How to restart the Clipboard User Service (cbdhsvc) without rebooting Windows

Copy and paste has stopped working, or Win + V opens an empty Clipboard history panel or doesn’t open at all. Restarting the Clipboard User Service (cbdhsvc_ followed by a random suffix) can help, and you don’t need to reboot Windows to do it. PowerShell is the most dependable way; the Services console and Task Manager may also offer a Restart option, depending on your Windows build and permissions.

Before You Restart the Clipboard User Service

What is the Clipboard User Service (cbdhsvc)?

The Clipboard User Service is a built-in Windows service. It runs Clipboard history (Win + V) and clipboard sync across devices. You don’t need to download or install anything.

It’s a per-user service. Windows creates a separate copy of it for each account that signs in. Each copy gets a random suffix, such as cbdhsvc_726b9, and Windows removes that copy when the user signs out (Microsoft Learn: Per-user services in Windows). Because of this:

• You won’t find one fixed service named exactly “cbdhsvc.” Look for an entry that starts with cbdhsvc_ or a display name that starts with Clipboard User Service.
• The suffix on your PC will be different from the one shown here. It can also change between sign-ins, so don’t type 726b9 literally.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (this guide is written for these client editions; Windows Server with the Desktop Experience may offer similar clipboard features, but we haven’t verified that it follows the same workflow)
• You’re signed in as the user who has the clipboard problem. That user’s service copy only exists during their session.
• You may need administrator approval, especially if you’re using an elevated console or trying to manage another user’s service instance. Permissions can vary by method, by Windows build, and by whether you’re an admin or standard user, and Microsoft doesn’t document an exact requirement for this service.
• If Windows denies the restart, sign in as the affected user and try the Services console or PowerShell again rather than assuming admin rights alone will fix it. If you’re on a managed work PC, your IT team may also block the action outright.
• Optional: pin any Clipboard history items you want to keep. It’s unclear whether unpinned items survive the reset steps below, so pinning is the safer choice.

Quick reference

Symptom	Try first
Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V stopped working everywhere	Fix #1, #2, or #3 (restart cbdhsvc)
Win + V panel is blank or won’t open after a service restart	Fix #4 (end TextInputHost.exe)
Clipboard history never appears at all	Fix #5 (toggle Clipboard history, clear data)
Paste breaks only in Office, over Remote Desktop, or with a clipboard manager running	Fix #6 (rule out common culprits)
Nothing above helps	Sign out and back in, then reboot

Fixes #1–#3 do the same thing three different ways. Pick whichever tool you’re most comfortable with. Fixes #4–#6 are additional troubleshooting steps for when restarting cbdhsvc alone doesn’t fully solve the problem.

How to Restart the Clipboard User Service Without Rebooting

Fix #1: Restart cbdhsvc in the Services console

• Press Win + R to open Run.
• Type services.msc and press Enter. The Services window opens.
• Click the Name column header to sort the list alphabetically.
• Scroll to the entry that starts with Clipboard User Service. It may include the suffix in its name, such as Clipboard User Service_726b9.
• Right-click it and look for Restart. If that option is available, choose it; if you only see Start, the service is already stopped.

• If you’re asked for admin approval, confirm it.

Expected result: A short progress bar usually appears, and the Status column typically shows Running afterward, though the exact display can vary. The real test is copying text in Notepad and pasting it.

Tip: If the right-click menu only shows Start, click Start instead, then test with Win + V. If neither Restart nor Start works, try Fix #3 (PowerShell) instead.

Warning: Don’t change the service’s Startup type as a fix. Leave it at whatever it’s currently set to.

Fix #2: Restart it from Task Manager

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
• Open the services list:
  • On Windows 11: click Services in the left sidebar. If the sidebar is collapsed, click the menu icon (three lines) at the top left first.
  • On Windows 10: click More details if Task Manager opens in the compact view, then click the Services tab.
• Click the Name column to sort, and find the row that starts with cbdhsvc_. Its Description column reads Clipboard User Service.

• Right-click the row and choose Restart if it’s available. Whether this option appears can depend on your Windows build and current permissions, so if it’s missing or grayed out, use Fix #1 or #3 instead.

Expected result: The Status column usually changes briefly and then typically shows Running, though the display can vary by build. Test copy and paste to confirm. If the restart fails, close Task Manager, search for Task Manager in Start, choose Run as administrator, and try again. Fix #1 is another option.

Fix #3: Restart it with PowerShell

PowerShell is useful when you want to see the exact service name before you restart anything.

• Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) (Windows 11) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) (Windows 10).
• Approve the User Account Control prompt.
• List the clipboard service copies:

Get-Service -Name 'cbdhsvc*' | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

• Read the output:
  • An entry with an underscore and suffix (for example cbdhsvc_726b9) is a per-user copy belonging to a signed-in session. If you’re the only user signed in, it’s almost certainly yours.
  • An entry named just cbdhsvc with no suffix may also appear. That’s the template Windows copies from, so leave it alone.
  • Several suffixed entries often mean other accounts or sessions are signed in, because each signed-in user gets their own copy. If you can’t tell which one is yours, sign out the other accounts first or restart each one you’re allowed to manage.
• Restart the suffixed copy that matches your own session. Replace the example suffix with the one you see in your own output:

Restart-Service -Name 'cbdhsvc_726b9'

• Optional, admin-only step: if you specifically need to restart every signed-in user’s clipboard service copy (for example, troubleshooting a shared or remote-access PC), you can target all suffixed instances at once. This affects other users’ active sessions, so avoid it unless you genuinely need to manage accounts other than your own, and note that it may still fail on instances you don’t have permission to touch.

Get-Service -Name 'cbdhsvc_*' | Restart-Service

• If Restart-Service stalls or reports an error, run the stop and start steps separately:

Stop-Service -Name 'cbdhsvc_726b9' -Force
Start-Service -Name 'cbdhsvc_726b9'

• Run the Get-Service command from step 3 again.

Expected result: Status shows Running. If Get-Service returns nothing at all, the session you’re working in probably doesn’t have a live copy. Make sure you’re signed in to Windows as the affected user, then try again.

If Restarting cbdhsvc Didn’t Help

Fix #4: End TextInputHost.exe

Community troubleshooting reports link the Win + V panel to a separate process, TextInputHost.exe, and suggest ending it when the panel freezes even though the clipboard service itself appears fine. Microsoft doesn’t document this as the panel’s host process for every Windows build, so treat it as a practical troubleshooting step (Microsoft Tech Community). Try this fix when Fixes #1–#3 made Ctrl + V work again but the history panel is still blank.

• Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
• Go to Details (Windows 11 sidebar) or the Details tab (Windows 10).
• Find TextInputHost.exe, right-click it, and choose End task.
• Confirm with End process if Windows asks.
• Press Win + V.

Expected result: Treat ending the task as a reversible troubleshooting step rather than a guaranteed fix. Windows may relaunch TextInputHost.exe on its own when you open the Clipboard history panel again; if it doesn’t come back, press Win + V once more or sign out and back in.

Some user reports also link TextInputHost.exe to the touch keyboard and emoji panel (Win + .), but this isn’t officially documented by Microsoft, so treat it as anecdotal rather than confirmed behavior.

Fix #5: Toggle Clipboard history and clear clipboard data

Restarting the service and clearing history are two different things. A restart reloads the background service. Clearing data wipes the unpinned items stored in the history.

• Press Win + R, type ms-settings:clipboard, and press Enter. You can also go to Settings > System > Clipboard. On Windows 10, searching Clipboard settings in Start takes you to the same page if the layout differs slightly.
• Turn Clipboard history off.
• Turn Clipboard history back on.
• If the panel still shows stale or broken items, click Clear next to Clear clipboard data.

Expected result: Microsoft says Clear removes everything except pinned items, on your device and in the cloud (Microsoft Support: Using the clipboard). Turning Clipboard history off and back on resets the feature, but Microsoft doesn’t document whether the toggle by itself clears unpinned items. Copy something new and press Win + V to confirm the panel is working again.

Fix #6: Rule out Office, Remote Desktop, and clipboard managers

These come up in user troubleshooting threads about clipboard problems. None of them is a confirmed cause, but each one is quick to rule out.

• Find out where the problem happens. Copy and paste text in Notepad, then in File Explorer (copy a file), then in your browser. If paste fails in only one app, the app (or its integration with the clipboard) is the more likely suspect, though the service isn’t ruled out entirely.
• Office apps: Save your work and close Word, Excel, and Outlook one at a time. Test paste after each one closes. If one app keeps causing trouble, a repair through Settings > Apps > Installed apps (choose your Microsoft 365 or Office entry, then Modify) is the next step.
• Remote Desktop (RDP): In user troubleshooting threads, clipboard transfer between your PC and a remote session is often tied to rdpclip.exe running inside that session. Some users report that ending this process in Task Manager and relaunching it (press Win + R, type rdpclip, press Enter) restores clipboard sync, though this isn’t an officially documented fix. Because each signed-in user gets a separate per-user service copy, the remote session may have its own cbdhsvc_ instance too, depending on how the connection is set up, so running Fix #1 or #3 inside the session is worth trying as well.
• Third-party clipboard managers: Quit tools like Ditto from the system tray and test again. If the native clipboard works with the tool closed, update or reconfigure the tool before relying on it.
• Snipping Tool only: If only screenshots fail to reach the clipboard, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, open the three-dot menu next to Snipping Tool, choose Advanced options, and click Terminate. If that doesn’t help, click Reset as a troubleshooting option, not a confirmed fix (Microsoft Q&A).

Reset may remove Snipping Tool’s app data or preferences, so save anything you need from it first. Treat this as a community-suggested troubleshooting step rather than an official Microsoft guarantee.

Clipboard Settings Worth Knowing

• Clipboard history (Settings > System > Clipboard): Turns the Win + V panel on or off. If it’s off, a service restart won’t bring the history panel back until you turn the setting on.
• Clear clipboard data: Wipes unpinned history items. It doesn’t restart anything.
• Pinned items: Pin entries from the Win + V panel with the pin icon. Microsoft says clipboard history is cleared each time you restart your PC, except for pinned items, so an empty history after a reboot is expected rather than a sign the service failed.
• Startup type: Shown in the service’s Properties in services.msc. Sources disagree on whether it displays as Automatic or Automatic (Delayed Start). Either way, don’t change it.

Tips and Troubleshooting

Why can’t I find a service called exactly “cbdhsvc”? It’s a per-user service. Look for cbdhsvc_ plus a suffix, or a display name starting with Clipboard User Service.

Do I need admin rights? Permission requirements vary by method, by whether you’re managing your own session or another user’s, and by Windows build; Microsoft doesn’t document an exact permission level for this service. If a standard account can’t restart it, try the Services console or PowerShell again after signing in as the affected user.

Signing out and back in removes your per-user service instance, and Windows normally creates a new copy when you sign in again (Microsoft Learn: Per-user services in Windows). A fresh copy doesn’t guarantee the underlying clipboard issue is fixed, and it typically won’t override a policy an administrator has set on a managed PC.

Will restarting the service delete my Clipboard history? It isn’t confirmed whether a service restart clears unpinned items, so pin anything important beforehand as a precaution.

The service restarted, but Clipboard history still doesn’t work. Run Fix #4, then Fix #5. On work PCs, an administrator policy can disable Clipboard history, and you usually can’t change that from a standard account; ask your IT team.

What should I try before rebooting? Follow this order: restart cbdhsvc → end TextInputHost.exe → toggle Clipboard history and clear data → rule out Office, RDP, and clipboard managers → sign out and back in → reboot.

Wrapping Up

A cbdhsvc restart, followed by ending TextInputHost.exe if Win + V is still blank, is a reasonable first troubleshooting step and may restore clipboard behavior without a reboot. PowerShell is handy because it shows you the exact suffixed name before you restart anything.

If the clipboard still breaks after every fix above plus a full sign-out and reboot, run the built-in system file checks (sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth from an elevated terminal). An in-place Windows repair is the larger last step; back up your files to an external SSD before you try it.

Resources

Sources retrieved October 31, 2026.

• Per-user services in Windows (Microsoft Learn)
• Optimize services (Windows IoT Enterprise, Microsoft Learn)
• Issue with opening Clipboard history by pressing Win+V (Microsoft Tech Community)
• How can I fix my clipboard (Microsoft Q&A)