How to see your clipboard history on a Mac

macOS Tahoe (26) and later: Spotlight clipboard history

Apple added clipboard history to Spotlight. To open it:

1. Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight.
2. Press Cmd+4, or click the Clipboard button.
3. The first time, macOS may ask if you want to allow search results from the Clipboard. Click Allow.
4. Pick an item to copy it again.

To clear it, choose More > Clear History. These steps come from Apple's Search your clipboard history support page.

How long are items kept? Apple's page does not say. MacRumors reported that macOS 26.0 kept items for 8 hours, and that macOS 26.1 added a setting in System Settings > Spotlight to keep them for 30 minutes, 8 hours or 7 days. Check that setting on your Mac if you need items to last longer.

Older macOS: only the last item

Before Tahoe, macOS kept a single item. You can see it in Finder: click the desktop, then choose Edit > Show Clipboard. That window shows what is on the clipboard now. There is no list of earlier items.

If you are on an older Mac, you need a clipboard manager to keep a history.

Where Spotlight's clipboard history stops

The Tahoe feature is a real improvement. Still, it has limits that matter if you copy a lot:

• Items expire. Even the longest setting reported is 7 days.
• It lives on that one Mac. It does not help on a Windows PC at work or a Chromebook.
• There are no favorites, tags or text shortcuts.

A clipboard history that lives in your browser

If most of your copying happens in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, Clipboard History Pro gives you a history inside the browser, on any Mac version that runs a current browser:

• No expiry. The free plan keeps an unlimited history until you delete it.
• Search everything you have copied.
• Favorites and tags for the items you reuse.
• Text expander. Type a short shortcut in any web form and it expands to the full text. 5 shortcuts free, unlimited on Pro.
• Same history on other computers. With Pro, sync between your Mac, a Windows or Linux PC, and the iPhone and Android apps.

In Chrome, the extension also saves text you copy in other Mac apps while Chrome is running. It saves text only, not images or files.

Spotlight vs a browser extension vs a Mac app

Native Mac clipboard apps such as Maccy and Paste are good choices if you want a system-wide menu-bar tool that only runs on Apple devices. We compare them honestly on our Maccy alternative and Paste alternative pages. Our macOS Tahoe clipboard review goes deeper on the Spotlight feature.

Keyboard shortcuts to remember

• Cmd+C copy, Cmd+X cut, Cmd+V paste.
• Cmd+Shift+V or Option+Shift+Cmd+V pastes without formatting in many apps.
• Cmd+Space, then Cmd+4 opens clipboard history on Tahoe.

See the full Clipboard History Pro feature list and pricing.