I Copied Something and Lost It: How to Get Back Anything You Copied on a Mac

TL;DR

macOS holds only the last clip. Paster records text, rich text, images and files with source app and time, lets you search, favourite and re-paste, and never records clips apps mark confidential.

The pain

You copy a link, then a name, then paste. The link is gone. Or you copied a paragraph an hour ago, closed the tab and now need it back.

Recovering it

  1. Press ⌥⌘V.
  2. Search. Each row shows the source app and how long ago.
  3. Click the clip and paste.

Make it work for you

  • Star clips you reuse (addresses, snippets).
  • Filter by type to find an image fast.
  • Enlarge long text to check it is the right one.

Privacy

No network, no account, no sync. History stays on your Mac, capped at 1,000 items and 30 days.

FAQ

How far back can I go? Up to 1,000 items or 30 days. Favourites and pinned images are kept.

Is it safe with passwords? Clips that an app marks as confidential, as password managers do, are not recorded.

The app Paster →