Clipboard.GetImage Method

Definition

Retrieves an image from the Clipboard.

C#
public static System.Drawing.Image GetImage();
C#
public static System.Drawing.Image? GetImage();

Returns

An Image representing the Clipboard image data or null if the Clipboard does not contain any data that is in the Bitmap format or can be converted to that format.

Exceptions

The Clipboard could not be cleared. This typically occurs when the Clipboard is being used by another process.

The current thread is not in single-threaded apartment (STA) mode. Add the STAThreadAttribute to your application's Main method.

Examples

The following example demonstrates this member.

C#
// Demonstrates SetImage, ContainsImage, and GetImage.
public System.Drawing.Image SwapClipboardImage(
    System.Drawing.Image replacementImage)
{
    System.Drawing.Image returnImage = null;
    if (Clipboard.ContainsImage())
    {
        returnImage = Clipboard.GetImage();
        Clipboard.SetImage(replacementImage);
    }
    return returnImage;
}

Remarks

Use the ContainsImage method to determine whether the Clipboard contains image data before retrieving it with this method.

Use the SetImage method to add image data to the Clipboard.

Note

The Clipboard class can only be used in threads set to single thread apartment (STA) mode. To use this class, ensure that your Main method is marked with the STAThreadAttribute attribute.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
Windows Desktop 3.0, 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

See also