Just Copy
Get for Mac · $29.99

Lost a copy

I copied over something on my Mac. Can I get it back?

Usually not, and here is exactly why. Three places worth checking, and the one thing that makes it a non-event next time.

If nothing was keeping your history, no. The Mac holds one copy, and the next one replaces it. If Spotlight’s clipboard history is switched on, and you copied it inside the window you set, look there: Cmd-Space, then Cmd-4. Otherwise the way back is to have a clipboard manager running before it happens.

Why it’s gone

The clipboard is a single slot, not a list. Cmd-C writes into it, Cmd-V reads from it, and the next Cmd-C overwrites it. Nothing keeps the old one, so there is nothing to recover from.

Three places to check first

  1. The place you copied it from. If it was a web page, a message or a document, it is still there. Go back and copy it again.
  2. Spotlight’s clipboard history. On macOS 26, if it is switched on in System Settings under Spotlight: Cmd-Space, then Cmd-4. Only for the window you set: half an hour, eight hours, or a week.
  3. Undo, where you pasted. If you pasted it somewhere and then typed over it, Cmd-Z in that app may bring it back.

So it never happens again

Just Copy keeps every copy from the moment it is running. Each one becomes a card: the text, the picture, the link with its page preview, the file. Nothing expires unless you ask it to, so the thing you copied at ten this morning is still there at five.

Everything you’ve copied drops open from the notch. Start typing to find one. Press Return and it goes straight back into the app you were typing in. Pin the things you need all week and they never move.

Questions

Can Just Copy recover copies from before it was installed?

No. Just Copy starts building a history while it’s running with capture enabled. For an older copy, check Spotlight’s clipboard history or another clipboard manager you were already using.

What if I delete a card by mistake?

Deleted cards stay in Trash for 30 days by default, unless you empty it sooner or change the setting. You can restore them from there. Pinned cards are protected from automatic expiry.

Does it keep what I copy while I’m offline?

Yes. Everything is kept in a folder on your own Mac, so it works the same with or without a connection.