How to use Maccy: clipboard history, shortcuts and tips

What Maccy needs before you install it

Maccy works on macOS Sonoma 14 or higher. It is made only for macOS, so it is not an option on Windows or Linux.

Homebrew is optional. You only need it if you want to use the brew install command shown below.

• macOS Sonoma 14 or higher
• Homebrew, optional, for the brew install command

Install Maccy with Homebrew or from the releases page

The README lists two ways to get Maccy. You can download the latest version from the releases page on GitHub, or install it with Homebrew using the command below.

Use only the official website, maccy.app. The README warns that sites such as maccyapp.net and maccyapp.com distribute malware disguised as Maccy.

Open Maccy and search your clipboard history

Press Shift + Command + C to open Maccy, or click its icon in the menu bar. Then type what you are looking for. The list filters as you type, so you can find an earlier copy without scrolling.

To choose an item, press Enter or click it. Pressing Enter copies the item. Pressing Option + Enter chooses it and pastes it. Pressing Shift + Option + Enter pastes it without formatting.

Command + n, Option + n and Shift + Option + n also work on a numbered item, as described in the README.

• Shift + Command + C: open Maccy
• Enter or click: copy the selected item
• Option + Enter or Option + click: choose and paste
• Option + Shift + Enter or Option + Shift + click: paste without formatting
• Option + Delete: delete the selected item
• Command + ,: open Preferences

Pin, delete and clear items

To keep an item at the top of the list, press Option + P. The README says the item moves to the top with a random but permanent keyboard shortcut. Press Option + P again to unpin it.

To clear unpinned items, select Clear in the menu or press Option + Command + Delete. To clear everything, including pinned items, select Clear in the menu while holding Option, or press Shift + Option + Command + Delete.

• Option + P: pin or unpin an item
• Option + Command + Delete: clear all unpinned items
• Shift + Option + Command + Delete: clear all items, including pinned

Pause Maccy or ignore sensitive copies

To disable Maccy and ignore new copies, click the menu icon while holding Option. To ignore only the next copy, hold Option + Shift while clicking the menu icon.

The README also describes an ignoreEvents setting you can change with the defaults command. It is useful if you copy sensitive data in a workflow: set it to true, copy the data, then set it back to false. By default Maccy also ignores copy types the README calls confidential or temporary, such as org.nspasteboard.ConcealedType.

Change settings and speed up clipboard checks

To customize Maccy, open the Preferences window with Command + ,. The README does not list every option, so check that window for the full set.

By default Maccy checks the clipboard every 500 ms. You can change this with defaults. The example in the README sets it to 0.1 seconds (100 ms).

Fix common problems

If Maccy does not paste when you select an item, check that Paste automatically is enabled in Preferences and that Maccy is listed under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility.

If your hotkey is already used by another system setting, disable that shortcut under System settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, restart Maccy, then assign the hotkey again in Maccy settings.

• Paste does nothing: enable Paste automatically and add Maccy to Accessibility.
• Hotkey conflict: disable the system shortcut, restart Maccy, reassign.