Skip to content
Aqib Javed.
All guides

Mac guide

How to see your clipboard history on a Mac

By Aqib Javed · Updated Oct 9, 2026

On macOS 26 Tahoe, Spotlight keeps a clipboard history: turn on Results from Clipboard in System Settings, Spotlight, then press Command Space and Command 4 to see what you copied. Older versions of macOS only keep the last thing you copied. For a history that lasts longer, searches text inside screenshots and pastes several items at once, use a clipboard manager such as Notchet.

Using the clipboard history built into macOS Tahoe

  1. Open System Settings, then Spotlight, and switch on Results from Clipboard. You can also press Command Space, then Command 4, and click Enable.
  2. To see your history, press Command Space, then Command 4.
  3. Double-click an item to paste it where your cursor is, or type to search what you copied.

It is a good start, and it's already on your Mac. It keeps items for a limited time that you choose in Spotlight's settings, and reviewers have pointed out that it doesn't skip everything password managers copy, so check the settings if you copy sensitive things.

When a clipboard manager is worth it

  • You are on macOS 14 Sonoma or 15 Sequoia, which have no clipboard history at all.
  • You want to keep things you copied days or weeks ago, pin the ones you reuse, or group them into collections.
  • You copy screenshots and want to find them by the words inside them.
  • You paste several things in a row, like filling in a form, and want to pick them all at once.
  • You want copies from your iPhone kept too, and passwords never kept.

Popular options include Maccy (free and open source), Paste (a subscription) and Notchet, which drops out of the MacBook notch. Pick the one whose way of opening suits you.

How to use Notchet for clipboard history

  1. Download Notchet from its page, unzip it, and drag it into Applications. It's free for 7 days, then $2.99 once.
  2. Open it and allow Accessibility access, so a pick can paste straight into the app you were in.
  3. Copy things as usual. Press Option Command V, or rest the pointer on the notch, and the shelf drops out with everything you copied.
  4. Pick a card and press Return to paste it, or Command-click several and paste them all. Type to search, even for words in screenshots.

Questions

Does a Mac have clipboard history?

macOS 26 Tahoe does, in Spotlight (Command Space, then Command 4), once you turn on Results from Clipboard. Earlier versions only keep the last thing you copied.

Where is the clipboard on a Mac?

In Finder, choose Edit, then Show Clipboard, to see the last thing you copied. For everything you copied before that, use the Spotlight clipboard on macOS Tahoe or a clipboard manager.

Does Notchet work on Macs without a notch?

Yes. On a Mac or display without a notch, the shelf drops from the top centre of the screen, or it can open next to the pointer.