How to use clipboard history on Mac

What Mac clipboard history solves

The standard copy-and-paste flow replaces the active clipboard item each time you copy something new. That is fine until you need the previous link, a paragraph from two copies ago, or text found inside a screenshot. Clipboard history keeps those recent items available so you do not have to reopen documents or repeat work.

HotClip is a dedicated clipboard manager for macOS 15 and later. It runs from the menu bar, opens from a configurable keyboard shortcut, and is designed around fast recovery of recent clips rather than a cloud account or long-term document library.

Set up HotClip clipboard history

1. Download HotClip

   Download the signed DMG from hotclip.app, open it, and move HotClip to Applications. HotClip is free and does not require an account.

2. Choose your shortcut

   Use the default shortcut or record a different combination in Settings. HotClip also supports a configurable hold gesture for fast temporary access.

3. Copy as usual

   Copy text, images, files or rich text in your normal apps. Supported items appear in HotClip history, subject to your retention, size and privacy settings.

4. Open, find and paste

   Open HotClip, type to search, use the arrows to select a clip, then press Return to paste. You can preview, pin, delete or copy a result without pasting when needed.

Search copied text, images and files

HotClip searches plain text, safely extracted rich text, URLs, file names, source-app names and other local metadata. Filters can narrow results by content type, source, age or pinned status. Optional Apple Vision OCR makes text found in copied images searchable on your Mac while preserving the original image.

For repeated content, pin important clips or turn text into a reusable snippet. For a sequence of values, add clips to a temporary paste queue and paste them one at a time from the keyboard.

Keep clipboard history private

HotClip stores history locally by default and does not upload clipboard contents for search, OCR, previews or text transformations. It rejects clipboard items marked concealed, transient or auto-generated before storage and excludes reviewed password-manager apps by default.

You can pause capture, ignore the next copy, exclude specific applications, set age and storage limits, or clear recent history. Portable export and any separately provisioned private sync are explicit choices rather than requirements. Read the HotClip privacy policy for the complete behavior.

System requirements and direct paste

HotClip supports macOS 15 and later. Accessibility permission is used for automatic paste and the transient hold workflow. Without that permission, HotClip can still open and copy the selected clip so you can paste it yourself with Command-V.

The app publishes a signed Sparkle update feed, versioned installers, SHA-256 checksums and workplace review information. These details help individual users and IT teams verify what they install.

Clipboard history questions

Can I search text inside a copied screenshot?

Yes. When on-device image recognition is enabled, HotClip uses Apple Vision to make detected text searchable locally without replacing the image.

Can I stop an app from entering clipboard history?

Yes. Add the application to HotClip's privacy exclusions. Password managers and concealed or transient pasteboard content receive additional protections.

Does HotClip work without an account?

Yes. The download and normal local clipboard workflow do not require account creation, sign-in or a subscription.