One clip, many devices
The easiest way to reach several devices is to put the text in one clip and give everyone the same code. The sender pastes the text and saves it. The site shows a 6-digit code, a short link and a QR code. Anyone with the code can open the site on their own device, enter it and copy the text. Because a normal clip can be opened more than once, the code works for as many devices as you need until it expires.
That makes it a good fit for situations such as:
- A teacher giving a class a link, a code snippet or a list of instructions.
- A manager sending a meeting link or a login link to a team during a call.
- A family sharing one set of travel details or a Wi-Fi password with several phones.
- A developer moving one config or command to several test machines.
Step by step
- On your device, open the online clipboard and paste your text.
- Choose how long it should last. 10 minutes or 1 hour suits a lesson or a call, and 1 day or 7 days suits something people will come back to.
- Leave delete after first view switched off, because it would remove the text after the first person opens it.
- Press Save to clipboard. Note the 6-digit code.
- Share the code in the way that suits the group (below).
- Each person opens the site on their own device, selects Receive text, enters the code and copies what they see.
The best ways to give the code to a group
- Show it on a screen. The code is large and easy to read from a distance, which makes it ideal for a classroom or a meeting room. Read it out loud too.
- Show the QR code. Everyone points their phone camera at it and the clip opens, with no typing. This is the fastest method for phones.
- Send the short link. Paste it into the group chat or the video call chat. Anyone who taps it opens the page and the clip.
- Write it on a board. Six digits are easy to copy and to remember for a few minutes.
Remember that anyone who sees the code can open the clip. In a public space, choose a short expiry and avoid putting sensitive text in it.
Keeping it private
- Short expiry: the shorter the life of the clip, the smaller the window for someone who was not meant to see it.
- Password: you can add a password, and the text is encrypted in your browser before it is sent. Tell the group the password separately from the code, ideally out loud, not in the same message.
- Delete after first view: use it for one recipient, not for a group.
- Do not put secrets in group clips: for a Wi-Fi password, see the guide to sharing a Wi-Fi password, and for anything very sensitive use one clip per person.
What to send to a group
Text, links, code, numbers and short instructions work best. If you need to send a photo or a large file, an online clipboard for text is not the right tool; use a shared album, a cloud folder or the sharing feature of your messaging app. Text is quick to send and has the advantage that it can be pasted anywhere, including the command line, a form or a document.
Troubleshooting
- A device says the code was not found. Check each digit. The clip may also have expired; send a new one with a longer life.
- It worked on some devices and not others. Make sure no one used a link or QR code for a clip that you set to delete after the first view.
- People cannot type the code quickly. Show the QR code instead, or send the link.
- The text looks different on another device. The text is the same, but fonts and line wrapping differ between screens.
Tips for teachers and presenters
Prepare the text before the session and save it as a clip with a 1 hour or 1 day expiry, then put the code on the first slide. During the session, create a new clip for each exercise so students always know which code to enter, and read the code twice. Students who miss the lesson can open the same code later while it is still valid. For notes and assignments, see the guide for students using an online clipboard, and to put a link on a classroom screen, see sending links to a smart TV.