Use Case · On-Device Clipboard History
Search clipboard history locally on Mac .
Accidentally overwrote your clipboard with a URL? SearchOnMac remembers your last 100 copied items locally, letting you search and paste by content or memory description.
Natural Language Query Example
“the thing I copied earlier”
Source:Clipboard HistoryFormat:Formatted text / URLRecency:Copied 40m ago
The Traditional Friction
Standard macOS clipboard holds only one item at a time
You copy a database connection string, then immediately copy an email address. The connection string is vanished forever. Many clipboard managers also sync what you copy through the cloud.
Developers, designers, and writers need a fast, private clipboard buffer that holds recent items without becoming a permanent privacy liability.
The SearchOnMac Advantage
Clipboard history that stays on your Mac
- Ephemeral 100-Slot Buffer: Keeps only your last 100 copied items. Oldest items are systematically overwritten with zero bloat.
- Zero Cloud Sync: Copied text is kept only on this Mac and never sent over the internet. Passwords that password managers mark as concealed are skipped.
- One-Click History Purge: Instantly clear your entire clipboard history at any time from SearchOnMac Settings > Privacy.
Search Like A Human
Sample queries that just work
“the hex color I copied”
Context: Designer copied #c2410c from Figma earlier in the afternoon.
Presents the color swatch with hex and RGB copy shortcuts.
“linear link from slack”
Context: User copied an issue tracker URL from a teammate's message.
Highlights https://linear.app/issue/REC-104 ready for ↵ paste.
“the sql query copied yesterday”
Context: Data analyst copied a complex JOIN query during debugging.
Restores the formatted SQL query block into your clipboard buffer.
Spotlight vs. SearchOnMac
Why memory-based search changes how you work on your Mac.
| Capability | macOS Spotlight | SearchOnMac for Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Local-only storage guarantee | macOS Spotlight does not store or index clipboard history | Kept on your Mac; never leaves it |
| Search by natural description ('hex color') | Unsupported | Understands format cues like color, URL, code, snippet |
| Instant paste shortcut | Unsupported | Press ↵ to paste directly into your active foreground app |
| Cloud sync privacy risk | Universal Clipboard pushes text across iCloud | Stored only on this Mac; never synced to a cloud |
Experience the difference on your Mac
Searches run on your Mac. For macOS 14 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel.