Clipboard Manager

Keep recent text and file copies within reach from your MacBook notch.

What is the Clipboard Manager?

A focused history of the things you copy

QuakeNotch's Clipboard Manager keeps a searchable history of text and file copies in a dedicated page inside your notch. Open an item to preview it, copy it back to the system clipboard, pin it for later, or remove it when you are done.

  • Text and files: Record text, links, code, Markdown, and file selections while recording is enabled.
  • Source-aware history: See the source app for text copies and file names or counts for file entries.
  • Fast reuse: Copy an item without closing the manager, or copy it from its full preview.
  • Local control: Pause recording, exclude apps, and choose whether history survives quitting.

Opening the Clipboard Manager

Get to your copy history from anywhere

Default shortcut

Press ⌘ + ⇧ + Escape

The shortcut opens the Clipboard page in the notch. Press it again to close the page.

Enable recording

On first use, select Enable Clipboard History to start recording new copies.

Change the shortcut

Open the clipboard menu, choose Clipboard Settings…, and edit the open-clipboard shortcut.

Inside the manager

Move through history↑ / ↓
Preview selected item→
Copy selected item↩
Delete selected item⌘D
Focus search⌘F
Clipboard access: If macOS asks for permission or reports that access is unavailable, use the manager's Privacy Settings action to review it in System Settings.

Search, Preview, and Copy

Find the right copy without digging through apps

Search history

Use the search field to match copied text, file names, or the source app.

Filter pinned items

Turn on Pinned to show only the items you marked for keeping.

Preview on demand

Select an item or use the preview control to inspect its full content. Automatic previews can be enabled with the eye button.

Copy without closing: Use the copy button on a history row to put the item back on the system clipboard and keep browsing.

Preview actions: The full preview includes actions to copy, pin or unpin, delete, and close the preview.

Clear history: Choose whether to clear unpinned items only or everything, including pinned items.

Text and File Copies

Different clipboard payloads get the right kind of preview

Text previews

  • Markdown is rendered in the preview, and detected code can be syntax highlighted.
  • Links are identified as links in the history.
  • A long preview may be shortened for display, but copying still uses the complete text.

File previews

  • File selections show names, types, sizes, and image thumbnails when available.
  • QuakeNotch stores file URLs and display metadata rather than copying the file itself into history.
  • Choose Copy Files in the preview to place the selected file references back on the clipboard.

Privacy and Storage

Keep clipboard history useful without giving up control

Encrypted on this Mac: Enable Keep history after quitting in Clipboard Settings when you want saved history to be available after relaunching QuakeNotch.

Retention: Unpinned items expire after 7 days.
Capacity: History is limited to 100 items and 25 MB.
Large copies: Individual copies over 1 MB are skipped.

Recording controls

  • • Pause or resume recording from the Clipboard toolbar.
  • • Copies marked confidential or temporary are skipped.
  • • Add apps to the excluded-app list in Clipboard Settings.
For sensitive copies: Pause recording before copying anything you do not want in history, even when an app's privacy marker is not available.
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