CopyQ

CopyQ is an open-source clipboard manager that saves everything you copy and lets you search, edit, organize, and script your clipboard history. It's cross-platform (macOS, Linux, Windows) and packed with features that go far beyond what macOS's built-in clipboard does—which is save exactly one item at a time. The core function is simple: CopyQ watches your clipboard and saves every text snippet, image, URL, and file reference you copy. Instead of losing the previous clipboard item when you copy something new, CopyQ keeps a history of hundreds or thousands of items. Press a hotkey, search for what you copied two hours ago, and paste it. This alone saves time for anyone who regularly copies and pastes between apps. What separates CopyQ from simpler clipboard managers (like Maccy or Paste) is its power-user feature set. CopyQ supports tabs for organizing clipboard items by category—one tab for code snippets, another for URLs, another for project-specific content. You can tag items, edit them before pasting, and pin frequently used items to the top. The built-in editor supports text formatting, and images preview directly in the clipboard history. CopyQ's killer feature is its scripting engine. You can write commands in JavaScript or use the built-in scripting language to automate clipboard operations. Automatically strip formatting from copied text. Transform URLs (decode encoded characters, remove tracking parameters). Run a script that processes clipboard content before pasting it. Trigger actions when specific content patterns are copied. The scripting system is powerful enough that CopyQ doubles as a text automation tool. The interface isn't as polished as commercial alternatives like Paste ($3.99/month) or Alfred's clipboard history. CopyQ uses Qt for its UI, which doesn't look native on macOS. But if you value power and customization over visual polish, CopyQ gives you capabilities that the pretty alternatives can't match. And it's completely free.