macOS Tahoe: clipboard history in Spotlight
Apple added a clipboard history to Spotlight in macOS Tahoe (26).
- Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight.
- Press Cmd + 4, or click the Clipboard button that appears in Spotlight.
- The first time, macOS warns that the clipboard can contain sensitive information and asks you to turn the feature on.
- Choose an item. It is copied again; paste it with Cmd + V.
To change how long items are kept, or to clear them, open System Settings → Spotlight.
Older macOS versions: Show Clipboard
Before Tahoe, macOS keeps only the most recent copy. To see it, open Finder and choose Edit → Show Clipboard. When you copy something new, the previous item is replaced.
A clipboard manager for Chrome on the Mac
If you work mostly in the browser, Clipboard Tool gives you a history that:
- keeps as many items as you set (500 by default) until you delete them;
- has search, favorites, tags and text shortcuts;
- skips password-like text by default;
- works the same way on your Mac, a Windows PC at work and a Chromebook.
It saves what you copy while Chrome is open, including copies from other Mac apps.
Mac clipboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | Cmd + C |
| Cut | Cmd + X |
| Paste | Cmd + V |
| Paste and match style | Cmd + Option + Shift + V |
| Clipboard history (Tahoe) | Cmd + Space, then Cmd + 4 |
| Screenshot to clipboard | Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
More shortcuts for Windows and Chromebook: clipboard keyboard shortcuts.