How Clipcroft Works

Clipcroft connects your browsers to each other. Text and files travel browser-to-browser — your content is never stored or logged on our servers.

Three steps to share anything

Browser-to-browser — not server-to-browser

Most clipboard and file-sharing tools work the same way: your device uploads content to a server, the server stores it, and your other device downloads it from the server. Your files sit on someone else's infrastructure, sometimes for days.

Clipcroft works differently. When both devices are on the same clipboard, the browsers establish a peer-to-peer connection using WebRTC — the same technology that powers video calls in Google Meet and browser-based games. Your files travel over that browser-to-browser connection. Text takes a lighter path — it syncs in real time through our server, which relays each message to your other device.

What stays on our servers

Clipcroft's servers help your browsers find each other — the initial signaling for the peer-to-peer file connection — and relay your text messages in real time. Files travel over the connection between the two browsers; if they can't connect directly, the encrypted file stream is relayed through one of our servers, which never stores or reads it. For text, our servers pass each message straight through to your other device.

Our servers do not store: your text content, your files, your clipboard history, or any metadata about what you shared. A shared clipboard exists only while at least one browser has it open. When the last tab closes, the session ends.

What the clipboard name is — and isn't

The clipboard name (like "coolfox07" or "my-laptop") is a shared session key, not a user account — it's simply how your devices, or anyone you share the name with, land on the same clipboard. There's no account behind it. Set an optional password when you create the clipboard to add end-to-end encryption — everything is then encrypted before it leaves your browser, so the name alone won't open it.

What you can share

Browser and device support

Clipcroft runs in any modern browser that supports WebRTC: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on iOS 15.4 or later. No app to install, no extension required. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS.

All transfers require both devices to be online at the same time — a deliberate privacy choice. The only way to deliver to an offline device is to hold your content on a server until it reconnects; Clipcroft has no such drop-box. Text and files are stored locally in your browser, so they persist between sessions on the same device even after the tab is closed.

Frequently asked questions

Privacy & data

Is my data stored on a server?

No. Text and files travel between devices and are not stored on any server — nothing is written to any database.

Do I need to create an account?

No. No registration, no email, no account password. Open the website, choose a clipboard name, and start sharing.

Can I password-protect a clipboard?

Yes. When you create a clipboard you can set an optional password. The encryption key is derived locally in your browser — everything is encrypted before it leaves your device, and we never see the password or the unencrypted content.

How do I share a password-protected clipboard?

Share the clipboard name as you would for any clipboard, and give the other person the password through a separate channel — in person, by SMS, or however you prefer. They open the same name and enter the password; nothing decrypts without it.

Is Clipcroft a private online clipboard?

Yes. Clipcroft is a private online clipboard with an optional password — when you set one it becomes an encrypted clipboard online, with AES-GCM encryption keyed from a PBKDF2-derived secret that never leaves your browser. Without a password, files still travel browser-to-browser via WebRTC and are not stored on our servers; with a password, even the small text messages relayed through the server are end-to-end encrypted, and the items kept in the browser's local storage are also encrypted at rest. See our guide to using Clipcroft as an online clipboard with a password for the full walk-through.

Does Clipcroft auto-lock if I leave it open?

Yes, for password-protected clipboards. Clipcroft has an AutoForget feature: after a configurable idle window — set in Settings — the clipboard automatically locks itself and forgets the decryption key. To read the items again, you re-enter the password. AutoForget defers if a transfer is in flight (so it never interrupts a running upload) and the idle window restarts whenever a transfer ends. Useful for shared laptops, work devices, or anywhere you don't want a sensitive clipboard sitting unlocked while you step away.

Using Clipcroft

Is Clipcroft free?

Yes — text sharing and file transfers are free with no per-file size cap, no per-day cap, and no per-month cap. The model is ad-supported.

Can I paste a screenshot directly?

Yes. Copy any image and paste it into the clipboard area — it appears as a file with a timestamped name like "Pasted image — Apr 24 at 14.30.png". Works for screenshots, web images, and copied files.

Does my clipboard survive a reload?

Yes. Text and files are stored locally in your browser, so they persist across page reloads. Items are automatically cleared after 7 days, and you can change the retention window — or clear everything manually — from Settings.

How do I save files I receive?

Click Save on any file to save it to your device. The more-options menu on each file offers copy, share, and other actions. To save several at once, open the sidebar's Export content option — you can save all your files to your device, or download them together as a single ZIP.

What if a transfer drops mid-way?

It resumes automatically as soon as the connection is back. Whatever has already arrived is kept in your browser, so the transfer picks up exactly where it stopped — nothing is re-sent from the start.

Can I transfer many files at once?

Yes. Drop any number of files and they go into a transfer queue. The queue shows live per-file status (Queued, Preparing, Connecting, Transferring, Retrying, Completed, Failed, or Canceled). You can cancel any single file without affecting the rest of the queue, and you can retry a failed file without re-selecting it. If the connection drops mid-queue, transfers auto-resume from the last received byte and the queue keeps moving. Many other browser-based file-transfer tools only handle one file at a time, or bundle multiple files into a single all-or-nothing transfer.

Can more than two devices join the same clipboard?

Yes. Up to 20 devices can join the same clipboard and send or receive in real time. Items synchronise live across all of them, including deletions.

If I delete an item, does it disappear on the other device?

Yes. Deleting an item — or clearing the clipboard — removes it from every connected device in real time.

Why does my phone ask to keep the screen awake?

On mobile, the screen-lock can interrupt a large transfer. We ask once before keeping your screen awake, remember your choice, and only do it while a transfer is active.

Does it work on iPhone?

Yes. Works in Safari on iOS 15.4 or later, and in Chrome or Firefox on iOS. No app install needed.

Can I transfer files between iPhone and Windows?

Yes. Any browser on any OS combination works. Open clipcroft.com on both devices, use the same clipboard name, and they connect.