3 Windows 11 Tools to Save Time: Clipboard History, WinGet and Folder Junctions

MakeUseOf writer Shimul Sood highlights these features as everyday workflow improvements. The useful lesson is not that everyone needs to become a command-line enthusiast. It is that a few well-chosen tools can reduce friction, provided you understand what each one actually does.

Here is how to use them, where their limits matter, and why the storage trick deserves more caution than the clipboard shortcut.

1. Clipboard History: stop copying the same thing twice​

Clipboard History gives you a selection of previously copied content instead of limiting you to the latest item. Microsoft specifies a maximum of 25 entries, supporting text, HTML, and bitmap formats, with a 4 MB limit per item. It is a convenient working buffer, not a complete archive of everything copied on your PC.

Enable it and check that it works​

1. Press Windows + V.
2. Select Turn on if prompted.
3. Copy two short pieces of text.
4. Place the cursor in a document, press Windows + V, and select an earlier entry to paste it.

Pin frequently reused entries to keep them through restarts. Unpinned history is cleared when the PC restarts, and older unpinned entries are displaced as the history fills. If an item is missing, check its format and size before assuming the feature is broken.

For cleanup, open the panel and use an entry’s See more (…) > Delete option. Clear all leaves pinned entries intact, so remember to remove those separately when necessary.

Treat cloud synchronization as a separate decision​

Under Settings > System > Clipboard, Windows offers cross-device clipboard synchronization using the same Microsoft or work account. Automatic and manual text synchronization are available. My practical recommendation is to choose manual synchronization when you want tighter control over what leaves the device.

Microsoft also documents copied-text synchronization with SwiftKey on Android. In SwiftKey, open Rich input > Clipboard and enable cloud clipboard synchronization. This requires the same personal Microsoft account; the SwiftKey documentation excludes work accounts and iOS. It also says the cloud clipboard retains only the latest copied clip for one hour—not the PC’s entire 25-entry history.

One useful shortcut distinction: Windows + V opens Clipboard History, while Windows + period (.) opens the emoji panel, whose categories include GIFs, kaomoji, symbols, and clipboard history. They are related input tools, but remembering the dedicated shortcuts avoids unnecessary navigation.

Bottom line: Start here if you want a low-effort improvement. As a privacy precaution, avoid pinning passwords, recovery codes, or confidential material.

2. WinGet: review apps before removing them​

Windows Terminal and WinGet are not the same thing. Terminal provides a place to run shells; WinGet is the Windows Package Manager command-line tool. Microsoft distributes it through App Installer on Windows 11, and it can run from Command Prompt or PowerShell without requiring Terminal.

That distinction matters when troubleshooting: installing or opening Terminal alone does not establish that WinGet is available.

Start with an inventory​

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

winget list

Microsoft says this lists detected installed applications, including software installed through methods other than WinGet. It can also display available updates. Use the output to identify an application—not as a declaration that every listed item is unnecessary or removable.

Remove one clearly identified application​

The basic command is:

winget uninstall "App Name"

Replace App Name with the intended application. If multiple applications match, WinGet asks you to narrow the selection. Microsoft documents both name and ID filters, along with exact matching.

For a more deliberate selection, use the identifier shown in your inventory:

winget uninstall --id "Package.ID.From.List" --exact

The identifier above is a placeholder, not a real package. Replace it with the exact ID from your own results. The --exact option uses exact, case-sensitive matching rather than a substring search.

After the uninstaller completes, run winget list again and review whether the application remains detected. That provides a straightforward follow-up check rather than relying solely on a disappearing progress window.

Common stumbling blocks​

• “winget” is not recognized: Check that App Installer is installed and updated. Microsoft notes that first-login registration can also delay availability.
• Several matches appear: Refine the command with --id, --name, or --exact.
• A Microsoft Store agreement appears: Microsoft explains that source queries can trigger this. Adding --source winget restricts the query to that source and avoids that particular Store prompt.

Bottom line: Use WinGet for precise app management, not indiscriminate “debloating.” My recommendation is to leave unfamiliar drivers, shared components, and company-managed software alone until you understand their purpose.

3. NTFS junctions: move a folder, preserve its old path​

A directory junction lets one directory path lead to another directory. Microsoft documents junctions between different local volumes, making a path on C: point to a directory on D: possible. Junctions are directory links, not individual-file links, and they cannot target mapped network volumes.

For a compatible application, that means its expected path can remain unchanged while its data lives elsewhere. The important qualification is compatible: a filesystem link is not a promise that every installer, updater, or application will accept a relocated folder.

Prepare before changing anything​

For this example, use suitable local NTFS volumes and a non-system folder you control. Back up important data first. As a practical precaution, prefer an application’s own relocation feature when one is available, and do not experiment with Windows system directories.

A cautious sequence is:

1. Close the application and any related launcher or background process.
2. Move the chosen folder from C:\BigFolder to D:\BigFolder.
3. Verify that the destination contains the expected files.
4. Confirm the old path no longer contains the original ordinary directory. Do not delete your only verified copy.
5. Open Command Prompt and create the junction:

mklink /J "C:\BigFolder" "D:\BigFolder"

Microsoft’s documented syntax places the link first and the target second; /J selects a directory junction. In this example, C:\BigFolder becomes the junction, and D:\BigFolder contains the relocated data.

Verify the result—and know when to stop​

Before trusting the arrangement, open the original path and confirm that the expected files are accessible. Then launch the application and test its normal reading and writing operations. These are practical validation steps, not a guarantee of future compatibility.

If creation fails, stop and check the paths, whether the original directory still exists, and whether your account has permission to create the link. Do not respond to an error by repeatedly deleting folders or broadening permissions.

Keep the destination drive available and its path stable. A junction redirects access; it does not supply a second copy when the destination is missing. This follows from Microsoft’s documented link-to-target design.

Bottom line: Junctions can solve a specific storage-layout problem, but they belong in the “back up and test carefully” category—not beside changing your wallpaper.

Choose the tool that matches the problem​

My recommendation is to adopt these in order of complexity: try Clipboard History first, learn WinGet through inventory commands before uninstalling anything, and reserve junctions for a clearly understood relocation task.

The best Windows productivity improvement is not necessarily the most technical one. Sometimes it is simply retrieving yesterday’s pinned text without opening five documents. And sometimes it is knowing that the clever storage trick can wait until the backup finishes.