Mac Clipboard History - How to View and Clear Clipboard History on a Mac

Mac technology differs significantly from Windows in every aspect, including its clipboard functionality. Unlike a Windows PC, where you can copy and reuse information multiple times until you log off or restart your computer, the Mac operates differently.

To successfully perform copy and paste on a Mac, you need to understand its clipboard. The Mac clipboard has a temporary memory that only holds the most recently copied item. In this article, we will explore where the clipboard is located on a Mac and how to view and clear its clipboard history.

#1 What Is Clipboard History on Mac

Clipboard history refers to the feature of your device that allows it to store previous items that have been copied or cut, even if they are not the most recent. To illustrate this simply, suppose you're filling out a form and copy your details such as your name, age, and address from a text file to verify accuracy. Even after copying the address last, you should still be able to paste your name, as it was copied earlier. This feature enables access to items beyond the most recently copied content.

What enables this functionality is the Clipboard history feature. However, on a Mac, the clipboard only retains the most recent item you have copied or cut, without any provision to access other items copied concurrently. By default, macOS offers two additional features that augment the basic clipboard functionality.

Universal Clipboard

Introduced in iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, this is a clipboard feature that enables effortless copying and pasting of information between Apple devices with a shared iCloud account and connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Bluetooth must be enabled for this feature to work.

To make this work, the devices need to be in close proximity, and you can then copy content on the Mac and paste it to the other device as if they were part of a single system. If you encounter issues while attempting this, try logging out of the iCloud account on all devices and logging back in.

Hidden Secondary Clipboard

This clipboard has double the capacity of your default Mac clipboard as it functions as if it has a separate memory. To utilize the hidden secondary clipboard after highlighting the text, press "Command + K" to cut the content, and then use "Command + Y" to paste the information.

With this feature, copying is not possible as it solely functions to cut and paste information. However, there's an advantage - you can still retrieve what you've copied using "Command + C" on your clipboard, as this feature does not消除previously copied content.

Where Is Clipboard on Mac? The clipboard on a Mac is a virtual space that temporarily stores copied or cut content, allowing you to paste it elsewhere. It's not an actual app or visible window, but you can access its contents using keyboard shortcuts or certain features in apps. Here's how to work with the clipboard on your Mac: 1. **Copy Text or Items:** - Select the text or item you want to copy. - Press `Command + C` on your keyboard. This copies the selected content to the clipboard. 2. **Cut Text or Items:** - Select the text or item you want to cut. - Press `Command + X` on your keyboard. This removes the content and saves it to the clipboard. 3. **Paste Content:** - Place the cursor where you want to paste the content. - Press `Command + V` on your keyboard to paste the clipboard's contents. 4. **Using the Pasteboard History ( macOS Mojave and later):** - If you have enabled the "Show Clipboard" feature in the Accessibility settings, you can access your recent pasteboard history by: - Click on the menu bar icon with two overlapping rectangles (looks like a clipboard). - Choose the item you want to paste from the dropdown menu. 5. **Third-Party Apps:** - There are several third-party apps, such as Alfred, Paste, and ClipMenu, which provide more advanced clipboard management features, including storing multiple items and pasting from a history list. Remember that the clipboard contents are cleared when you restart your Mac or when new content is copied or cut. To maintain clipboard history across sessions, you might need one of these third-party apps.

The Mac clipboard operates subtly in the background, utilizing minimal processing power to function efficiently. It requires only a small amount of space, therefore it only stores the most recent item you have copied. Here's how to view your clipboard on a Mac:

Step 1. Open the Finder app and click "Edit" in the top left corner.

Step 2. Select "Show Clipboard" to view the most recently copied item.

How to View and Manage Clipboard History on a Mac

On a Mac, once you copy a new item, the previously copied item is no longer accessible, whether it's text, an object, or an image. The Mac has a temporary memory feature that only holds one item at a time.

The issue at hand is how to view clipboard history on a Mac, and developers have devised solutions referred to as Clipboard Managers. These are applications that enable you to access your clipboard history on a Mac.

How to Clear Clipboard on Mac

Clearing the clipboard on a Mac is relatively simple and can be accomplished through various methods.

1. Overwriting the previously copied item with something else, that is, copying a new item. 2. Deleting the clipboard history with a few clicks using clipboard managers. 3. Restarting your computer will clear all contents from the clipboard.

To clear the clipboard using the Mac Terminal, follow these steps: 1. Open the Terminal application on your Mac. You can do this by searching for "Terminal" in Spotlight (press Command + Space), or by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. 2. Once the Terminal window is open, type the following command and then press Enter: ``` pbempty ``` 3. The command will execute, and it will clear the contents of your clipboard. That's it! Your clipboard should now be empty.

Step 1. Access the Finder Menu, click "Edit," and then select "Show Clipboard" to view the currently stored data.

Step 2. Next, click on the "Go" tab and select "Utilities" from the dropdown menu.

Click on "Utilities" in the screen.

Step 3. On the next screen, click on the "Terminal" icon.

Click the Terminal icon

Step 4. Then type pbcopy.

If you check the open Clipboard window, you'll notice that it doesn't contain any information.

Conclusion

In this article, we have outlined the concept of clipboard history and its location. Furthermore, to assist you in managing clipboard activities on your Mac, we have detailed how to view and manage clipboard history as well as the process to clear the clipboard. We hope that all the information provided will be beneficial to you.