Why You Should Start Using a Clipboard Manager Today
The Pain Everyone Ignores 😫
You copy something important, copy something else... aaand it's gone.
Ever lost a long message you spent 10 minutes writing? Had to keep switching between apps to re-copy five different values? Or filled a long form just for the browser to refresh and for you to lose all the work you've done?
We've all been there.
That’s where clipboard managers come in - saving your day (and your sanity).
So... What Exactly Is a Clipboard Manager? 🤔
A clipboard manager is an app that, well... manages your clipboard.
Every time you copy something (Ctrl+C / ⌘+C) - it's saved in a special place among the stars called "the clipboard".
When you paste (Ctrl+V / ⌘+V) - the most recent item from the clipboard is pasted in the foremost app.
By default - your clipboard only remembers the last item you copied - just one at a time, that's it.
That's how you end up in the kind of hell we opened with, making you question your every life decision that brought you to this miserable moment.
A clipboard manager lets you store many items, search through them, and even pin the ones you use most.
Think of it as a Time Machine, but for everything you’ve copied.
How I Use a Clipboard Manager Every Day 💡
I don't even think about using the clipboard manager - and that's the beauty of it.
I use it to:
- Copy a piece of text, then copy another without overwriting the first.
- Keep an infinite history of my clipboard - everything I copy stays there, ready for immediate access.
- Search through my copied items and find them instantly.
- Organize important notes, code snippets, AI prompts, etc.
OK, You Convinced Me. Now What? 🚀
Glad you asked! Getting started with a clipboard manager is ridiculously easy.
All you have to do is pick a clipboard manager and install it.
But What Clipboard Manager Should I Pick?
The short answer is - it doesn't really matter! Just pick one and try it out.
I use Paste, a very feature rich clipboard manager for Mac with gorgeous UI. It's not free, but it comes along with a Setapp license that I got from work, so if you already have a license you can use it to install Paste.
You can visit their website for pricing information.
Other Great Options
💸 Free and Open Source:
Maccy (Mac) - Lightweight, open source and fast. Minimal and effective.
Raycast (Mac) - A very strong utility tool, a big competitor to Alfred. On the free tier, it stores up to 3 months of clipboard history (older items are automatically removed as new ones are added).
Ditto (Windows) - One of the most popular clipboard managers for Windows. Free, efficient and gets the job done.
Windows Clipboard History (Windows) – Built right into Windows 10 and 11. Just press Win + V to open your clipboard history. Simple, free, and already installed, but limited to 25 items.
🔥 More Paid / Premium Options:
Paste (Mac) - This is what I use in my day-to-day. I recommend it only if you already have a Setapp license, as it can be a little pricy on its own.
Alfred 🎩 (Mac) - A very powerful clipboard manager that comes along with the Alfred Powerpack (if you're interested, I wrote a begginer's guide to Alfred, read it here).
Bottom Line ⚡️
A clipboard manager is one of those tools you try once and instantly wonder how you ever lived without it.
Whether you're coding, writing, designing, researching, filling out annoying forms or just making memes - having a searchable history of everything you copied can be a HUGE upgrade to your workflow.
Pick one. Try it for a day.
You'll never go back.
If you’re into productivity tools, you might enjoy this deep dive into my .zshrc, where I share how I’ve optimized my terminal.
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