# CopyQ

> Open-source clipboard manager with tabs, commands and scripting

CopyQ is a free, open-source clipboard manager for Windows, macOS and Linux. It watches the system clipboard and saves text, HTML, images and other formats as items in tabs, where they can be filtered, edited, tagged and pasted back into any application. Custom commands, a command-line tool and a scripting API control what happens to copied content, and the documentation says the app sends nothing over the network.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Lukas Holecek
- **Website:** https://hluk.github.io/CopyQ/
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

CopyQ is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, with installers and packages linked from the GitHub repository. The site links a Liberapay page for optional donations.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CopyQ | $0 | The complete clipboard manager as a Windows installer or portable zip, a Homebrew cask for macOS, and Linux packages, AppImage or Flatpak. |

Read from https://github.com/hluk/CopyQ on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with CopyQ before buying.

## Key features

- **Clipboard history in tabs:** Saves copied text, HTML, images and custom formats as items in tabs. Items can be sorted, edited, removed and moved by drag and drop, and they are restored the next time the app starts.
- **Filter and paste:** The history can be browsed and filtered, and Enter pastes the selected item into the previously active window once that option is on. Items can also be pasted from the tray menu.
- **Custom commands and global shortcuts:** The Command dialog (F6) adds predefined or custom actions that run from the menu, on a system-wide shortcut or automatically whenever the clipboard changes.
- **Command line and scripting:** A copyq command-line tool and a scripting API can add, read and write items and clipboard content. The main application has to be running for commands to work.
- **Tags, notes and pinned items:** Items can carry notes and tags. Pinned items keep their row and are not removed when a tab reaches its item limit. On Windows, tags and pinning come from plugins.
- **Encryption and secret handling:** Built-in encryption, available since version 14.0.0, protects all stored tabs with a password. Clipboard content that password managers mark as secret is ignored by default.

## Good for

- People who want the same clipboard manager on Windows, macOS and Linux
- Users who script or automate what happens to copied content
- Keeping clipboard history on the device, with nothing sent over the network

## Worth knowing

- Under Wayland on Linux, pasting from CopyQ, global shortcuts and clipboard monitoring depend on the desktop environment and can need workarounds.
- The macOS build is unsigned: the docs say Accessibility access must be granted again after each install or update. macOS 13 or later is required.
- Tab data is stored unencrypted in the configuration directory unless encryption is turned on.
- Clips do not travel between devices on their own; a tab can only be mirrored to files in a folder on disk, such as a Dropbox folder.

## Works with

GnuPG, GNOME Keyring, KWallet, macOS Keychain

**Tags:** Clipboard manager, Open source, Local-first, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [Ditto](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ditto): Free, open-source clipboard manager for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/copyq-vs-ditto)
- [Maccy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/maccy): Lightweight, open-source clipboard manager for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/copyq-vs-maccy)
- [ClipClip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/clipclip): Windows clipboard manager with editors and screen capture. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/clipclip-vs-copyq)
- [CopyClip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/copyclip): Text-only clipboard manager for the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/copyclip-vs-copyq)
- [Pastebot](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pastebot): Mac clipboard manager with pastebins, filters and stacks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/copyq-vs-pastebot)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://hluk.github.io/CopyQ/
- https://github.com/hluk/CopyQ
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/faq.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/security.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/password-protection.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/pin-items.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tags.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/synchronize.html
- https://copyq.readthedocs.io/en/latest/known-issues.html
- https://liberapay.com/CopyQ/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/copyq
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).