How to See Clipboard History on Mac
Since macOS 26 Tahoe, your Mac keeps a short clipboard history in Spotlight. On older versions of macOS it only remembers the last item you copied. Here are your options.
Option 1: Spotlight (macOS 26 Tahoe and later)
- 1 Press Command-Space to open Spotlight, then Command-4.
- 2 Type to search, select an item and press Command-C, then paste.
- 3 In System Settings > Spotlight, choose how long it keeps history: 30 minutes, 8 hours or 7 days.
Free and built in. It can't be locked, keeps 7 days at most, and Apple notes sensitive information may appear in it.
Option 2: Older macOS (Finder)
- 1 Open Finder
- 2 Select Edit > Show Clipboard
- 3 Realize it only shows the current item. No history.
Option 3: The Sane Way (SaneClip)
- ✓ ⌘⇧⌃Y opens your full history instantly. (Customizable in Settings.)
- ✓ Search: Unlimited history (Pro), searchable by text, OCR text and source app. No 7-day cut-off.
- ✓ Privacy Upgrades: Pro can add Touch ID lock and history encryption when you need them.
Comparing apps? See Mac clipboard managers compared.