Device guides · 2026
Share Clipboard Between Linux and Windows
“Linux and Windows” means three different setups, and each has a different answer. Two physical machines need a network tool or a sync app. A virtual machine needs its guest tools. WSL already shares the clipboard if you know the commands. Here is each one.
Your options
For two separate machines
What each one needs, and where each falls short. Our own card has a catch too.
Input Leap (or Barrier)
Computers side by side on one desk
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Windows · macOS · Linux
Shares one keyboard and mouse across computers on your network, and the clipboard comes along: copy on one screen, move the pointer over, paste on the other.
The catch: Only while the machines are on the same network and connected. One computer acts as the server. Clipboard sharing does not work yet on Linux under Wayland, and there is no history.
CopyQ
Desktop power users who script their tools
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Linux · Windows · macOS
A scriptable clipboard history on the desktop. It can sync a tab with a folder you keep in Dropbox or on a network share.
The catch: No phone app, so it does not move text from your phone at all. Pair it with something else for that.
Pasteable vs CopyQPasteable
We make this oneMachines apart, or a history on both
- Price
- Free · Pro $6/mo or $60/yr · $80 founder lifetime
- Runs on
- Mac · Windows · Linux · Android · Web (iPhone app in App Store review)
Install it on each computer and sign in with the same account. Copy as usual: the clip lands in your history on the other machines, end-to-end encrypted, and Ctrl+Shift+V (⌘+Shift+V on a Mac) pastes it.
The catch: Sync needs an account and an internet connection. Free syncs your 25 most recent clips; Pro syncs up to 10,000. It shares your clipboard history, not your keyboard and mouse.
With Pasteable
Linux to Windows with Pasteable
- 1
Install on Linux
Download Pasteable for Linux (64-bit), sign in, and turn on sync.
- 2
Install on Windows
Download Pasteable for Windows (Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit), sign in, and turn on sync. Use the same account on both.
- 3
Copy as usual
Text, rich text, links, images, files, and code go into your history and sync, end-to-end encrypted.
- 4
Paste on the other one
Press Ctrl+Shift+V to open your history there, pick the clip, and paste.
Windows to Linux
- 1
Copy on Windows
Copy as usual. Text, images, files, and code all sync.
- 2
Paste on Linux
Press Ctrl+Shift+V to open your history and paste into the app or terminal you are in.
v3.2.25
Pasteable for Android is on Google Play. The iPhone app is in App Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live, or use the web app on your iPhone today.
Good to know
Details for Linux PC and Windows PC
WSL: copy to Windows
WSL can run Windows programs, so piping output to clip.exe puts it on the Windows clipboard (plain text; non-English characters can come out garbled):
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | clip.exeWSL: paste from Windows
Read the Windows clipboard from a WSL shell through PowerShell:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command Get-ClipboardA VirtualBox VM
Install Guest Additions in the guest, then set Devices → Shared Clipboard → Bidirectional. VMware and Hyper-V have their own guest tools for the same thing.
FAQ
Common questions
Does Input Leap work on Wayland?+
Not fully: Input Leap’s clipboard sharing does not support Linux under Wayland yet. On an X11 session it shares the clipboard between Linux and Windows.
Can CopyQ sync between Linux and Windows?+
CopyQ runs on both and can sync a tab with a folder. Put the folder in a shared cloud drive and both machines see that tab. It is free, and only as private as that drive.
Does KDE Connect share the clipboard between Linux and Windows?+
KDE Connect is built to pair a phone with a computer. For two computers, Input Leap or a sync tool is the more direct route.
Does Pasteable work in a Linux terminal?+
Pasteable keeps what you copy from the terminal like any other app, and Ctrl+Shift+V opens your history so you can paste a command or a key.
Is it free?+
Input Leap, CopyQ, and the WSL and VM tools are free. Pasteable is free to start with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips and files up to 1 GB; Pro syncs up to 10,000 clips and files up to 5 GB for $6/month, $60/year, or a one-time Lifetime licence ($80 founder price for the first 100 buyers, then $100).
Keep reading
Related guides and comparisons
Your clipboard, on every device
Free on Mac, Windows, and Linux, with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips. Your phone can join later.
v3.2.25
Pasteable for Android is on Google Play. The iPhone app is in App Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live, or use the web app on your iPhone today.
On your phone? Open the web app