CopyQ
Clipboard manager with advanced features
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask copyq
CopyQ — Official Website
Quick Take: CopyQ
Install CopyQ when paste is part of how you automate work, not just how you move text. Version 16 tightens memory handling with per-MIME caps. Tahoe gives casual users a free system history; anyone who needs tabs, regex, and on-copy scripts will keep CopyQ. Pick Paste when you want polish and iCloud sync more than a programmable clipboard.
Best For
- •Developers
- •Support teams with canned replies
- •Cross-platform clipboard power users
What is CopyQ?
CopyQ is an open source clipboard manager that keeps everything you copy. Text, HTML, images, and custom MIME types land in a searchable history you can edit, organize, and script. It runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows, which makes it the pick when a simple history popup is not enough. As of August 2026 CopyQ is still actively maintained. GitHub tags v16.0.0 from 30 May 2026 as the latest stable release. That release adds per-MIME clipboard size limits with OOM protection, AppImage packaging, and fixes for macOS and Wayland. Docs now target macOS 13 and newer because of Qt 6. Homebrew cask remains the usual Mac install. Apple Silicon builds have been around for years. Intel packaging is still discussed as older hardware ages out. The picture on macOS Tahoe 26.x has shifted. Apple added a basic Spotlight clipboard history you open with Command Space then Command 4. It is free but short lived and Mac only, and it keeps just a small window of items. Paste keeps pushing polished Mac UX with MCP hooks for AI tools that landed mid 2026. Maccy stays the light free native option. CopyQ still wins on scripting. JavaScript commands, tabs, regex search, encryption, and CLI automation give it depth the prettier Mac apps rarely match. Tradeoffs are plain. The Qt interface does not look like AppKit. You spend a few minutes enabling Accessibility and setting launch at login. If you want native polish, choose Paste or Maccy. If you want a free cross platform clipboard you can script, CopyQ remains the reference. For Macs in August 2026, install from the vendor site or Homebrew, allow the Accessibility prompt, and recheck release notes after a major macOS update like Tahoe 26.x. Apple Silicon is the normal path. Only verify Intel details if you still use that hardware. Keep a backup of settings before a big jump and pick one install channel for every machine so you do not mix cask and manual DMGs. Power users usually set this up once and forget the UI. A hotkey opens history, regex filters ticket IDs, and a small command strips UTM parameters on every URL copy. That pipeline is why developers keep CopyQ even after trying Tahoe's built-in history or a prettier Mac app. Version 16's MIME size caps matter if you copy large HTML from browsers; without them a single paste can spike memory.
Analysis: Why power users still install CopyQ
Clipboard tools fall into three groups. The system gives basics. Polished Mac apps add native sync and design. CopyQ owns the programmable bucket. Under the hood it watches the system clipboard, keeps items in tabs, and exposes both GUI and CLI. That turns the clipboard into a pipeline you can filter and rewrite. The May 2026 16.0 maintenance focuses on correctness such as size limits and remote desktop visibility, not a redesign, because its audience cares more about reliability than chrome. On a Mac day you typically open history with a global hotkey, type a few characters or a regex, then paste item 0 or a pinned tab entry. Developers often add a command that strips tracking parameters or forces plain text so web formatting never lands in an IDE. Support teams pin replies and diagnostic one-liners so a ticket answer is one shortcut away. Those workflows barely overlap with Tahoe's short Spotlight history. Cross-platform teams benefit because the same scripting model works on Linux and Windows. That is rare among Mac-first clipboard apps. The cost is Qt chrome and a longer first-run setup: Accessibility, hotkeys, login items, and a few commands. Once that is done, most people stop thinking about the UI. Install choices on Mac are simple: Homebrew cask is the path most developers use, and GitHub releases ship the DMG for people who avoid package managers. After first launch you enable Accessibility, set a history hotkey that does not fight Paste or system shortcuts, and decide whether login launch is worth another background process. Version 16.0.0's OOM-minded MIME limits are worth configuring the same day you install if you copy rich web content. Teams that already automate with Raycast or Hammerspoon get extra value because the copyq CLI can paste item N or run a command without opening the main window.
Key Features
Persistent multi-format history
Saves text, HTML, images, and arbitrary formats across reboots. Version 16 adds per-MIME size caps, so you can drop HTML or limit large payloads and avoid memory spikes from a huge browser copy.
Tabs and pinned organization
Group copies into tabs for code, URLs, or research. Pin the snippets you reuse, and use rules or hotkeys to move items where they belong. The right item stays findable when the history grows.
Scripting engine & commands
Run JavaScript or CopyQ commands that transform the clipboard on copy or on demand. Strip tracking params from URLs, fix whitespace, or pretty print JSON without opening another app.
Global shortcuts
Open the history, paste item N, switch tabs, or fire a custom command from any app with a hotkey. The clipboard stays a keystroke away.
Regex search & filters
Filter as you type and use regular expressions to hunt for emails, ticket IDs, URLs, or any pattern across thousands of entries.
Encryption & app exclusion
Keep password managers out of history and encrypt sensitive entries so the clipboard does not become a plaintext vault.
CLI automation
Drive everything from the copyq binary. That makes shell scripts, Raycast, Hammerspoon, and small CI helpers simple to wire up.
Who Should Use CopyQ?
1Software Developer
A developer copies stacks, PR URLs, and snippets all day. Separate tabs per repo keep context, a small command trims trailing whitespace on code copies, and regex brings back an error from hours ago without scrolling.
2Writer / Researcher
Collects quotes into a project tab, pastes with attribution through a custom command, and keeps the thread across days of drafts.
3Support Engineer
Keeps top replies and diagnostic commands pinned and grouped by product. A hotkey drops the right answer into a ticket without hunting.
4Cross-platform developer
Works on a Mac and a Linux box. The same CopyQ commands strip tracking params and paste numbered history items on both systems, so muscle memory survives OS switches better than a Mac-only manager.
How to Install CopyQ on Mac
Homebrew is the simplest route on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 13 and newer. Launch once to clear Gatekeeper, then add it to login items only if you want history from first boot.
Install via Homebrew
Run brew install --cask copyq to place CopyQ in Applications.
Grant Accessibility
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → enable CopyQ for global hotkeys and monitoring.
Set the history hotkey
Preferences → Shortcuts: choose something memorable (for example ⌘⇧V) that does not collide with Paste or system shortcuts.
Launch at login
Enable login launch so history is never missing after reboot.
Pro Tips
- • Raise history size above the default if you paste heavily.
- • Create a Snippets tab for durable content separate from transient copies.
- • On Tahoe, decide whether system Spotlight clipboard is enough, or keep CopyQ for scripting.
Configuration Tips
Cap dangerous MIME sizes
Set clipboard_mime_size_limit or COPYQ_CLIPBOARD_MIME_SIZE_LIMIT so a huge HTML blob from a browser cannot swell memory.
Exclude secret apps
Block 1Password, Bitwarden, and banking apps from capture so secrets never sit in a tab.
Automate URL cleanup
Add a command that removes UTM params on copy so every pasted link is clean.
Alternatives to CopyQ
Pick based on polish versus power. Tahoe's built-in history is new competition for light needs.
macOS Tahoe Spotlight clipboard
Free, system-integrated, limited retention and no scripting. Fine for casual use; not a CopyQ replacement.
Paste
Polished Mac/iOS clipboard with sync and 2026 MCP hooks for AI tools. Paid subscription; less scriptable than CopyQ.
Maccy
Lightweight free native Mac history. Great simple UX; no CopyQ-level automation.
Raycast Clipboard History
Convenient if Raycast is already your launcher; less specialized than CopyQ for power scripting.
Pricing
CopyQ is free under GNU GPL v3. No premium tier, no ads, no account. Optional community donations support the maintainer. Download via GitHub releases or Homebrew.
Pros
- ✓Completely free with no feature paywall
- ✓Best-in-class scripting for clipboard automation
- ✓Cross-platform history workflows for multi-OS developers
- ✓Tabs + regex search scale to heavy daily copy volume
- ✓v16 memory guards reduce OOM risk from huge clipboard payloads
- ✓CLI integrates with shell and automation tools
Cons
- ✗Qt UI is not native macOS visual design
- ✗Steeper setup than Maccy or Paste
- ✗macOS 13+ required on current Qt builds
- ✗No first-party iCloud sync like Paste
- ✗Tahoe's built-in clipboard covers light users, shrinking the casual audience
Community & Support
Work happens on GitHub at hluk/CopyQ with docs on ReadTheDocs. Linux users drive many threads. Mac reports tend to be about permissions, notarization, and Qt quirks. Releases are tagged and discussed heavily. Version 16.0.0 drew strong reactions in May 2026. When you file a Mac bug, list macOS build with Tahoe 26.x, Apple Silicon or Intel, install channel, and whether a fresh user account reproduces it. Release notes for v16.0.0 are the best starting point for what changed in May 2026: per-MIME limits, AppImage packaging, and assorted macOS and Wayland fixes. If you package CopyQ for a team, document the Accessibility step and the chosen hotkey so new Macs do not ship without a working history popup.
Video Tutorials
Getting Started with CopyQ
More Tutorials
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Frequently Asked Questions about CopyQ
About the Author
Productivity & Workflow Analyst
Expert Tips for CopyQ
On Tahoe, try the system clipboard first; keep CopyQ when you need tabs, regex, or transform-on-copy scripts the OS will not provide.
Set MIME size limits immediately after install. Large HTML copies from browsers are the usual memory footgun.
Pair CopyQ CLI with Raycast or shell aliases so snippet paste becomes muscle memory without opening the Qt window.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
Sources & References
Last verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- CopyQ v16.0.0 was released 30 May 2026 with per-MIME clipboard size limits and OOM protection.[cite-1]
- Current CopyQ supports Linux, Windows, and macOS 13+ via Qt.[cite-2]
- macOS Tahoe 26 adds a built-in Spotlight clipboard history that competes with third-party managers for light use.[cite-5]
- 1CopyQ v16.0.0 release
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Latest stable release notes: MIME limits, AppImage, fixes."
- 2hluk/CopyQ GitHub repository
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Project features, macOS 13+ support, Homebrew install."
- 3
- 4
- 5Best clipboard managers for Mac 2026 (Paste blog)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Notes Tahoe Spotlight clipboard history and Paste MCP."
- 6Best clipboard managers 2026 comparison
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Positions CopyQ as scriptable cross-platform power tool."