Best Free Clipboard Managers 2026: 6 Options Compared

The built-in clipboard remembers one item, which is why people install a manager the first time they lose a copied link. Windows has a basic answer already: press the Windows key and V and you get a history of 25 entries with pinning and optional sync through your Microsoft account. If that is too short, Ditto stores much more, searches it and is open source. Mac users have Maccy, a minimal searchable history, and Clipy, which adds snippets. CopyQ covers Windows, macOS and Linux with tabs, tags, scripting and a command-line interface, and is the most configurable option here. Raycast includes clipboard history in its free plan, with a three-month limit, and the paid plan removes it. The trade-off is privacy: every manager stores what you copy, which can include passwords, so check that your tool lets you ignore password managers and sensitive apps, and clear the history regularly. Open-source options keep the history on your machine, while synced options send it through a cloud account. Start with the built-in tool if you only need the last few items, and move to Ditto, Maccy or CopyQ when you catch yourself searching your own history. Whichever you choose, test the keyboard shortcut for opening history before you rely on it, since that is what you will use daily.

Windows Clipboard History

Built into Windows 10 and 11 via Windows key + V, 25 entries with pinning and optional cross-device sync. Nothing to install, but small and basic.

Price: Free (Built into Windows 10 and 11 (Windows key + V); holds 25 entries, pinned items stay; sync needs a Microsoft or work account) (Windows Clipboard History pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.

Best for: Light use on Windows.

Ditto

Open-source Windows extension to the clipboard under GPL-3.0, installable by installer, portable zip, Winget or the Store. Windows only.

Price: Free (Open source under GPL-3.0; repo states no price and offers donations) (Ditto pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows. GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 7.4k GitHub stars · latest release 3.25.113.0 (Sep 27, 2025) · last commit Oct 1, 2026

Best for: Heavy clipboard users on Windows.

Worth knowing: Extension to the Windows clipboard; installer, portable zip, Winget and Store options.

Maccy

MIT-licensed, searchable, keyboard-first history for Macs running Sonoma 14 or later, with pinning and per-app ignore rules.

Price: Free (Listed as open source and free; requires macOS Sonoma 14 or higher) (Maccy pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: macOS. MIT (open source).

Project activity: 22.1k GitHub stars · latest release 2.8.0 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Minimal Mac clipboard history.

Worth knowing: Searchable history, pinning, ignore rules for apps. Install by download or Homebrew.

Clipy

MIT-licensed Mac clipboard history with a snippets menu for text you reuse often. It requires macOS 13 or later.

Price: Free (Open source under MIT; optional donations, no price stated) (Clipy pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: macOS. MIT (open source).

Project activity: 8.9k GitHub stars · latest release 1.4.0 (Oct 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Mac users who reuse text snippets.

CopyQ

GPL-3.0 manager for Windows, macOS 13+ and Linux with tabs, tags, scripting and a CLI. More setup than Maccy.

Price: Free (Open source; repo states no price and links donation pages) (CopyQ pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 12.6k GitHub stars · latest release v17.0.0 (Oct 6, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Power users across operating systems.

Worth knowing: Stores text, HTML, images and custom formats, with tabs, tags, scripting and a command-line interface. macOS 13 or later.

Raycast

Free plan includes clipboard history for three months among other tools; unlimited history is in the paid Pro plan at $10 a month.

Price: Free (Free plan: clipboard history (3 months), quicklinks, snippets, window management, extensions; no AI); paid from $10 per month, Pro (or $96 per year) (Raycast pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: macOS, Windows, iOS. Proprietary.

Best for: Launcher users on Mac or Windows.

Which one to pick

• You only lose the last link now and then: Windows Clipboard History
• You are on Windows and want search: Ditto
• You are on a Mac and want the simplest tool: Maccy
• You use Linux or all three systems: CopyQ