Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police

One of the biggest reasons I haven’t switched to the iPhone is because of Android’s superior customization features. You can make your Android skin look however you like.

But Android’s greatness isn’t limited only to visual tweaks. Android is more functional and easier to use than any other mobile operating system that has ever existed.

I’m particularly impressed with how Android nails the basics — or maybe it does things so well that they feel like basics.

I haven’t counted how many Android features make me wonder whether it’s the basics done right or a clever solution disguised as simplicity. But some of the keyboard features certainly fall into that category.

I particularly rave about a wildly useful Android keyboard shortcut that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves: Clipboard manager.

I use the Clipboard manager shortcut daily to speed up my work, and here is how.

What’s Android’s Clipboard manager, and why do I love it?

A digital clipboard can store a range of content, from text documents to images. It doesn’t do that on its own. It stores that information only when you cut or copy a piece of content using a supported keyboard app.

That’s the basic definition of a clipboard, and you’ll find it across all the popular operating systems.

But Android is not only about nailing the basics but also about making it easier for users to solve complex problems. This is why Android doesn’t have just a clipboard; instead, it has a Clipboard manager.

The benefit of having a Clipboard manager is that you can store different types of content and manage them at your convenience.

Android does it efficiently and better than any other mobile operating system, including iOS. I have to mention Apple’s operating system because iOS’s built-in clipboard stores only the most recent item you cut or copied.

This is one major reason my iPhone 16e hasn’t replaced the Galaxy S21 as my primary phone. Android’s Clipboard manager allows me to copy items in bulk and paste them later.

I use this feature every day on my Samsung Galaxy S21 and Motorola Edge 50 Neo to copy and paste repeated text, links, images, and screenshots.

Of all these features, being able to store images and screenshots in the Clipboard Manager is my favorite. This way, I avoid cluttering my gallery with temporary images and don’t have to remember to delete them later.

On most Android keyboards, copied items are stored and stay in the Clipboard manager for an hour. It automatically deletes whatever you’ve copied into the Clipboard manager after that.

Pinned items are exceptions, and you’ll have to delete them manually.

Overall, Android’s Clipboard manager is loaded with features, but the best part is that it’s still easy to use.

How to use the Clipboard manager in Android keyboard apps

This isn’t turned on by default on Android keyboard apps. You need to enable the feature from the keyboard app you use.

The Clipboard manager isn’t buried under the settings. You can access it right from the keyboard interface of popular apps like Gboard and SwiftKey.

On SwiftKey, the shortcut to the Clipboard manager is available in the toolbar, which appears at the top of the keyboard when you tap the down arrow option.

If you use Gboard, the Clipboard manager is available under the four-square menu, which appears in the upper-left corner of the keyboard interface. Tap it and select Clipboard to enable the feature.

All your copied items will show up in the Clipboard manager if they are not over one hour old. To paste what you’ve copied, go to the Clipboard manager and choose the item you want to copy.

If you don’t want your keyboard app to delete them automatically, long-press the copied item and tap Pin. You can delete or unpin them the same way: long-press the pinned item and tap Delete or Unpin.

You may get additional features, depending on the keyboard app you use. For example, SwiftKey has a feature that allows users to reorder the copied items on the Clipboard manager. This isn’t available on Gboard.

The best Android keyboard is subjective, so choose what works for you

Android allows developers to do more with their apps, and consequently, offers more features to users. This is why you’ll see many Android apps outperforming their iOS counterparts by a mile.

This is also for within the Android operating system. Apps in the same category can vary significantly in the number of features they offer. Keyboard apps on Android are no different.

This is a strong enough case for why you shouldn’t run after the mythical best keyboard apps on Android. You should always ask this: best for whom?

I need the Clipboard manager to do my job more efficiently, but that doesn’t mean everyone else needs to use it. Your priorities may lie somewhere else, and the trick is to find it and then look for the app that does it best.

However, if you need a bit of everything, you can’t go wrong with any of our recommended top-quality Android keyboard apps.