I frequently switch between a Windows computer and an Android phone: when I find a piece of text or a screenshot on the computer and want to send it to the phone, the most common method is to paste it into IM software and then copy it on the other end—an operation that should simply be “copy and paste” is forced to go through software as an intermediary, and the copied and pasted content remains in the chat history. Conversely, verification codes and addresses copied on the phone are inconvenient to use on the computer. Worse still, “history cannot be retrieved”: key text copied in the morning is overwritten by the system clipboard by the afternoon, so one can only search for it and copy it again. The system’s built-in clipboard history exists on only one machine, and cross-device use is out of the question.
I have tried clipboard tools on the market; the vast majority are purely standalone. A few that claim synchronization use cloud accounts plus server storage, placing contracts and account passwords on third-party servers, which I am not comfortable with. Therefore, I decided to build my own multi-device clipboard synchronization tool: devices on the same local network connect directly for synchronization, and data does not leave the intranet; when cross-network transmission is necessary, a relay forwards it, but the relay forwards only ciphertext.
The product development process also encountered many pitfalls: global hotkey invocation failed, local network synchronization simply would not work, only text could be transferred but not images, and so on. Because Android is restricted by the system and cannot read the clipboard in the background, I honestly implemented a semi-automatic experience of “pull when returning to the foreground plus system share entry.”
The final result is as follows: copy a piece of text on the computer, and paste it directly on the phone to send to a colleague; take a screenshot of a QR code on the phone, and invoke the history on the computer with a hotkey to use it; a recipient address copied three hours ago can be found in two seconds by pressing Win+Shift+V and searching for “address,” and it will never be overwritten again.
I named this tool “NetClipboard”. The tool itself is permanently free (local network synchronization is unlimited); only when cross-network synchronization is required because devices are not on the same local network is a fee charged for relay service costs based on subscription duration and number of devices.