Clipboard: readText() method
Baseline 2024Newly available
Since April 2024, this feature works across the latest devices and browser versions. This feature might not work in older devices or browsers.
Secure context: This feature is available only in secure contexts (HTTPS), in some or all supporting browsers.
The readText() method of the Clipboard interface returns a Promise which fulfills with a copy of the textual contents of the system clipboard.
Note:
To read non-text contents from the clipboard, use the read() method instead.
You can write text to the clipboard using writeText().
Syntax
readText()
Parameters
None.
Return value
A Promise that resolves with a string containing the textual contents of the clipboard.
Returns an empty string if the clipboard is empty, does not contain text, or does not include a textual representation among the objects representing the clipboard's contents.
Exceptions
NotAllowedErrorDOMException-
Thrown if the access to read the clipboard is not allowed.
NotFoundErrorDOMException-
Thrown if the clipboard indicates that it contains data that can be represented as a text but is unable to provide a textual representation.
Security considerations
Reading from the clipboard can only be done in a secure context.
Additional security requirements are covered in the Security consideration section of the API overview topic.
Examples
This example retrieves the textual contents of the clipboard and inserts the returned text into a selected element's contents.
const destination = document.getElementById("outbox");
destinationImage.addEventListener("click", () => {
navigator.clipboard
.readText()
.then((clipText) => (destination.innerText = clipText));
});
Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| Clipboard API and events # dom-clipboard-readtext |