The handful of nmap flags you always use, the git undo commands, that one kubectl one-liner — are there commands you end up googling every single time, even though the lookup takes seconds? A lot of us keep them in shell history (Ctrl+R), a notes app, or a Notion cheat sheet. But mid-task, the real cost is the round trip: open another window, find it, copy it, switch back, paste.
This post shows how I keep a Windows clipboard manager pinned on top and turn its snippets into a living cheat sheet — something I do every day.
Why put it on the clipboard side
Every cheat-sheet location has a weak spot:
- Shell history (Ctrl+R): fast, but only shows commands you've already typed, and you can't organize it.
- Notes / Notion: organizable, but every paste means switching apps and back.
- Aliases / functions: fastest, but you have to set them up per machine, and they don't help when pasting into a GUI.
Put the commands in a clipboard manager's snippets and keep it on screen, and those weak spots disappear at once:
- It's always visible. You can leave a sticky note or a window parked at the edge of the screen — you don't even press a hotkey.
- Drag, or hit Enter, to paste straight into any app (terminal, browser, an RDP session, a notes window).
- Organize by category. Unlike history, snippets don't scroll away.
Example: a snippet group per tool
I split groups into tabs by purpose. The key is to store templates with placeholders, so you paste first and only edit the target — no need to recall the exact syntax.
recon
nmap -sC -sV -oA scan <TARGET>
nmap -p- --min-rate 5000 -oA allports <TARGET>git
git reset --soft HEAD~1
git log --oneline --graph --all
git restore --staged <FILE>k8s
kubectl get pods -A -o wide
kubectl logs -f <POD> --previous
kubectl exec -it <POD> -- /bin/shPowerShell
Get-WinEvent -LogName Security -MaxEvents 50
Get-NetTCPConnection | Where-Object State -eq 'Listen'Unlike history, snippets don't auto-delete, so they grow into your own personal command dictionary over time.
Clipboard privacy
If you're handling commands, you can't ignore privacy when choosing a tool. Check that:
- History is stored locally (a cloud-sync default can push sensitive values off your machine).
- Nothing is sent anywhere.
- The tool respects the "don't keep in history" flag that password managers set.
Your clipboard carries credentials and private keys, so don't compromise here.
The tool I use: PasteDrawer
I do this with my own tool, PasteDrawer, a clipboard manager for Windows. I built it because Windows didn't have a modern clipboard tool I actually enjoyed using — and I tuned it for exactly this cheat-sheet workflow.
- Pin it on top and leave it there: park a sticky note or a window at the edge of the screen — no hotkey needed.
- Pick the view that fits your screen: on a wide screen or dual monitors, keep the window view resident (that's what I use — great overview); on a laptop with little space, dock the sticky note in a corner. That solves the "staying on top needs screen space" downside.
- Snippet groups: organized by purpose in tabs; items never auto-delete.
- Paste into any app by drag or Enter.
- Everything is stored locally, nothing is uploaded. Data that a password manager marks as "don't keep" is never saved.
- The installer is code-signed.
It's a one-time US$12.99 (up to 2 PCs), with every feature free for 14 days. Drop in a few of your own go-to commands and see how much of the paste round-trip disappears.
→ Try PasteDrawer free for 14 days
Takeaways
- The round trip of "find it, switch back, paste" is the real cost. Put commands on the clipboard and keep it pinned on top, and you don't even summon anything.
- Grow snippets with per-tool groups and placeholder templates and you get your own living cheat sheet.
- If you handle commands, pick a tool that stores locally and sends nothing out.
