How do I clear my clipboard on a Mac?

Open Terminal and run pbcopy < /dev/null. The clipboard is then empty, and Command V pastes nothing.

Is there a keyboard shortcut to clear the clipboard on a Mac?

No, macOS doesn't have one. Use the Terminal command pbcopy < /dev/null, or copy a single space to replace what was there.

How do I clear clipboard history on a Mac?

On macOS 26.1 or later, open System Settings, Spotlight, and click Clear Clipboard History. A clipboard manager such as Notchet keeps its own history, which you clear from the app's menu or settings.

Does the Mac clipboard clear itself?

The clipboard holds your last copy until you copy something else. Spotlight's clipboard history and clipboard managers keep older copies until they expire or you clear them.

Do clipboard managers save my passwords?

Good ones skip passwords that password managers mark as secret, as Notchet does. Passwords copied from Terminal, notes or web pages carry no mark, so check how your clipboard manager handles those.

All guides

Mac guide

How to clear the clipboard on a Mac, and keep passwords out of it

Q: Is there a keyboard shortcut to clear the clipboard on a Mac?

No, macOS doesn't have one. Use the Terminal command pbcopy < /dev/null, or copy a single space to replace what was there.

Q: How do I clear clipboard history on a Mac?

On macOS 26.1 or later, open System Settings, Spotlight, and click Clear Clipboard History. A clipboard manager such as Notchet keeps its own history, which you clear from the app's menu or settings.

Q: Does the Mac clipboard clear itself?

The clipboard holds your last copy until you copy something else. Spotlight's clipboard history and clipboard managers keep older copies until they expire or you clear them.

Q: Do clipboard managers save my passwords?

Good ones skip passwords that password managers mark as secret, as Notchet does. Passwords copied from Terminal, notes or web pages carry no mark, so check how your clipboard manager handles those.

By Aqib Javed · Updated Nov 2, 2026

To clear the clipboard on a Mac, open Terminal and run pbcopy < /dev/null. It replaces whatever you copied with nothing, so Command V pastes nothing. Without Terminal, copy a single space instead. That only empties the current clipboard: to clear clipboard history, click Clear Clipboard History in System Settings, Spotlight on macOS 26.1 or later, and use the Clear command in any clipboard manager. Notchet never saves passwords copied from password managers.

How to empty the clipboard with Terminal

Open Terminal from Applications, Utilities, or with Spotlight.
Paste the first line and press Return. There is no message when it works.
Prefer not to use Terminal? Select a single space in any document and copy it. The clipboard then holds only that space.

macOS has no Clear Clipboard command in its menus, but the pbcopy tool that comes with every Mac puts whatever you send it on the clipboard. Send it nothing and the clipboard is empty. The second line checks the result: pbpaste prints the clipboard, so it should print nothing.

pbcopy < /dev/null
pbpaste

How to clear clipboard history on macOS Tahoe and later

Open System Settings and click Spotlight.
Click Clear Clipboard History (added in macOS 26.1) and confirm.
To stop Spotlight keeping copies at all, turn off Results from Clipboard in the same place.

Since macOS 26 Tahoe, Spotlight can keep a history of what you copy if Results from Clipboard is turned on. Emptying the clipboard doesn't remove that history. Apple's own setting warns that personal and sensitive information may appear in those results.

How to clear a clipboard manager's history

Notchet: click its menu bar icon and choose Clear history, or open Settings, History, and click Clear. Pinned clips stay.
To have old clips go by themselves, set Keep history for to 30 days, 7 days or 1 day in Notchet's Settings, History.
To stop saving for a while, choose Pause saving copies from the menu bar icon.

Clipboard managers keep their own history, separate from macOS, so they need clearing in the app itself. Most put a Clear command in their menu bar menu or settings, and many can delete old items on a timer, which is safer than remembering to clear by hand.

How to keep passwords out of clipboard history

Use your password manager's autofill instead of copying passwords. Nothing reaches the clipboard that way.
Password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden mark the passwords you copy as secret. A careful clipboard manager sees that mark and skips them. Check that yours does before you trust it.
Turn on your password manager's option to clear the clipboard a short time after you copy, if it has one.
Passwords and API keys copied from Terminal, a .env file or a web dashboard carry no such mark. Add those apps to your clipboard manager's ignore list, or choose one that spots keys by their shape.
Clear the clipboard with pbcopy < /dev/null after copying something sensitive, so the next paste can't leak it.

What Notchet does with passwords and keys

Notchet, a clipboard manager in the MacBook notch, never saves copies that password managers mark as secret, whatever else you set. For keys and passwords copied from apps that don't mark them, such as Terminal or a .env file, it spots them by their shape from about a hundred services and lets you pick in Settings, Privacy: never save them, delete them 5 minutes after you copy them, or keep them. Their cards only show the first and last few characters. You can also list apps it should never save copies from, and your history stays on your Mac. Notchet doesn't empty the system clipboard itself; use the Terminal command above for that.

Questions

How do I clear my clipboard on a Mac?: Open Terminal and run pbcopy < /dev/null. The clipboard is then empty, and Command V pastes nothing.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to clear the clipboard on a Mac?: No, macOS doesn't have one. Use the Terminal command pbcopy < /dev/null, or copy a single space to replace what was there.
How do I clear clipboard history on a Mac?: On macOS 26.1 or later, open System Settings, Spotlight, and click Clear Clipboard History. A clipboard manager such as Notchet keeps its own history, which you clear from the app's menu or settings.
Does the Mac clipboard clear itself?: The clipboard holds your last copy until you copy something else. Spotlight's clipboard history and clipboard managers keep older copies until they expire or you clear them.
Do clipboard managers save my passwords?: Good ones skip passwords that password managers mark as secret, as Notchet does. Passwords copied from Terminal, notes or web pages carry no mark, so check how your clipboard manager handles those.