How to paste something you copied earlier on a Mac
Open the notch, choose Clipboard, find the earlier copy and click it. It goes back on the clipboard so you can paste it with Command + V. NotchStar keeps your last 50 copies in memory, including text, links, images and files copied in Finder.
Steps
- Keep NotchStar running when you copy. It polls the clipboard every half second, so each copy is recorded as it happens.
- When you need something from earlier, hover over the notch and choose Clipboard.
- Scroll to look for it, or type a few characters in the search field. Search ignores case and accents.
- Click the row. A checkmark confirms the copy.
- Switch to your email or document and paste.
The item moves to the top of the list because it counts as a fresh copy.
Good uses
A reply you send often, an address, an order number, a link from a page you closed, or a file you copied in Finder and now need to paste in another place. Typing image in the search field lists copied images.
What to know
- Rows show one line. A paragraph looks cut off, but the whole text is copied when you click.
- Text is stored as plain text. Bold, links inside the text and layout are lost, so a styled block pastes as plain words.
- Memory only. Quitting NotchStar wipes the list. Nothing is written to disk or synced. Read why on the help page about clearing on quit.
- 50 items, 10 images. Older items fall off.
- It does not paste for you. It only restores the clipboard, and you press Command + V.
- Secrets. Do not rely on it to avoid recording sensitive text from apps that do not mark their copies. Copy secrets as rarely as you can.
If you want text that stays
The history is not a snippet manager. For text you reuse for weeks, keep it in a document or text file you can open. For a short line you need today, a Quick Note lasts across quits, because it is saved. The two tools complement each other: the clipboard is automatic and short lived, the note is manual and stays.
See the search help page for the details of how matching works, and the clipboard history tip for the ways to open the history on a Mac.
