How to Use Google Chrome Clipboard Sharing With Android

Clipboard sharing between Chrome on desktop and Android is a beta feature, also known as a flag or experimental functionality. It takes a few steps to enable, and you have to do it on every device you want to share the clipboard, but then you can copy and paste with a few clicks or taps. Here's how to enable and use Chrome clipboard sharing. 

How to Enable a Shared Clipboard on Chrome

Chrome flags are experimental features for the browser that enhance your browsing experience. Be warned that flags can cause data loss and security issues, plus they can disappear at any time. Some of the best chrome flags eventually turn into full-fledged features. Chrome flags are available for every user, but you must enable them one-by-one.

1. In the Chrome browser, open a new tab, and type or paste Chrome://flags into Chrome's Omnibox. 

2. Press Enter, then search for Clipboard in the search box.

3. The search will generate a few flags, all of which must be enabled for the feature to work correctly. On a Windows desktop you'll see:

   • Enable receiver device to handle shared clipboard feature
   • Enable shared clipboard feature signals to be handled
   • Enables the remote copy feature to receive messages
   • Raw Clipboard

   These options might change; some could be removed or more could be added at any time.

4. Click Default next to each one and select Enable.

5. Click Relaunch to restart the Chrome browser and save your changes.

How to Enable a Shared Clipboard on Android

The process is almost identical on Android, though the flags are different.

1. Again, open a Chrome tab, and type or paste Chrome://flags into the Omnibox.

2. Tap the Enter key and search for Clipboard.

3. You will see two flags in the results. Tap Default next to the following:

   • Enable receiver device to handle shared clipboard feature
   • Enable shared clipboard feature signals to be handled

4. Select Enable on each flag.

5. Tap Relaunch to restart the browser.

How to Use the Shared Clipboard

Once you've set up all your devices, the shared clipboard feature is easy to use. It's especially handy for copying long URLs and anything else you don't feel like typing.

1. From your desktop or Android device, highlight text and right-click. Select Copy to .

   If you don't see your device in the right-click menu, check that it's running the latest version of Chrome, with the above flags enabled. Also, verify that each device is signed in to the same Google account.

2. That device will get a notification with the copied text, which automatically copies to your clipboard.

3. Tap and hold to paste the text.

How to Check Your Chrome Version

You can check which version of Chrome you're running and whether you have an update waiting with a few clicks on a desktop computer.

1. Open a Chrome browser tab.

2. Click the More menu (three vertical dots).

3. Select Help > About Google Chrome. You can see your Chrome version on this page. The screen will either say that you're up to date or that an update is available. If it's latter, go ahead and update Chrome.

How to Check for Chrome Updates on Android

On Android, the process of checking for updates is a bit different but just as easy.

1. Open the Google Play Store app.

2. Tap the hamburger menu on the top left.

3. Tap My apps & games. Any apps that need an update will appear in the Updates pending section.

4. Tap Update next to Chrome if it's there; otherwise, you're up to date.