use its tag action) to add your own tags, then click any tag chip to filter the list by that tag. The Most copied filter also surfaces the clips you reuse most often.
Can I use ClipLens without Pro?
Yes! The free version includes clipboard history, auto-categorization, Clip Lens (colors, math, JSON, URLs), text search, pinning, quick-paste, and keyboard navigation. Pro adds AI features, export, and multi-select.
What happens if I cancel my Pro subscription?
ClipLens reverts to the free version. Your clipboard history and pinned clips remain — you just lose access to AI and Pro features. You can re-subscribe anytime to restore them.
Does ClipLens slow down my computer?
No. ClipLens uses less than 50MB of RAM and polls the clipboard every 500ms — this has zero noticeable impact on performance.
Can I change the keyboard shortcut?
Yes. Go to Settings (⚙) and choose from preset shortcuts or record your own custom combination.
Does it work with images?
Yes. Screenshots and copied images under 500KB are saved with a thumbnail preview. Larger images are skipped to keep the database small.
Troubleshooting
ClipLens doesn't appear when I press the shortcut
Another app may be using the same shortcut. Go to Settings and change your shortcut to a different combination (try Ctrl+Shift+C or F9).
Clip Lens popup is annoying
Click the eye icon in the ClipLens header to toggle Clip Lens off. You can also disable it in Settings.
AI features return an error
Make sure you have an active Pro subscription and your license key is entered in Settings. If the error persists, check your internet connection — AI requires a connection to our servers.
Storage keeps growing
Set Auto-Clean to "7 days" or shorter in Settings. You can also click "Clear All History" to delete all non-pinned clips immediately.
Video Tutorial
ClipLens in 2 minutes
Video coming soon