CopyBufferWhat macOS does on its own
- macOS 15 Sequoia and earlier: the clipboard holds one item. Copy something new and the previous item is gone for good. To look at the current item, choose Finder ▸ Edit ▸ Show Clipboard.
- macOS Tahoe 26: Spotlight can show clipboard history. Open Spotlight with ⌘Space and switch to its clipboard view to browse what you copied recently. If nothing shows up, turn on Results from Clipboard in System Settings ▸ Spotlight. Copies are kept only for a limited time, so it answers "what did I just copy?" rather than "where is that log line from Tuesday?".
Neither keeps a long history, encrypts it, or lets you search the text inside a screenshot you copied.
See every copy with CopyBuffer
- Install CopyBuffer and leave it running in the menu bar. From then on every copy is recorded: text, images and files.
- In any app, press ⌘⇧V. The list opens right under your text caret.
- Start typing to search. Several words separated by spaces must all match, and file names, paths and the text inside images are searched too.
- Press ↩ to paste into the app you were in, or ⌘1 – ⌘9 to paste one of the first nine items directly.
The list has All · Text · Images · Files tabs. Switch with ← → while the search field is empty, or with ⌥1 – ⌥4.
| Copied | Kept as | ↩ pastes |
|---|---|---|
| Text | The text, up to 1 MB | Plain text |
| Image | The image and a preview, encrypted, with its text read for search | The image, or a file for large images (over 10 MB by default) |
| File (Finder ⌘C) | The path only | The file, or its path in a text field |
Copying the same thing again moves it to the top instead of adding a duplicate.
Keep what matters, skip what doesn't
- Pin an item with ⌘P. Pinned items don't count toward the history limit (500 items by default, changeable in Settings ▸ General).
- Delete one item with ⌘⌫, or clear everything except pinned items with Clear history (except pinned)… in the menu bar menu.
- Don't record copies from certain apps (Settings ▸ Excluded apps), pause recording for 15 minutes, 1 hour or until you resume, or skip just the next copy (Don’t record next copy in the menu bar menu). Copies that password managers mark as concealed are never recorded.
- Save as snippet with ⌘S if it's text you paste every week.
Where the history is stored
Everything stays on your Mac in ~/Library/Application Support/CopyBuffer/, readable by you only. History, snippets and images are encrypted with AES-256-GCM, and the key is wrapped by your Mac's Secure Enclave, so the files can't be opened on another Mac. There is no server and no account.
Limits
- The history starts when CopyBuffer is installed. Nothing copied before that can be recovered.
- This guide is about the Mac. CopyBuffer also has a Windows version (opens with Win+Alt+V), but there is no sync between computers and no iPhone app.
- Clipboard history is tied to this Mac's Secure Enclave, so it can't be moved to a new Mac.
- CopyBuffer runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later with Apple Silicon.
FAQ
Can I get back something I copied yesterday without a clipboard manager?
Usually not. Up to macOS 15 only the current item exists, and Spotlight's clipboard history in macOS Tahoe 26 keeps copies only for a limited time. A clipboard manager only helps from the moment it is installed.
Does my clipboard history sync to my iPhone?
CopyBuffer keeps its history on this Mac only. Universal Clipboard, a separate macOS feature, can send the item you just copied to a nearby iPhone or iPad. Passwords copied from CopyBuffer's vault are kept off Universal Clipboard.
How many items does CopyBuffer keep?
The last 500 copies by default, plus any number of pinned items. You can change the number in Settings ▸ General.