Review & journal

Sync and translate clipboard

Use Cloud Clipboard for cross-device text, links, clipboard images, and translation, then keep photo and video media sync as a separate review path.

Audience: Users who copy between phone and desktop, translate selected text, and need to know what is encrypted before it reaches cloud sync.

Time: 18 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Scenario

Start with the workflow this guide is designed for before moving into the steps.

As a cross-device user, I want a quote, link, screenshot, or translated phrase copied on one device to be available on another device without mixing it up with Journal photo and video sync.

You can copy text, links, and clipboard images between signed-in devices, translate clipboard text with the right target language, understand the encryption states, and know when to use Media Sync instead.

Complete steps

Separate clipboard sync from media sync

Use Cloud Clipboard for copied text, links, HTML snippets, preview text, notes, and clipboard images. Use Media Sync for Journal photos, videos, voice diary audio, and editor media that need per-asset review state.

Text and links go through the clipboard list, not the photo/video library.

Photos and videos stay in the media or Journal flow where retry, caption, and date context make sense.

Screenshots can be either clipboard images or media files, depending on how you captured them.

Turn on Cloud Clipboard on each device

Use the same Vowise account and API key on desktop and mobile. Desktop sync pushes local changes, pulls remote changes, and also listens for realtime metadata so recent clipboard text can appear quickly while the background sync catches up.

Both devices are signed in to the same account.

Desktop Clipboard Manager is open or allowed to sync in the background.

If nothing appears, check account/API key first before assuming sync is broken.

Copy text, links, and clipboard images

Copy a quote, URL, generated answer, or image on one device, then open the Clipboard Manager on the other device. Text and link items can be searched, previewed, translated, pasted, or reused as source material. Clipboard images may show metadata first and hydrate the preview after image upload/download finishes.

Phone to desktop: copy an article quote or link, then paste it into a record, AI Chat question, Journal note, or Content Studio draft.

Desktop to phone: copy transcript snippets, meeting notes, or a screenshot, then reuse it from the mobile clipboard when away from the desk.

For private screens, review the preview before pasting or sharing.

Translate clipboard text

For text and link items, use the clipboard panel translation control. The clipboard panel remembers its own target language and syncs it so selection-translate uses the visible target. Translation updates are saved back to the clipboard item, including source text when it is available and not already E2E encrypted.

Set the target language in the clipboard panel before running selection translate.

Do not confuse this with the floating-ball or stop-and-translate language if the visible selector says something else.

Old encrypted rows may not expose source text for translation cards until the key is available.

Enable optional E2E for sensitive text

When desktop E2E is configured, Vowise stores a local recovery key with OS safe storage, then encrypts text-like clipboard fields before cloud push. The encrypted payload starts with vpw_e2e_v1 and uses AES-256-GCM. Devices without the key can see that an item exists, but the protected fields stay locked.

The protected text fields include text, HTML, preview, note, and link URL.

Locked means this device does not currently have the right E2E key, not that the item is deleted.

Back up the recovery key before relying on E2E across devices.

Understand cloud encryption versus point-to-point transfer

Clipboard sync is cloud sync, not a direct peer-to-peer tunnel. Even without optional desktop E2E, Vowise's clipboard proxy encrypts sensitive text fields before database storage and decrypts them only for authenticated pull/search requests. Optional E2E adds another layer by encrypting text-like payloads on the client before they reach the proxy.

Do not describe the feature as P2P transfer unless the product exposes a direct device-to-device transport.

Server-side protected cloud sync and client-side E2E are two different privacy levels.

Clipboard image files use the clipboard image upload path, while preview/note metadata can still be protected as text fields.

Use Media Sync when the material is a photo or video

When the source is a Journal photo, video, voice diary audio, or editor media file, use Media Sync instead of treating it as ordinary clipboard text. Media Sync gives you queued, syncing, synced, failed, skipped, and retry states, plus Journal captions and date context.

Journal photos and videos appear on the expected date.

AI captions and categories are reviewed before you treat them as facts.

Private media references are not shared as permanent public links.

Details

Daily clipboard workflows

Think of the clipboard as a short handoff lane between capture and action. It is useful when the source is small enough to paste, translate, search, or turn into a record.

Read on phone, write on desktop: copy the useful quote or URL on mobile, then paste it into AI Chat, a Journal note, or a Content Studio outline.
Translate as you read: select a paragraph, run clipboard translation, and keep the source/result pair on the item for later review.
Carry meeting fragments: copy a transcript snippet on desktop, then reuse it from mobile when you are away from the keyboard.
Collect visual proof carefully: screenshots and clipboard images are useful, but inspect them for private screens before sharing.

What gets encrypted

There are two protection layers. The cloud proxy encrypts sensitive text before database storage. Optional desktop E2E encrypts text-like fields before the item leaves the client.

Server-protected fields: text, HTML, preview, note, and link URL are encrypted by the clipboard proxy before database writes.
Optional E2E fields: text-like clipboard items use the same text, HTML, preview, note, and link URL fields, producing vpw_e2e_v1 payloads.
Image files: clipboard image files upload through the clipboard image path; do not assume the image binary itself is covered by the text E2E setting.
Folders and labels: some metadata can stay plaintext so clients do not corrupt folder names during sync.

Locked and translated states

A clipboard row can be readable, locked, translated, or waiting for image hydration. Use the state to decide the next action instead of copying the same item repeatedly.

Plaintext: this device can read the item normally.
Encrypted and decrypted: the row came from E2E payload, and this device has the right key.
Encrypted and locked: the row exists, but this device needs the recovery key before protected fields are readable.
Translated: the translation payload is saved on the clipboard item and can be synced as a normal update.
Image hydrating: image metadata arrived before the preview file; wait or retry sync instead of recreating the item.

Clipboard translation details

Clipboard translation is part of the clipboard item workflow. It is useful for reading foreign-language source material, carrying a quote into review, or preparing bilingual content snippets.

The clipboard panel stores its own last-used target language.
Selection translate reads the visible clipboard-panel target before dispatching the request.
Translation-only edits mark the item for cloud sync, so the result can appear on other devices.
If source text was already E2E encrypted and the key is unavailable, the translation card may show an encrypted or unavailable source boundary.

How this relates to Capture Library and Journal

Clipboard sync is usually temporary. Move long-lived sources into Capture Library, and send reviewed daily evidence into Journal only when it belongs there.

Capture Library is for references you expect to search, tag, cite, or reuse later.
Journal is for daily evidence, reflections, media captions, and period summaries.
AI Chat can use a clipboard-derived quote after you paste it into a record, prompt, saved reference, or journal note.
Content Studio should receive prepared source snippets, not a raw pile of unrelated clipboard history.

Privacy habits for daily use

Clipboard history can contain private text by accident. Treat it as source material that needs review before it becomes a screenshot, support report, public demo, or published content.

Do not copy passwords, recovery codes, API keys, or private chat text into tutorial material.
Use safe demo text when recording a clipboard workflow video.
If a row is marked sensitive or locked, inspect it before reusing it downstream.
When publishing or sharing, use explicit sharing controls instead of copying internal storage URLs.