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How to see your clipboard history on a Mac

Your Mac's clipboard holds one item. See it, turn on clipboard history in Spotlight on macOS Tahoe, and find what to use on Sonoma or Sequoia.

By Ballmac · Updated

You copied something an hour ago, copied something else since, and now you need the first one back. Whether your Mac can help depends on your macOS version. Here's what the clipboard keeps, how to use the clipboard history built into Spotlight, and what to do on older versions of macOS.

Disclosure: we make Sideme, a clipboard manager mentioned at the end. The first three sections use only what's built into macOS.

1. What the Mac clipboard keeps on its own

The clipboard holds one item. Each time you copy, the new item replaces the old one. To see what's on it right now:

  • In Finder, choose Edit › Show Clipboard.
  • In Terminal, run pbpaste to print the copied text.

Universal Clipboard lets you copy on one Apple device and paste on another nearby, but it shares only the current item. It isn't a history.

2. Turn on clipboard history in Spotlight (macOS Tahoe 26 and later)

Starting with macOS Tahoe 26, Spotlight can keep a history of what you copy. It's off until you turn it on:

  1. Open System Settings › Spotlight and scroll to the bottom.
  2. Turn on Results from Clipboard.
  3. Next to Clipboard history is available in Spotlight, choose how long to keep items. The default is 8 hours.

You can also turn it on the first time you open the clipboard in Spotlight: macOS asks whether to allow results from the clipboard.

3. Find and paste an earlier clip

  1. Press ⌘ Space to open Spotlight.
  2. Press ⌘ 4, or click the Clipboard button to the right of the search field.
  3. Type to search your clips.
  4. Select an item and press ⌘ C (or click its copy button), then press ⌘ V where you want it.

To delete the history, click the More button to the right of the search field and choose Clear History, or click Clear Clipboard History in Spotlight settings.

What to keep in mind:

  • Items expire. Spotlight keeps clips only for the period you choose, and there's no way to pin one so it stays.
  • It's per Mac. Clearing it removes the history from Spotlight on that Mac only.
  • Sensitive data can show up. Apple warns that personal and sensitive information may appear in the results, so clear the history after copying things like passwords or card numbers.

4. On macOS Sonoma or Sequoia

macOS 14 Sonoma and macOS 15 Sequoia don't have a clipboard history. Finder's Show Clipboard still shows the current item, but anything you copied before it is gone. To keep a history on these versions, you need a clipboard manager.

5. When a clipboard manager is worth it

Spotlight's history is good for getting back something you copied this afternoon. A clipboard manager makes sense if you want clips to last longer than Spotlight keeps them, a set of snippets you reuse every day, or pasting without leaving the keyboard. When you compare them, check:

  • Password handling. Password managers mark copied passwords as concealed. A good clipboard manager skips those.
  • Excluded apps. You should be able to stop it recording from apps you choose.
  • Where history is stored. Local storage keeps your clipboard off other people's servers.
  • Pinned items. Snippets you reuse should survive history cleanup.

Popular options include Maccy (free and open source, with a searchable list in the menu bar), the clipboard history built into Raycast, and Paste (a subscription).

Sideme, our app, shows your history as color-coded cards that slide up from the bottom of the screen when you press ⌘⇧V. It keeps text, links, images, files, and colors, pastes straight into the app you were using, skips concealed password clips, and lets you exclude apps. History stays on your Mac. Sideme runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later and is free to download, showing your latest 50 clips. Sideme Pro, a one-time $2.99, adds full history, Pinboards, and sync through your own iCloud Drive.

Which should you use?

  • On macOS Tahoe or later and only need today's clips? Turn on Results from Clipboard in Spotlight.
  • On Sonoma or Sequoia, or want clips to last and be pinned? Use a clipboard manager.
  • Only need what's on the clipboard right now? Finder › Edit › Show Clipboard.

The Spotlight steps above follow Apple's guide, Search your Clipboard history in Spotlight on Mac.