Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Overview

Clipboard redirection is a fundamental feature in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, enabling seamless copy and paste of data between the user’s local endpoint and their virtual Citrix sessions.

Clipboard redirection allows users to copy and paste data, such as text, images, and files, between applications running on their local device and those within their Citrix session. This is achieved by mapping the clipboard on the user device to the clipboard on the VDA. By default, clipboard redirection is allowed.

Clipboard redirection works over a separate virtual channel within the HDX protocol. An additional virtual channel is used for file transfer and Drag and Drop. When a user copies data on their local device, the Citrix Workspace app intercepts the data and makes it available for pasting into applications running in the session. Actual data will be transferred if and when the data is pasted to an application on the VDA. The process works in reverse when copying from the Citrix session to the client.

This combination of client to session and session to client clipboard redirection is also known as bidirectional clipboard redirection.

Note:

More information see, Citrix Virtual Channels

Key concepts

Client to session, also referred to as Endpoint to Session or client to VDA. Data copied (placed on the clipboard) on the user’s local device is made available to be pasted inside the virtual session.

Session to Client, also referred to as Session to Endpoint or VDA to client). Data copied from an application within the virtual session is made available to be pasted on the user’s local device.

Cross session (session to session or VDA to VDA). A new clipboard transfer method where data copied from one Citris session can be pasted into another Citrix session without ever being stored on the local endpoint’s clipboard. This functionality is available on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops version 2507 as a Preview feature and is referred to as the Cross-session clipboard exchange feature. See ‘Cross session clipboard’ for more information.

Overview