Clipboard is a very useful feature in all the operating systems including Windows. You can copy any type of data – text, pictures, files etc inside the clipboard temporarily before pasting them in a desired destination. It makes using Windows convenient and saves lots of time. But clipboard can also be used to spy on your activity, for example, if you copy sensitive information such as passwords or private files then a malicious program or a potential hacker can easily access it.
For protecting your privacy and ensuring the safety of your personal information, you should erase the clipboard data from time to time. And you do not have to do it manually, you can use a free program called “Clipboard Auto-Clear” to automatically clear the clipboard every few seconds. It counts the PC idle time only which means it will clear the clipboard only when it does not see any input (from keyboard, mouse or touchpad etc) for a preset number of seconds.
After the installation, Clipboard Auto-Clear sits in the notification area of Windows desktop. It displays two types of icons. A big yellow C without any strikeout line is displayed when your Windows clipboard is not empty, that is, it contains some data that you might have copied earlier. The same icon but with a red strikeout line is displayed after it has cleared the clipboard contents and the clipboard is empty.
If you click on the notification area icon, you will see options for Clipboard Auto-Clear. In the options, you can set the computer idle time duration after which the clipboard contents are erased. You can select from 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds and 20 seconds. There are also options for making it auto-start with Windows.
It would have been better if the program offered a custom computer idle time duration to be set, for example, 1 minute or 10 minutes. Another desired feature to backup the last few clipboard contents is also missing – so if it clears some really important clipboard data, there is no way to recover it.
You can download Clipboard Auto-Clear from http://m8software.com/clipboards/clipclear/clipclear.htm.