# How to See the Clipboard History on Mac

Updated: November 12, 2026

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URL: https://sindresorhus.com/guides/clipboard-history-mac

On macOS 26 or later, press Command+Space to open Spotlight, and then Command+4. Spotlight shows what you copied before. To open the clipboard history with one keyboard shortcut, like Control+Command+V, set it in [Supercharge](https://sindresorhus.com/supercharge).

## With Supercharge

The built-in history needs two shortcuts, one after the other. Supercharge opens it directly:

1. Open the settings of [Supercharge](https://sindresorhus.com/supercharge), and click “Shortcuts”.
1. In the “Toggle specific Spotlight tab” section, click the field next to “Clipboard”, and press the keyboard shortcut that you want, like Control+Command+V.
1. Press the shortcut in any app. Spotlight opens with the clipboard history.

The same section has shortcuts for the “Files” and “Actions” tabs of Spotlight. Supercharge does not keep a history of its own: it opens the one of macOS.

## Without an app

1. Press Command+Space to open Spotlight.
1. Press Command+4, or click the Clipboard button to the right of the search field. The first time, Spotlight asks to show results from the clipboard: allow it.
1. Type to search the items that you copied, and select the one that you want. Press Command+C to copy it again, and paste it where you need it.

To erase the history, click the More button to the right of the search field, and choose “Clear History”. [Apple’s instructions.](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchl40d5b86b/mac)

The history is not kept forever, and private text that you copy can show in it. On macOS 15 and earlier, there is no clipboard history: macOS remembers only the last thing that you copied, and you need a clipboard manager app for more.

To see all the formats of what is on the clipboard now, see [how to see what is on the clipboard](https://sindresorhus.com/guides/see-clipboard-mac).