diff --git a/LICENSE-THIRD-PARTY b/LICENSE-THIRD-PARTY
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b84fa80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE-THIRD-PARTY
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+Third-Party Licenses
+=====================
+
+This project includes code derived from the following third-party projects:
+
+Click
+-----
+Copyright 2014 Pallets
+
+Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
+met:
+
+1.  Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+
+2.  Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+
+3.  Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
+    contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
+    this software without specific prior written permission.
+
+THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
+"AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
+PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
+HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
+SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
+TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
+PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
+NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
+SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+
+The following files contain code derived from Click:
+- src/rich_toolkit/_getchar.py
+
+
+Textual
+-------
+Copyright (c) 2023 Textualize Inc.
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
+
+The following files contain code derived from Textual:
+- src/rich_toolkit/_getchar_textual.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9886c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+release type: minor
+---
+
+This release increases the paste buffer from 32 to 4096 characters, enabling users to paste longer text into input fields.
+
+It also adds full Windows compatibility with proper special key handling and fixes how password fields to always show asterisks.
diff --git a/examples/create-astro.py b/examples/create-astro.py
index 0b86617..371c747 100644
--- a/examples/create-astro.py
+++ b/examples/create-astro.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import random
 import time
 
-from rich_toolkit import RichToolkit, RichToolkitTheme
+from rich_toolkit import RichToolkit
 from rich_toolkit.styles.border import BorderedStyle
 from rich_toolkit.styles.fancy import FancyStyle
 from rich_toolkit.styles.tagged import TaggedStyle
diff --git a/examples/inputs.py b/examples/inputs.py
index 13fe477..9317ff3 100644
--- a/examples/inputs.py
+++ b/examples/inputs.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
         )
         app.print_line()
 
-        app.input("What is the name of your project?", tag="name")
+        app.input("What is the name of your project?", tag="name", required=True)
         app.print_line()
 
         app.input("What's your password?", tag="password", password=True)
diff --git a/examples/progress_log.py b/examples/progress_log.py
index ddf296c..8025f05 100644
--- a/examples/progress_log.py
+++ b/examples/progress_log.py
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import random
 import time
-from typing import Any, Dict, Generator, List, Tuple
+from typing import Generator
 
 import httpx
-from rich.segment import Segment
 from rich.text import Text
 
 from rich_toolkit import RichToolkit
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/_getchar.py b/src/rich_toolkit/_getchar.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..834ea17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/_getchar.py
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+"""
+Unified getchar implementation for all platforms.
+
+Combines approaches from:
+- Textual (Unix/Linux): Copyright (c) 2023 Textualize Inc., MIT License
+- Click (Windows fallback): Copyright 2014 Pallets, BSD-3-Clause License
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+from codecs import getincrementaldecoder
+from typing import Optional, TextIO
+
+
+def getchar() -> str:
+    """
+    Read input from stdin with support for longer pasted text.
+
+    On Windows:
+    - Uses msvcrt for native Windows console input
+    - Handles special keys that send two-byte sequences
+    - Reads up to 4096 characters for paste support
+
+    On Unix/Linux:
+    - Uses Textual's approach with manual termios configuration
+    - Reads up to 4096 bytes with proper UTF-8 decoding
+    - Provides fine-grained terminal control
+
+    Returns:
+        str: The input character(s) read from stdin
+
+    Raises:
+        KeyboardInterrupt: When CTRL+C is pressed
+    """
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        # Windows implementation
+        try:
+            import msvcrt
+        except ImportError:
+            # Fallback if msvcrt is not available
+            return sys.stdin.read(1)
+
+        # Use getwch for Unicode support
+        func = msvcrt.getwch  # type: ignore
+
+        # Read first character
+        rv = func()
+
+        # Check for special keys (they send two characters)
+        if rv in ("\x00", "\xe0"):
+            # Special key, read the second character
+            rv += func()
+            return rv
+
+        # Check if more input is available (for paste support)
+        chars = [rv]
+        max_chars = 4096
+
+        # Keep reading while characters are available
+        while len(chars) < max_chars and msvcrt.kbhit():  # type: ignore
+            next_char = func()
+
+            # Handle special keys during paste
+            if next_char in ("\x00", "\xe0"):
+                # Stop here, let this be handled in next call
+                break
+
+            chars.append(next_char)
+
+            # Check for CTRL+C
+            if next_char == "\x03":
+                raise KeyboardInterrupt()
+
+        result = "".join(chars)
+
+        # Check for CTRL+C in the full result
+        if "\x03" in result:
+            raise KeyboardInterrupt()
+
+        return result
+
+    else:
+        # Unix/Linux implementation (Textual approach)
+        import termios
+        import tty
+
+        f: Optional[TextIO] = None
+        fd: int
+
+        # Get the file descriptor
+        if not sys.stdin.isatty():
+            f = open("/dev/tty")
+            fd = f.fileno()
+        else:
+            fd = sys.stdin.fileno()
+
+        try:
+            # Save current terminal settings
+            attrs_before = termios.tcgetattr(fd)
+
+            try:
+                # Configure terminal settings (Textual-style)
+                newattr = termios.tcgetattr(fd)
+
+                # Patch LFLAG (local flags)
+                # Disable:
+                # - ECHO: Don't echo input characters
+                # - ICANON: Disable canonical mode (line-by-line input)
+                # - IEXTEN: Disable extended processing
+                # - ISIG: Disable signal generation
+                newattr[tty.LFLAG] &= ~(
+                    termios.ECHO | termios.ICANON | termios.IEXTEN | termios.ISIG
+                )
+
+                # Patch IFLAG (input flags)
+                # Disable:
+                # - IXON/IXOFF: XON/XOFF flow control
+                # - ICRNL/INLCR/IGNCR: Various newline translations
+                newattr[tty.IFLAG] &= ~(
+                    termios.IXON
+                    | termios.IXOFF
+                    | termios.ICRNL
+                    | termios.INLCR
+                    | termios.IGNCR
+                )
+
+                # Set VMIN to 1 (minimum number of characters to read)
+                # This ensures we get at least 1 character
+                newattr[tty.CC][termios.VMIN] = 1
+
+                # Apply the new terminal settings
+                termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSANOW, newattr)
+
+                # Read up to 4096 bytes (same as Textual)
+                raw_data = os.read(fd, 1024 * 4)
+
+                # Use incremental UTF-8 decoder for proper Unicode handling
+                decoder = getincrementaldecoder("utf-8")()
+                result = decoder.decode(raw_data, final=True)
+
+                # Check for CTRL+C (ASCII 3)
+                if "\x03" in result:
+                    raise KeyboardInterrupt()
+
+                return result
+
+            finally:
+                # Restore original terminal settings
+                termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSANOW, attrs_before)
+                sys.stdout.flush()
+
+                if f is not None:
+                    f.close()
+
+        except termios.error:
+            # If we can't control the terminal, fall back to simple read
+            return sys.stdin.read(1)
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/_input_handler.py b/src/rich_toolkit/_input_handler.py
index fea924a..3d9daf2 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/_input_handler.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/_input_handler.py
@@ -1,16 +1,43 @@
+"""Unified input handler for all platforms."""
+
 import string
+import sys
 
 
 class TextInputHandler:
-    DOWN_KEY = "\x1b[B"
-    UP_KEY = "\x1b[A"
-    LEFT_KEY = "\x1b[D"
-    RIGHT_KEY = "\x1b[C"
-    BACKSPACE_KEY = "\x7f"
-    DELETE_KEY = "\x1b[3~"
-    TAB_KEY = "\t"
-    SHIFT_TAB_KEY = "\x1b[Z"
-    ENTER_KEY = "\r"
+    """Input handler with platform-specific key code support."""
+
+    # Platform-specific key codes
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        # Windows uses \xe0 prefix for special keys when using msvcrt.getwch
+        DOWN_KEY = "\xe0P"  # Down arrow
+        UP_KEY = "\xe0H"  # Up arrow
+        LEFT_KEY = "\xe0K"  # Left arrow
+        RIGHT_KEY = "\xe0M"  # Right arrow
+        DELETE_KEY = "\xe0S"  # Delete key
+        BACKSPACE_KEY = "\x08"  # Backspace
+        TAB_KEY = "\t"
+        SHIFT_TAB_KEY = "\x00\x0f"  # Shift+Tab
+        ENTER_KEY = "\r"
+
+        # Alternative codes that might be sent
+        ALT_BACKSPACE = "\x7f"
+        ALT_DELETE = "\x00S"
+    else:
+        # Unix/Linux key codes (ANSI escape sequences)
+        DOWN_KEY = "\x1b[B"
+        UP_KEY = "\x1b[A"
+        LEFT_KEY = "\x1b[D"
+        RIGHT_KEY = "\x1b[C"
+        BACKSPACE_KEY = "\x7f"
+        DELETE_KEY = "\x1b[3~"
+        TAB_KEY = "\t"
+        SHIFT_TAB_KEY = "\x1b[Z"
+        ENTER_KEY = "\r"
+
+        # Alternative codes
+        ALT_BACKSPACE = "\x08"
+        ALT_DELETE = None
 
     def __init__(self):
         self.text = ""
@@ -27,6 +54,7 @@ def _insert_char(self, char: str) -> None:
         self._move_cursor_right()
 
     def _delete_char(self) -> None:
+        """Delete character before cursor (backspace)."""
         if self.cursor_left == 0:
             return
 
@@ -34,15 +62,20 @@ def _delete_char(self) -> None:
         self._move_cursor_left()
 
     def _delete_forward(self) -> None:
+        """Delete character at cursor (delete key)."""
         if self.cursor_left == len(self.text):
             return
 
         self.text = self.text[: self.cursor_left] + self.text[self.cursor_left + 1 :]
 
     def handle_key(self, key: str) -> None:
-        if key == self.BACKSPACE_KEY:
+        # Handle backspace (both possible codes)
+        if key == self.BACKSPACE_KEY or (
+            self.ALT_BACKSPACE and key == self.ALT_BACKSPACE
+        ):
             self._delete_char()
-        elif key == self.DELETE_KEY:
+        # Handle delete key
+        elif key == self.DELETE_KEY or (self.ALT_DELETE and key == self.ALT_DELETE):
             self._delete_forward()
         elif key == self.LEFT_KEY:
             self._move_cursor_left()
@@ -57,8 +90,14 @@ def handle_key(self, key: str) -> None:
         ):
             pass
         else:
-            # even if we call this handle key, in some cases we might receive multiple keys
-            # at once
+            # Handle regular text input
+            # Special keys on Windows start with \x00 or \xe0
+            if sys.platform == "win32" and key and key[0] in ("\x00", "\xe0"):
+                # Skip special key sequences
+                return
+
+            # Even if we call this handle_key, in some cases we might receive
+            # multiple keys at once (e.g., during paste operations)
             for char in key:
                 if char in string.printable:
                     self._insert_char(char)
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/container.py b/src/rich_toolkit/container.py
index c716332..adb0758 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/container.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/container.py
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@
 
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
-import click
 from rich.control import Control, ControlType
 from rich.live_render import LiveRender
 from rich.segment import Segment
 
+from ._getchar import getchar
 from ._input_handler import TextInputHandler
+
 from .element import Element
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -169,7 +170,7 @@ def run(self):
 
         while True:
             try:
-                key = click.getchar()
+                key = getchar()
 
                 self.previous_element_index = self.active_element_index
 
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/input.py b/src/rich_toolkit/input.py
index 8f38a38..eecfe82 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/input.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/input.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Optional
 
 from ._input_handler import TextInputHandler
+
 from .element import CursorOffset, Element
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/menu.py b/src/rich_toolkit/menu.py
index c56c916..812e413 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/menu.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/menu.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 from typing_extensions import Any, Literal, TypedDict
 
 from ._input_handler import TextInputHandler
+
 from .element import CursorOffset, Element
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/progress.py b/src/rich_toolkit/progress.py
index 2308409..0f4d528 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/progress.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/progress.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 from rich.console import Console, RenderableType
 from rich.live import Live
 from rich.text import Text
-from typing_extensions import Literal
 
 from .element import Element
 
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/styles/base.py b/src/rich_toolkit/styles/base.py
index 588db07..e2adab1 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/styles/base.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/styles/base.py
@@ -246,17 +246,18 @@ def render_input_value(
     ) -> RenderableType:
         text = input.text
 
+        # Check if this is a password field and mask it
+        if isinstance(input, Input) and input.password and text:
+            text = "*" * len(text)
+
         if not text:
             placeholder = ""
 
             if isinstance(input, Input):
                 placeholder = input.placeholder
 
-                if input.password:
-                    text = "*" * len(input.text)
-                else:
-                    if input.default_as_placeholder and input.default:
-                        return f"[placeholder]{input.default}[/]"
+                if input.default_as_placeholder and input.default:
+                    return f"[placeholder]{input.default}[/]"
 
             if input._cancelled:
                 return f"[placeholder.cancelled]{placeholder}[/]"
diff --git a/src/rich_toolkit/styles/border.py b/src/rich_toolkit/styles/border.py
index ada0c19..2dc7dcb 100644
--- a/src/rich_toolkit/styles/border.py
+++ b/src/rich_toolkit/styles/border.py
@@ -74,16 +74,23 @@ def render_input(
         if message := self.render_validation_message(element):
             validation_message = (message,)
 
-        if element.valid is False:
-            border_color = self.console.get_style("error").color or Color.parse("red")
-
         title = self.render_input_label(
             element,
             is_active=is_active,
             parent=parent,
         )
 
-        border_color = Color.parse("white")
+        # Determine border color based on validation state
+        if element.valid is False:
+            try:
+                border_color = self.console.get_style("error").color or Color.parse(
+                    "red"
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                # Fallback if error style is not defined
+                border_color = Color.parse("red")
+        else:
+            border_color = Color.parse("white")
 
         return self._box(
             self.render_input_value(element, is_active=is_active, parent=parent),
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 2d3edd5..c0520b2 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rich-toolkit"
-version = "0.14.8"
+version = "0.14.9"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "click" },