# What is clipboard history? > Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/clipboard-history/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. A Mac normally keeps only the last copy, and a new copy replaces the old one. A history keeps several. ## Why it matters Copying a second thing no longer loses the first. If you copy a link, then an address, then a name, all three stay available. A history also lets you search what you copied and pick one item back out, which saves going back to the source to copy it again. ## What it holds In NotchStar, the Clipboard tool keeps up to 50 recent copies. Text goes in as plain text, copied images are shrunk so the list stays small, and files copied in Finder are kept as files, not as their names. Click a row and that item goes back on the clipboard, ready to paste. Typing in the search box filters the list. ## What to watch for A history records whatever you copy, which can include passwords. Good tools skip items a password manager marks as concealed, using the [concealed pasteboard type](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/concealed-pasteboard-type/). An app that does not mark its copies cannot be detected, so clear the history if you are unsure. Check where a tool stores its list. NotchStar keeps it in memory only and clears it when you quit, which is explained in [why clipboard history clears on quit](https://www.notchstar.com/help/clipboard-history-clears-on-quit/). ## Related Apple's [Universal Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/universal-clipboard/) moves the latest copy between devices but does not keep a list. See [how to see your clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-clipboard-history-on-mac/), [how to search it](https://www.notchstar.com/help/search-your-clipboard-history/) and [NotchStar's Clipboard tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/). ## Keep reading. - [How to see your clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-clipboard-history-on-mac/): How to see what you copied on a Mac: Spotlight clipboard history on macOS 27, what Apple says for macOS 26 and 15, and when a clipboard app is worth adding. - [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again. - [How to search your clipboard history in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/search-your-clipboard-history/): Open the notch, pick Clipboard and type to filter 50 recent copies. Search ignores capitals and accents, and typing image finds copied images. - [Why your NotchStar clipboard history clears when you quit](https://www.notchstar.com/help/clipboard-history-clears-on-quit/): NotchStar keeps clipboard history in memory only, so quitting the app clears it. Nothing is written to disk, and password manager copies are skipped. - [What is the concealed pasteboard type?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/concealed-pasteboard-type/): The concealed pasteboard type is a marker password managers put on copied secrets so clipboard tools can skip them. Learn how it works and where it falls short. - [What is Universal Clipboard?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/universal-clipboard/): Universal Clipboard lets you copy on one Apple device and paste on another nearby one. Learn what it needs and how it differs from clipboard history. ## More in Notch and apps. - [What is a notch app?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch-app/): A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do. - [What is the Dynamic Island?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/dynamic-island/): The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect. - [What is a live activity?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/live-activity/): A live activity is a small readout of something happening right now, such as a timer or a song. Learn the iPhone meaning and how notch apps use the term. - [What is a file shelf?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/file-shelf/): A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop. - [What is the Pomodoro technique?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/pomodoro/): The Pomodoro technique splits work into timed focus blocks with short breaks. Learn the basic pattern and how a Mac timer in the notch tracks it. - [What is a teleprompter?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/teleprompter/): A teleprompter shows a scrolling script near the camera so you can read while looking at the lens. Learn how a notch teleprompter works on a Mac.