# Universal Clipboard not working on a Mac: what to check > If copy and paste between Apple devices fails, check the Apple Account, WiFi, Bluetooth, Handoff and distance, then update and restart both devices. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/universal-clipboard-not-working-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. If Universal Clipboard stops working, check that both devices use the same Apple Account, have WiFi and Bluetooth on, have Handoff on and are near each other. Then install updates and restart both. This is Apple's own troubleshooting advice from its Universal Clipboard article, checked on 4 November 2026. ## Check in this order 1. **Same Apple Account.** Open System Settings on each Mac and check the account name at the top. The two devices must be signed in with the same Apple Account. 2. **WiFi and Bluetooth.** Both must be on, on both devices. Switch each off and on again if you are unsure. 3. **Handoff.** On macOS Ventura 13 or later, go to Apple menu, System Settings, General, AirDrop & Handoff (Apple's page also writes AirDrop & Continuity) and check "Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices". On earlier versions it is in System Preferences, General. Apple says Handoff is on by default. 4. **Distance.** Apple says the devices must be near each other. Bring them close. 5. **Software updates.** Install any available Apple software update on both devices. 6. **Restart.** Restart both devices, then confirm the setup and distance again. ## Check the test itself - Copy something small, such as a word, on one device, and paste on the other straight away. - Apple says the copied content remains on the other device "briefly, or until you replace it by copying something else on either device". If you copied something else in between, the first item is gone. Retry with a fresh copy. - The Handoff article says the device handing off a task must be unlocked. That sentence is about Handoff in general, so make sure both screens are unlocked and awake when you test. ## What Apple does not say Apple's article gives no list of content types or size limits and does not cover signing out and back in. If you have done everything above and it still fails, the pages checked give no further steps. ## A different way to move something For a file or a longer piece of text, send it with another method for now, and come back to fix Universal Clipboard when you have time. If you only need to bring back something you copied earlier on the same Mac, see [how to see clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-clipboard-history-on-mac/). The full requirements list is in [what Universal Clipboard needs](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/universal-clipboard-requirements/). NotchStar's [Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) keeps the 50 most recent copies in memory, so you can click an earlier one to copy it again. That is a separate list per Mac. ## Keep reading. - [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. - [What Universal Clipboard needs: WiFi, Bluetooth and Handoff](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/universal-clipboard-requirements/): Universal Clipboard needs nearby devices, one Apple Account, WiFi and Bluetooth on, and Handoff on. What Apple does and does not say. - [How to copy on one Mac and paste on another](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/copy-paste-between-macs/): Sign in to the same Apple Account on both Macs, turn on WiFi, Bluetooth and Handoff, keep them close, then copy on one and paste on the other. - [Mac copy and paste keyboard shortcuts](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/mac-copy-paste-keyboard-shortcuts/): Command and C copies, Command and X cuts, Command and V pastes. Apple's list also covers paste and match style, copy style and moving files in Finder. ## More in Screenshots. - [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sonoma](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sonoma/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Sonoma 14, with the Options menu, the floating thumbnail and how to copy to the clipboard. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Ventura](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-ventura/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Ventura 13, with Options, the floating thumbnail, copying to the clipboard and recordings. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there.