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# Ditto: My Newest Favorite Micro-Productivity Tool
- URL: https://nolongerset.com/ditto/
- Published: 2024-01-17T04:22:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-08T12:38:07.000Z
- Description: "That's what she said."
- Author: Mike Wolfe
- Tags: Tools, Humorous, #Import 2026-05-20 02:59

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary puts out [several definitions](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ditto) for the word, "ditto":

## ditto *adverb*

- as before or aforesaid **:** in the same manner—used to indicate that a previous statement also applies to something or someone else

## ditto *verb*

1. to repeat or imitate (something, such as a statement or an action)
2. to copy (something, such as printed matter) on a duplicator

## ditto *noun*

1. **a :** a thing mentioned previously or above—used to avoid repeating a word—often symbolized by inverted commas or apostrophes  
**b :** someone or something that is the same as or very similar to another
2. *or* **ditto mark** : the inverted commas or apostrophes used to symbolize a ditto

## ditto *adjective*

- having the same characteristics : similar

## ditto *utility*

- an extension to the standard windows clipboard
- saves each item placed on the clipboard allowing you access to any of those items at a later time
- allows you to save any type of information that can be put on the clipboard, text, images, html, custom formats, .....

OK, I have to be straight with you. From Merriam-Webster is not where that last one comes. I went to the [Ditto Clipboard Manager](https://ditto-cp.sourceforge.io/) website and got it off there.

## PureText Didn't Last Long

I wrote recently about my pent-up frustration with the copy-paste Notepad dance:

[PureText: Paste Unformatted Text From Your ClipboardAre you tired of the Notepad dance: Copy rich text, paste in Notepad, select all, copy, paste plain text? If so, this simple utility could be life-changing.![](https://nolongerset.com/favicon.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2023/12/PureText.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/puretext/)

In the [comments section](https://nolongerset.com/puretext/#commento-comment-card-76be9f418ea8ecc98673aee0d84c74c3217c3b977e0ba47370e14109682c84ef) of that article, longtime reader Ben Sacheri turned me on to the **Ditto Clipboard Manager utility**.

Like PureText, Ditto can strip special formatting from rich text on the Windows clipboard. Unlike PureText, though, Ditto also gives you easy access to your entire clipboard history.

I had tried a different clipboard history app in the past, but it never satisfied me. I could never remember how to turn it on when I needed to. And when I finally did get it up, I spent so much time fumbling around that it just led to more frustration. To be honest, the user interface sucked. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. 

Ditto changed all that, though. Using it just *feels* good. It feels natural. It's a clipboard history app that I can finally get behind.

## Use Your Fingers for Best Results

The **keyboard controls** are so fluid you don't even have to touch the mouse if you don't want to.

- \[Ctrl\] + \[`` ` ``\] (backtick): open the clipboard history
- \[Shift\] + \[Enter\]: paste without formatting
- \[Up\]/\[Down\] arrow keys: navigate past clipboard entries
- \[Ctrl\] + \[2\]: paste the previous entry
- \[Ctrl\] + \[3\]: paste the entry before that one, etc.
- {begin typing}: immediately search past clipboard entries

## A Sackful of Benefits

PureText, you did nothing wrong. Ditto just has a bigger feature set.

At the risk of ending this article prematurely, let's go blow by blow through some of Ditto's features:

- blazing fast
- intuitive interface
- can strip special formatting from rich text
- shows thumbnails of copied images in list
- customizable keyboard controls
- free and open source
- starts up with Windows
- appears at caret (i.e., current cursor location)
- syncs across computers (*I have not tried this yet*)
- full Unicode support
- backed by a SQLite database

And best of all? **It has a chocolatey package!**

So if you already have the [chocolatey package manager](https://chocolatey.org/install), you can install it with:

```
choco install ditto
```

## The Michael Scott Stamp of Approval

[Every "That's What She Said" Ever - The Office](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBUGfs9rwms)