# How to reuse terminal commands from clipboard history on a Mac > Copy several commands while reading docs, then paste them one at a time from the NotchStar Clipboard tab. Plain text, 50 items, cleared on quit. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/copy-commands-from-clipboard-history-on-a-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Copy each command from the docs as you read, then open the notch, choose Clipboard, and click the one you want. It goes back on the clipboard, ready to paste in Terminal with Command + V. You do not need to go back to the web page for each one. ## Steps 1. Keep NotchStar running while you read. It records each copy within half a second. 2. Copy the first command from the page, then the next. Copying the same text twice only moves it to the top. 3. Switch to Terminal. Open the notch with a hover and choose **Clipboard**. 4. Type a few characters in the search field to narrow the list, such as the program name. Search ignores capitals. 5. Click the row. A checkmark confirms. Paste into Terminal and read it before you press Return. 6. Repeat for the next command. ## Read before you run A pasted command runs as you wrote it. If you copy a multi line command, check it in the terminal before pressing Return, since a hidden line can do more than you expect. The list row shows only the first line, so you will not see the rest until you paste. Never run a command from a page you do not trust, and do not paste one you do not understand. ## Good fits A sequence of install steps, flags you use rarely, a long path, a git command from a README, a connection string you pasted into a chat and want again. Links get a link icon, and file paths you copied as files in Finder keep their icon. ## Limits - **Plain text only.** Quotes and dashes are stored as copied. If a web page converted straight quotes to curly ones before you copied, the command may fail, so check. - **50 items and then older ones drop.** Long sessions overflow. - **Memory only.** Quitting NotchStar clears everything. Use a notes file for commands you keep. Your shell history is the better place for what you have run. - **The list shows 30 results** at a time, so search when the list is long. - **No snippets, tags or variables.** It is a history, not a snippet manager. - **Secrets.** Copying a token puts it in the history until it scrolls out or you quit. Quit and reopen NotchStar if you copied something you should not have. The [search help page](https://www.notchstar.com/help/search-your-clipboard-history/) explains how matching works. For text that must last, use a file, or a [Quick Note](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/) for a line or two. The [Clipboard page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) has the full list of limits. ## Quick answers. ### Does it keep line breaks in a command? It stores the text as copied, plain, but the row shows one line. Clicking the row copies the full text. ### Could it record a secret I copy? It skips items a password manager marks as concealed. Other apps cannot be detected, so avoid copying tokens and keys you do not need to. ## 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. - [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. - [How to paste something you copied earlier on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/reuse-text-you-copied-earlier-in-an-email-on-a-mac/): Find an earlier copy in the NotchStar Clipboard tab, search it, click it and paste it. Holds 50 items, clears on quit and skips password manager copies. - [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. ## More in Coding. - [How to find what is using port 3000 on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/find-what-is-using-port-3000-on-a-mac/): Open the NotchStar Disk tab, Monitor, Ports, then filter by 3000 to see the command, project folder and whether it is local or on the network. - [How to stop a dev server that is still running on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/stop-a-dev-server-from-the-mac-notch/): Use NotchStar Disk, Monitor, Ports to find a forgotten dev server and press Stop twice to send a quit request. It never forces a kill. - [How to see which process is using the most CPU or memory on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/see-which-process-is-using-the-cpu-on-a-mac/): The NotchStar Disk tab, Monitor, Usage shows the five busiest processes by CPU and by memory, refreshed every few seconds. No per app history. - [How to free up disk space on a Mac used for development](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/free-up-disk-space-on-a-developer-mac/): Scan caches, logs, Xcode DerivedData and old downloads with the NotchStar Disk tab, choose what to move to the Trash, and learn what each item means. - [How to watch CPU and memory while a build runs on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/watch-cpu-and-memory-during-a-build-on-a-mac/): Keep the NotchStar System tab open while a build or test run goes, then check Disk, Monitor for the heaviest processes. Totals only, no history.