Pasteboard Viewer

Inspect the system pasteboards

A developer utility that shows the contents of the system pasteboards live, with previews of text, RTF, images, and anything that has a Quick Look preview.

Free

Requires macOS, iOS, or visionOS 26 or later
Since 2020
No data collected

The sidebar lists the types of the current item, like public.url. Select a type to see its content. A dyn. type shows the type it stands for below its name.

Use it to check that your app puts the correct data on NSPasteboard or UIPasteboard.

Note that this is not a clipboard manager. If you are not a developer, you probably don’t want this app. To only see the text or image on the clipboard, select “Edit › Show Clipboard” in Finder. To see what you copied before, use Spotlight on macOS 26 or later: press Command+Space, and then Command+4.

What users say

Great app!
Thoroughly enjoying this. Has been very helpful for developing my app. Very clean and simple interface.

Aye-aye-capn-crunch, App Store, June 2025

Essential for developers
This app is my goto tool for inspecting what’s in my pasteboard.

DJ Roxxx, App Store, March 2025

Exactly what I needed
This app is a godsend, showing the different items on the clipboard, in the different formats. Super helpful when debugging pasteboard functionality.

Sijitsma, App Store, September 2024

Wonderful app
Just what is needed. Nothing more and nothing less.

HC_raccoon, App Store, August 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a feature request, bug report, or some feedback

Click the feedback button in the app or send it here.

Can it show what I copied before?

No, it only shows what is on the clipboard now. On macOS 26 and later, Spotlight has a clipboard history: press Command+Space, and then Command+4. The first time, click “Allow”.

How do I stop the paste prompt?

The system asks before an app can read the pasteboard. To always allow it:

macOS: Allow the app in “System Settings › Privacy & Security › Paste from Other Apps”.

iOS: Go to “Settings › Apps › Pasteboard Viewer › Paste from Other Apps” and choose “Allow”.

Why is this free without ads?

I just enjoy making apps. Consider leaving a nice review on the App Store.

Can you localize the app into my language?

I don’t plan to localize the app.

More FAQs

Older Versions

2.11.0 for macOS 15+
2.8.0 for macOS 14+
2.5.1 for macOS 13+
2.4.1 for macOS 12+
2.2.2 for macOS 11+
1.5.2 for macOS 10.15+

Non-App Store Version

A special macOS version for users that cannot access the App Store. It won’t receive automatic updates. I will update it here once a year.

Download 2.12.0Requires macOS 26 or later

Download it to the Downloads folder, double-click to unzip, and then move it to the /Applications folder.