How to See Clipboard History on Mac (3 Ways)

To see clipboard history on a Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe or later, press ⌘Space (Command-Space) to open Spotlight, then press ⌘4 (Command-4) to show what you copied recently. On macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 14 Sonoma and earlier, the Mac remembers only the last thing you copied. To see a history on those versions, or to keep copies for longer, you need a clipboard manager such as Maccy, Raycast or Gubb.

To see what is on the clipboard right now, on any version, open Finder and choose Edit ▸ Show Clipboard.

Does macOS have clipboard history?

Before macOS 26 Tahoe, it doesn't. The macOS clipboard holds one item. Each time you press ⌘C (Command-C), the new copy replaces the old one, and the old one is gone.

This has two consequences:

• You can't recover an old copy later. A clipboard manager records only from the moment it starts running. If nothing was recording when you copied something yesterday, no app can bring it back.
• To copy several items, you have to paste each one before you copy the next. The only way around this is a tool that keeps a history.

There are two built-in ways to check the current item:

• Finder: click the desktop or a Finder window, then choose Edit ▸ Show Clipboard. A small window shows what's on the clipboard and what kind of content it is.
• Terminal: the command below prints the text currently on the clipboard. It doesn't change anything.

pbpaste

Universal Clipboard (copy on iPhone, paste on Mac) passes the current item between your Apple devices. It doesn't keep a history either. For more on how the clipboard works, see where the clipboard is on Mac.

Option 1: See clipboard history in Spotlight on macOS Tahoe

macOS 26 Tahoe added a clipboard view to Spotlight. It's free and there's nothing to install.

1. Press ⌘Space to open Spotlight.
2. Press ⌘4 to switch to clipboard history.
3. If Spotlight says clipboard history is off, turn it on there.
4. Type to filter the list, then choose the item you want.

If you don't see clipboard results, open System Settings, search for "Spotlight" and check that clipboard results are turned on. On Sequoia, Sonoma or earlier, this feature doesn't exist. You can check your version under Apple menu ▸ About This Mac.

What it can't do: Spotlight's history is for things you copied recently. It isn't a long-term archive. If you want to pin snippets you reuse, keep copies for months, or you're on an older macOS, use a clipboard manager.

Option 2: Use a clipboard manager such as Raycast or Maccy

A clipboard manager runs in the background and saves each copy. Two common choices on Mac:

Raycast

Raycast is a keyboard launcher with clipboard history built in. Its clipboard history lets you pin items, filter by type and paste as plain text. As of November 2026:

• The free plan keeps 3 months of clipboard history.
• Raycast Pro ($10 a month) removes that limit. It also adds AI, cloud sync and dictation.

After installing Raycast, open it and search for clipboard history to see your copies.

Pick Raycast if you also want a keyboard launcher and 3 months of history is enough.

Maccy

Maccy is a small clipboard manager that does nothing else. You open it from the menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut, then type to search your history. It also supports Shortcuts actions.

Maccy is open source (MIT license), so you can build it yourself from its GitHub source for free. As of November 2026, the Mac App Store version costs $9.99 once and is sold to support development. Maccy's README warns about fake websites pretending to be Maccy, so get it only from maccy.app, its GitHub page or the App Store.

Pick Maccy if you want keyboard-first clipboard history and nothing more.

Alfred also has clipboard history, but only with the paid Powerpack (£34 one-time for the Single License, as of November 2026). For a full comparison, see our best clipboard managers for Mac.

Option 3: Use Gubb's clipboard history panel

We make Gubb, so weigh this section with that in mind. Gubb is a notes window with a clipboard history panel next to the note. It suits you if you copy things in order to collect them somewhere, such as research snippets, links, code or quotes. You can see your copies beside a note and drop them into it.

1. Open Gubb from the Dock, or left-click its menu bar icon.
2. Move the pointer to the right edge of the note. A column of buttons appears.
3. Click Clipboard History. A panel opens on the right side of the window.
4. Copy text in any app. Each copy appears in the panel, grouped by date and showing the time you copied it.
   What to know before you rely on it:

• Recording starts when you open the panel. Gubb records nothing in a session until you first open Clipboard History. After launching Gubb, open the panel once before you start copying.
• It saves text only. Images, files and rich text are not saved. Each item is tagged as Text, Link or Code.
• Gubb has to be running. Recording stops when Gubb quits. Clicking the window's red close button may quit the app. To get the window out of the way, left-click the menu bar icon to hide it instead.
• There's no global shortcut. You open the panel from inside the Gubb window, not with a hotkey from other apps.
• It can't paste directly into other apps. Click Copy to clipboard on an item, then press ⌘V (Command-V) where you want it.

As of November 2026, Gubb costs $59 one-time, and the Mac download comes with a 7-day free trial.

Pin, search and re-copy items in Gubb

Hover over an item to see its buttons:

At the top of the panel:

• Search clipboard... filters items by the text they contain.
• The filter menu shows only Text, Links or Code. Clear filters resets it.
• The All and Favorites tabs switch between everything and pinned items.
• Refresh clipboard history reloads the list.

Copy multiple items on Mac and paste them together

The Mac clipboard can't hold several items at once, but a clipboard history works around that:

1. Open Gubb's Clipboard History panel.
2. Copy each piece of text you need, one after another, from any app.
3. In Gubb, hover the title bar and click + (Create New Note) to start a blank note.
4. Narrow the panel to the items you want, using Search clipboard... or a filter, or delete the items you don't want. Paste All inserts everything shown in the panel, including older copies.
5. Click Paste All. Gubb inserts every visible item into the note, with a blank line between items.
6. Press ⌘⇧C (Command-Shift-C) in the note to copy the whole note as plain text. Then paste it wherever you need it.

You can also do this without an app. In many apps, you can drag selected text to the desktop to create a text clipping file, then gather the clippings. It works, but it's slow for more than a few items.

How long Gubb keeps your copies

• Gubb stores up to 1,000 unpinned items. Beyond that, it deletes the oldest unpinned items. You can't change this limit.
• Pinned items are kept until you delete them.
• Items don't expire after a set time.
• The panel loads only the newest 100 items, with pinned items first, so pin anything you'll want later.

Full details are in the Clipboard History section of the help center.

Privacy: passwords and sensitive text

A clipboard manager records everything you copy, including passwords, card numbers and private messages, unless it's built to skip them. Check what your manager does before you copy sensitive text.

In Gubb, be aware of these limits:

• It doesn't filter passwords. Text copied from a password manager is stored like anything else.
• You can't exclude apps. There's no way to tell Gubb to ignore a specific app.
• History is stored unencrypted on your Mac. It's saved in a local database:
  • gubb.net download: ~/Library/Containers/com.gubbapp.direct/Data/Library/Application Support/gubb/gubb.db
  • Mac App Store version: the same path with com.gubbapp.release in place of com.gubbapp.direct

Clipboard history isn't synced or uploaded, and Gubb has no account.

What you can do about it:

1. Delete a sensitive item right away: hover over it and click Delete item.
2. Wipe everything: click Clear History. Pinned items are kept unless you turn off Keep favorites. Then click Clear. You can't undo this.
3. Avoid recording it in the first place: use your password manager's autofill instead of copying passwords. Or quit Gubb before you copy something sensitive. Closing the panel may not stop recording, so quit the app.

To clear history in other tools too, see how to clear clipboard history on Mac.

Which method to use

If you're on Tahoe and only need your last few copies, Spotlight is enough. If you want history you can open from any app with a shortcut, use Raycast or Maccy. If you copy things to collect them in notes, Gubb keeps your notes and copies in one window.

If clipboard history doesn't work

• There are no clipboard results in Spotlight. Either your Mac isn't on macOS 26 Tahoe or later, or clipboard results are off. Check About This Mac, then search "Spotlight" in System Settings.
• Something you copied earlier is missing. Nothing was recording when you copied it. History starts only once a manager is running, so set one up now for next time.
• Gubb's panel says "Nothing in your clipboard yet". Recording started when you opened the panel. Copy some text and it will appear.
• An image or file you copied isn't in Gubb. Gubb records text only. If you need images, use a manager that handles them.
• Gubb stopped recording. The app probably quit, for example when you closed its window. Reopen Gubb and open Clipboard History again. Next time, hide the window with the menu bar icon.
• Gubb shows "Error Initializing Clipboard". The clipboard monitor couldn't start. Quit and reopen Gubb. If it keeps happening, contact us with the full error text and your macOS version.

FAQ

How many items does the Mac clipboard hold?
One. Every copy replaces the previous item. On macOS 26 Tahoe, Spotlight adds a list of recent copies, and clipboard managers keep a longer history.

Can I see my iPhone's clipboard history on my Mac?
No. Universal Clipboard passes only the current item between Apple devices, not a history.

Is there clipboard history on Windows?
Yes, it's built in. Turn it on, then press Win+V. See how to use clipboard history on Windows.