3 Ways to Disable Clipboard Sync Across Devices on Windows 10/11

By Michael | Last Updated January 03, 2024

The clipboard, an area of memory, is a very useful tool built into Windows 10 & 11 that makes it possible to pass and share information between various applications. By default, the clipboard synchronization function is turned off. However, when you enable the sync across devices function, it will automatically sync all the text and pictures you have copied.

To prevent any user on your PC from enabling this feature and accidentally syncing potentially sensitive data such as passwords, photos, etc. to Microsoft's servers, you can disable this feature entirely. This tutorial will teach you 3 ways to disable clipboard sync across devices on Windows 10 & 11.

Way 1: Disable clipboard sync across devices via Windows settings
Way 2: Disable clipboard sync across devices via registry editor
Way 3: Disable clipboard sync across devices via local group policy editor

3 ways to disable clipboard sync across devices on windows 10 11

Way 1: Disable clipboard sync across devices via Windows settings

Step 1: Press Windows+I simultaneously to open Windows Settings, find and click on System.

Step 2: Click the Clipboard in the left pane, find the Sync across devices option in the right pane, and click the Off button.

turn off sync cross devices

Way 2: Disable clipboard sync across devices via registry editor

Step 1: Press Windows+R at the same time to open the Run dialog box, type regedit and click OK to open the registry editor.

type regedit

Step 2: Locate the following path in the registry. Right-click on the System key in the left window and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

create a new value

Step 3: Rename the value as AllowCrossDeviceClipboard. Double-click to open it and set the value data to 0. Click OK to complete the changes. Then close the registry editor. You don't need to reboot your PC for these changes to kick in. If you want to enable sync across devices for the clipboard, you can simply set this value to 1 or remove it totally.

set value data to 0

Way 3: Disable clipboard sync across devices via local group policy editor

Step 1: Use the Windows+R keys to open the Run dialog box, type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

type gpedit msc

Step 2: In the Group Policy Editor, position the following location in the left pane: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > OS Policies. Then find the Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices in the right pane and double-click to open it.

open clipboard sync across devices

Step 3: Turn the Allow Clipboard synchronization across devices option to Disabled and click the OK button to finish the settings. You do not need to reboot your PC, the change will kick in immediately. If you change your mind, and would like to enable the Clipboard synchronization across devices, just click on the Not Configured or Enabled button.

click disabled