Clipboard history for Mac

Does Mac have clipboard history?

By default, your Mac keeps only the last thing you copied, so copy a link after an address and the address is gone. macOS does not track anything besides your most recently copied item, per Setapp. macOS 26 Tahoe added a clipboard history inside Spotlight, but it is shallow: items expire after eight hours by default, according to Cult of Mac. Spud keeps a full history that stays searchable until you clear it, so a copy is never destructive. Download for Mac.

Trust and security signals

Spud is built to be safe to install and honest about what it needs. Every build is signed and notarized by Blastoise, LLC, and you download it directly from eatspud.com instead of the Mac App Store, which means no sandbox limits on reading and pasting your clipboard. It needs one permission to work: Accessibility, so it can paste into the app in front of you. There is no Dock icon, which is normal for a menu-bar app.

Key benefits

Spud gives you four concrete things the default Mac clipboard cannot:

• Never lose a copied thought. Everything you copy is kept, not overwritten.
• Search your whole history from one shortcut instead of scrolling.
• Paste something from an hour or a week ago without breaking your flow.
• Keep passwords and sensitive copies out of your history.

What Spud remembers

Spud keeps far more than plain text. It stores every common thing you copy during a workday:

• Text and paragraphs you meant to paste back
• Links and URLs
• Code snippets and stack traces
• Colors, including hex values
• Addresses
• Images

How it works

Spud puts your whole history one shortcut away, and your hands never leave the keyboard:

1. Copy as usual with ⌘ C.
2. Open your history with ⌃ Space.
3. Type to search for any past copy.
4. Press Return to paste it into the app you are working in.

Ready to try it? Download for Mac.

Feature highlights

Spud's clipboard is built around speed and search, and it sits inside a wider keyboard-first toolkit.

Searchable history

Start typing to find any past copy. There is no scrolling through a long list, and no hunting for the clip you know you saved.

Quick paste

Grab your most recent items with a number key so your hands stay on the keyboard. Pasting something from an hour ago stops being an archaeology project.

Part of a bigger toolkit

The same shortcut world also gives you saved workspaces, snippets, and Talk. The clipboard is one honest part of Spud, not the whole pitch.

Privacy and security

Your clipboard data stays on your Mac. Spud can ignore passwords and skip apps you exclude, so sensitive copies never land in your history. This matters more since macOS 26 Tahoe shipped, because 9to5Mac notes that the built-in Spotlight version retains clipboard contents for eight hours by default, with settings ranging from 30 minutes to 7 days. Spud needs Accessibility permission to paste into other apps, and downloading directly from eatspud.com avoids the App Store sandbox limits that would otherwise get in the way.

Who it's for

Spud fits anyone who copies and pastes for a living, with a specific job for each role:

• Developers reuse code snippets and stack traces without re-copying.
• Writers keep research notes and citations in one searchable place.
• Designers hold onto hex codes and asset links between files.
• Support and sales paste canned replies without digging through docs.

How Spud compares

Spud gives you a full searchable history plus a keyboard-first toolkit, where the built-in option and single-purpose managers each cover less. The built-in macOS 26 Tahoe clipboard lives in Spotlight and, per Cult of Mac, its items expire after eight hours by default. Both rivals do their one job well: Maccy is open source under the MIT license and free, and Paste keeps everything you copy searchable and in sync across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Pricing

Spud is honest about price. The free tier keeps your last 10 clipboard items forever, and Pro unlocks unlimited history for $4.99 per month. The 10-day trial needs no card and no sign-up, and nothing you make in the trial is ever taken away. Start a free Pro trial.

Frequently asked questions

Does macOS have clipboard history built in?

Not fully. By default your Mac keeps only the last item you copied, and macOS does not track anything besides your most recently copied item, per Setapp. macOS 26 Tahoe added a limited clipboard history in Spotlight, but it expires by default and is not built for long-term search.

How do I see my clipboard history on Mac?

Install a clipboard manager, because the native Mac clipboard only shows your last copy. With Spud, press ⌃ Space to open your history, then type to search and press Return to paste. On macOS 26 Tahoe you can also open the built-in Spotlight version, though it keeps far less.

What's the keyboard shortcut for clipboard history on Mac?

In Spud you open your clipboard history with ⌃ Space, then type to search and press Return to paste. For the built-in macOS 26 Tahoe version, Cult of Mac explains you hit Command-Space, then Command-4.

Is my clipboard history private?

Yes. Your Spud clipboard data stays on your Mac, and you can tell it to ignore passwords and skip excluded apps so sensitive copies never get saved. This is worth checking on the built-in option too, since 9to5Mac reports that Spotlight retains clipboard contents for eight hours by default.

Is Spud on the Mac App Store?

No. Spud is not on the Mac App Store. You download it directly from eatspud.com, and every build is signed and notarized, so Gatekeeper can verify it. Direct download is a plus here, because it avoids the App Store sandbox limits on reading and pasting your clipboard.