Clipboard Bridge / Windows and iPhone

Share your clipboard between Windows and iPhone

Copy a link on your PC and paste it on iPhone. Send a photo or document back to Windows. Clipboard Bridge connects the devices through your own network, without an iCloud account or a separate server.

On iPhone, keep both actions in Control Center. Swipe down, tap Send or Receive, and carry on. You can also send a photo, file or selected content directly from another app's Share menu.

Get the apps and ShortcutsSet it up
Updated 15 October 2026 · Free and open source

Start with the Windows PC you already have

You need a Windows PC, an iPhone or iPad with Apple's Shortcuts app, and a trusted network that lets the devices reach each other.

  1. Download Clipboard Bridge for Windows. Choose x64 for most Intel/AMD PCs, or ARM64 for Windows 11 ARM devices. Installer and portable editions have the same sharing features.
  2. Open the app. Right-click its system tray icon, open Settings > General, select Server mode and save.
  3. Copy the server address shown in the tray menu. Allow access through the Windows firewall on your trusted private network. Keep the PC and app running.
  4. On iPhone, import Load Clipboard and Download Clipboard. In each Shortcut, edit Get Contents of URL to use your host address and the appropriate path below.
Send:    POST http://YOUR_HOST:5088/clipboard
Receive: GET  http://YOUR_HOST:5088/clipboard/latest/raw

YOUR_HOST means the address shown by your Windows app, not that literal text. Do not enter localhost or 127.0.0.1 on the phone. Start with accounts and tokens empty unless your chosen standalone server requires them.

Windows Server mode has no browser interface. For an always-on host, a web page and separate optional accounts, use the standalone Docker server instead. Both choices use the same two basic Shortcut endpoints.

Send and receive without opening the Shortcuts app

Add both actions to Control Center

Apple screenshot: Control Center in edit mode, with Add a Control at the bottom
1. Add a ControlOpen Control Center and tap the + button.
Apple screenshot: the Control Center gallery where you can find a control
2. Find ShortcutSearch the gallery, then add the Shortcut control.

3. Tap Choose. Select Load Clipboard for Send. Add a second control and select Download Clipboard for Receive. Apple's Shortcut instructions.

Official iOS 26 examples, © Apple, loaded from Apple's website. They do not show Clipboard Bridge configured; appearance varies by iOS version. Clipboard Bridge is an independent project.

Send directly from the Share Sheet

Open the Send Shortcut's details in Shortcuts and enable Show in Share Sheet. When another app offers a photo, document or other supported input, tap Share > Load Clipboard. The Send Shortcut must use its Shortcut Input when present, and fall back to the clipboard otherwise: follow the Share Sheet and file recipe.

Share menu, Home Screen and other useful tips
Send without copying first
In the Send Shortcut's details, enable Show in Share Sheet. Then select a photo, file or link in another app and use Share > Load Clipboard. The Shortcut must use Shortcut Input when present: follow the input and multi-file recipe. Apple's Share Sheet guide.
Prefer an icon on your Home Screen?
Open the Shortcut's details and choose Add to Home Screen. Repeat for Receive. Apple's Home Screen guide.
Cannot find the Shortcut?
Import and configure it first. Control Center uses the Shortcut control, not a separate Clipboard Bridge app control. In Share, scroll down; if the action is missing, check Show in Share Sheet and the accepted input types.
Test once before using it every day
Keep the host awake and use the same trusted network or private VPN. Send a short message and receive it on the other device. Allow local-network access if iOS asks.

These are quick, user-triggered actions, not continuous iOS background synchronization. You do not need to reopen the Shortcuts editor for each transfer.

Copy and paste in either direction

Windows to iPhone

  1. Copy text on Windows and choose Send clipboard, or use your configured Send hotkey.
  2. On iPhone, tap Download Clipboard in Control Center.
  3. Paste into Notes, Messages or the app where you need the text.

iPhone to Windows

  1. Copy text on iPhone and run Load Clipboard from Control Center.
  2. Choose Receive latest on Windows, or enable automatic receiving in Settings.
  3. Paste normally. Optional incoming-text and file notifications can be configured separately.

Copied formatted text becomes plain Unicode text, retaining emoji, accents and line breaks rather than fonts and colours. The newest upload wins, whether it is text, an image or a document.

Clipboard Bridge Windows history with sample text, files and a PDF preview
The real Windows History window with sample data. Open it by left-clicking the tray icon, or use the configurable History hotkey.

Share photos, PDFs and groups of files

Use the iPhone Share Sheet to send photos or documents. On Windows, copy files in File Explorer and send the clipboard, or use Send a file. Original documents keep their contents; an actual RTF file is not converted to plain text.

Windows saves received files to Downloads\Clipboard Bridge and places them on its clipboard. Not every destination app accepts a pasted file: use that app's file picker or open the download when needed.

Several selected files can stay in one history entry. On Apple devices, follow the multi-file Shortcut recipe to package a group and extract it on receipt. The downloadable signed Shortcuts are a starting point; they have not been updated to include every advanced recipe.

What about iCloud, automatic sync and using it away from home?

Apple's built-in Universal Clipboard connects supported Apple devices. Clipboard Bridge offers a separate workflow for Windows, Android and Apple devices; it does not extend Apple's Handoff service or require the same Apple Account.

Windows can send and receive automatically while running. On iPhone, run the two Shortcuts from Control Center or the Send action from Share. There is no native iOS client or always-on background clipboard watcher.

On a trusted local network, no VPN is required. Away from home or on untrusted Wi-Fi, we recommend Tailscale. Connect it on your phone and host, then use the host's Tailscale address in both Shortcuts. This works with Windows Server mode or a Docker host; another private VPN can work too. For optional subnet routing to keep a home-network address, follow the network guide.

Do not expose port 5088 publicly. Accounts and tokens are optional. When used in URLs they are readable, and plain HTTP does not encrypt clipboard data or credentials. Keep the service on a trusted network or private VPN.

If a transfer does not arrive

  • Connection: keep the host awake, check its address and private-network firewall permissions, and avoid guest Wi-Fi isolation.
  • Wrong history: use the same host and account on every device. If using optional standalone-server accounts, add the same ?user=NAME&password=PASSWORD to both Shortcut URLs, with values URL-encoded. The account tutorial explains general versus named spaces.
  • Share item missing: enable Show in Share Sheet and check the Shortcut Input configuration, not only its clipboard action.

Continue with the complete setup tutorial, or read about sharing a clipboard between Apple and Android devices.