Settings

Open Settings with Ctrl , in the dashboard, the gear at the bottom of the sidebar, or Settings… in the tray menu. Changes save automatically.

General

Setting	What it does	Default
Start with Windows / Start at login	Launches ClipTrail quietly into the tray when you sign in. Also in the tray menu.	Off
Clipboard capture	Pause saving for 15 minutes, 1 hour, or until you resume. Handy before copying something private. Also in the tray menu and at the bottom of the sidebar.	Capturing

Devices

Setting	What it does	Default
Sync with my devices	Runs the encrypted sync hub on your local network so paired devices share history. Off means nothing listens on the network.	On
Pair a phone	Shows a single-use QR code (10 minutes) and a link you can copy for pairing another computer.	—
Paired devices	Each device with its online state, last seen and paired time, and a Revoke button.	—
Network → Port	TCP port of the hub, 1024–65535.	47821

See Sync your devices.

Shortcuts

Setting	What it does	Default
Quick picker	Global hotkey for the picker. Click it and press a new combination; `Esc` cancels.	`Ctrl` `Shift` `Space`
Open dashboard	Global hotkey that shows or hides the dashboard. Can be switched off.	`Ctrl` `Alt` `H`

Both hotkeys must be different, and need a modifier unless they're a function key. If another app already uses the combination, you'll see "… is already in use by another app".

Appearance

Setting	What it does	Default
Theme	System, Light or Dark. Applies to the dashboard and the picker.	System

Privacy

Setting	What it does	Default
Clean links automatically	Removes tracking parameters (`utm_*`, `fbclid`, `gclid`, …) from links as you copy them, before they're stored. Full list.	Off
Sensitive clips	How long one-time codes, API keys and card numbers are kept before they're deleted: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day or 7 days.	1 hour
Excluded apps	Copies made in these apps are never saved. Add an app by its executable name (e.g. `keepass.exe` on Windows, the process name on Linux); `` works as a wildcard. Restore defaults* brings back any default you removed.	Common password managers

The default exclusions cover 1Password, Bitwarden, KeePass, KeePassXC, KeePassX, Dashlane, LastPass, Enpass, NordPass, Proton Pass, Keeper, RoboForm, Password Safe, Authy, GNOME Seahorse and KWallet. On Windows, ClipTrail also skips anything an app marks as "don't record" on the clipboard, which many password managers do.

Storage

Setting	What it does	Default
Keep history	Forever, 1 year, 90 days or 30 days. Older clips are deleted automatically; pinned clips are always kept.	Forever
Data folder	Where your history lives, with an Open folder button. See Data, backup & uninstall.	Per OS

About & updates

Setting	What it does	Default
Check for updates automatically	Asks GitHub Releases for the latest version about 30 seconds after launch and then once a day. ClipTrail asks once, in a small card on the dashboard. Nothing about you or your clips is sent, and an update is never installed without your confirmation: you get a banner with Release notes, Install & restart and Later.	Off until you choose
Check for updates	Checks right now, whatever the setting above, and shows your current version. Desktop only.	—

See Privacy & security for exactly what an update check contacts.

Clear history

Setting	What it does	Default
Clear history…	Deletes every clip on this device (and the saved images), after a confirmation that shows how many will go. Keep pinned clips is ticked by default. Also clear on my other devices appears when you have paired devices; it is unticked by default, so clearing your laptop doesn't wipe your phone. Also in the Android app's Settings.	—

Where settings are stored

Desktop settings are saved as settings.json in the data folder. Settings are per device and aren't synced.