Windows only: Free clipboard utility xNeat Clipboard Manager is a lightweight, agile utility for those who do their fair share of text wrangling. Much like other clipboard managers, including ControlC and ClipX, xNeat can track all your copied text, folders, and files, and allow you to call them up again with a keyboard shortcut. xNeat's unique features are allowing you to make certain copies "sticky," so they're always available for quick pasting, and utilising Google to both search and translate copied terms. The big drawback is a lack of image handling, available in similar products, but for those shuffling around a good deal of text, xNeat draws a tiny amount of memory for a helpful function. xNeat Clipboard Manager is a free download for Windows systems only.

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As anyone who works in an industry that uses Microsoft Office exclusively can tell you, there are certain Office annoyances that grate on your nerves over time. For me, one of the biggest Office annoyances is the Clipboard bar that decides to dock itself to the side of whichever Office application I had the misfortune of using Ctrl+C in.

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Mac OS X only: You already know you can select text in any application on your Mac and drag it to the Desktop to create an instant file with its contents in it. The MacTipper Blog takes saving text snippets to the next level with the Clipper service, which sends text to a file saved in a "Notes" folder in your home directory. Download Clipper and save it to ~/Library/Services/ (you may need to create that directory, I did), and log out and back into your Mac. Then, from any Cocoa application, you can select Clipper from the Services menu to save selected text to Spotlight-friendly, dated plain text file. This method is slightly better than the drag-and-drop approach because you can assign a keyboard shortcut to it; but it does not work with Firefox (Clipper is grayed out), which is a huge bummer. Clipper is a free download for Mac only.

If you use multiple computer systems throughout the day and want an easy way to share your clipboard between them, you've got several options. The Web Worker Daily blog runs down seven applications and webapps that range from free to $US35, across operating systems, too. One of our favourites which didn't make the list is cl1p.net, which is now iPhone and iPod touch-ready. For more clipboard shenanigans, check out our Top 10 Clipboard Tricks.

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Windows only: Copy and move files from across your system with Piky Basket, a free Windows utility that runs as an Explorer right-click extension. The basic use is a "basket" where you compile a range of files from different locations and folders through right-clicking. Head to where you want to paste or move those files, and Piky dumps them all. You can also copy all the file paths from your basket contents to the clipboard for use in other utilities, and a bonus feature lets you open a command line window pointed at any location. It's a low-key app that does (mostly) one function well, and all the better for it. Piky Basket is a free download for Windows sysytems only.

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Windows/Mac/Linux: Freeware application ControlC saves and uploads your clipboard history to the ControlC web site, giving you a 5-day history of all your clipboard data. ControlC recognize URLs, images on the web (displaying the image in the history), in addition to any text you copy. It does not recognize or upload copied files; instead, it will upload the name of the file you copied. You can use ControlC for anything from a bookmarking tool (it does offer social aspects and selectively making clipboard data public) to a clipboard backup tool that persists even after you shutdown your computer. A free account gives you a 5-day history, while a premium account is unlimited. The site is currently in closed beta, but the "beta4040" code will let anyone register. ControlC is free to use, works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. For desktop-based clipboard managers, check out Ditto, Jumpcut, or DDM.

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Windows only: Free clipboard utility Clipdiary doesn't have all the bells and whistles (like cross-computer syncing) of managers like Ditto, but for simply keeping a list of all your Ctrl+C action, it's a handy, lightweight application to keep in your taskbar. Clipdiary tracks the images, rich text, and even pictures placed in the Windows clipboard, tells you where they came from, and can easily "attach" and "detach" itself from monitoring for privacy concerns. By default, Clipdiary tracks up to the 3000 last items you've copied, so you'll likely want to change that in the options dialogue. For those handy with databases, Clipdiary keeps its records in an SQL file, possibly offering some cross-platform productivity potentials. Clipdiary is a free download for Windows systems only. For more clipboard ninja training, take a look through our Top 10 clipboard tricks.

Windows only: Manage multiple items in your clipboard, including text and images, with donationware application ClipX, a clipboard manager that sits in your tray and stores everything you copy. ClipX keeps track of hundreds of items that can be easily retrieved with just a few hotkeys, all of which are customisable. Once you press your desired hotkey combination, your stored items are displayed, and you can then choose whatever you want pasted into any application that you have open. If you're editing a document and need to copy and paste often, ClipX should make clipboard management a whole lot easier. ClipX is donationware, Windows only. Thanks, Jesse!

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Windows only: Copy and paste text and files between computers on your Local Area Network (LAN) with free, open source application BeyondCopy. Just set up BeyondCopy on every Windows computer you'd like to use it with (it can handle several) by installing the utility and entering in the hostname of each computer you want to share with. Once each computer is set up, BeyondCopy automatically syncs your clipboard between computers each time you copy something, including text and files; you can then paste the same clipboard contents on any connected computer. We've highlighted how to share your clipboard and mouse with Synergy in the past, but if you don't want the mouse sharing or you need file copy sharing, BeyondCopy looks like an excellent solution. BeyondCopy is free, Windows only.

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