If you are looking for a clipboard manager app for your Mac, I’ve found the perfect app for you, which is completely free and packs some astonishing features that are not found even in the paid ones.
Copying and pasting is one of those tasks we do countless times a day. This is where clipboard managers come in. A powerful clipboard manager can streamline your workflow, save you a ton of time, and banish those tiny frustrations that add up over time.
In 2023, when I got my first Mac, I started looking for a clipboard manager that was easy to use and didn’t come in my way. That’s when I discovered Raycast, a remarkable app that fit the bill perfectly.
Also read: Why Raycast is the Best FREE YouTube Downloader for Mac
Now, Raycast is more than just a clipboard manager. It is a launcher app (like Spotlight) but 100x more powerful. It’s absolutely free (no ads, either!). You may want to upgrade to use its AI features, but that’s not required to use 90% of its features.
It comes with many more features, such as file search, app launcher, system commands, calculator, window management and a thousand extensions, but this post focuses solely on its clipboard manager functionality.
Must read: Awesome Raycast Extensions for Supercharged Productivity
I haven’t tried other options such as Maccy (paid) or Copyclip (free), but I believe Raycast has everything I need.
Let’s dive into why Raycast stands out from the crowd as a clipboard manager.
Keyboard driven
Everything about Raycast is designed with efficiency in mind. Need to paste something you copied some time ago? No problem, just launch Raycast using a quick shortcut (CMD (⌘) + Spacebar), open clipboard manager, search for the thing and hit enter. Your text will be automatically pasted into your active application.
The idea is that you paste whatever you need without switching to any other app or moving your hands off the keyboard to grab the mouse. To save even more keystrokes, you can assign a keyboard shortcut to directly open the clipboard manager in Raycast. I have assigned the shortcut Hyper key (✨) + V which directly takes me to my clipboard history.
Once you see all your previously copied items in your history, you can either search for the one you are looking for or navigate with your arrow keys. What’s even more thoughtful of the creators of Raycast is that they give you the option to navigate up and down right from your home row. No need to move your hands to the arrow keys.
There’s an option in Raycast settings which allows you to use the Vim style shortcuts to move up (Ctrl + K), down (Ctrl + J), left (Ctrl + H) and right (Ctrl + L).
Searchable images and screenshots
Another great thing about Raycast is that all the images, photos, and screenshots you ever copy become instantly searchable for you. Raycast automatically scans your images for any text, and you use this text to search them. Need to find that recipe you copied a few days ago? Just search for a few keywords and boom, there it is!
See how in the following GIF, only the screenshot containing the search term is surfaced: –
But Raycast doesn’t stop there. It also boasts built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities, meaning it can automatically extract text from images and paste it.
This feature is particularly useful when you want to copy some text from a video. All you have to do is take a screenshot and copy it. Then, from Raycast actions, you can click “Copy text from image”. Your text will be copied to the clipboard. You can now paste it wherever you want.
Must read: Awesome Apps that Raycast Can Easily Replace
Save as snippets
Ever find yourself constantly copying and pasting the same emails, addresses, or snippets of code? With Raycast, you can pin your frequently used items to your clipboard history for quick and easy access. Plus, you can append any item to the end of your current clipboard, seamlessly merging multiple snippets into one cohesive piece.
And if you missed a word while copying or need to make edits on the fly, Raycast has got you covered there too. You can edit any item in your clipboard history with ease, saving you unnecessary hassle of copying it again.
Multiple File types
Perhaps one of the most impressive features of Raycast is its versatility when it comes to different file types. Whether it’s text, images, videos, GIFs or links, Raycast can handle it all.
Not only Raycast shows you the previews of these files, but it also tells you some vital details, such as the application from it was copied, its dimensions, size, and the time of copy.
You can also specify some apps (such as keychain, password-managers etc) whose data won’t be store in the clipboard history.
Long 3-months clipboard history
Raycast offers up to 3 months clipboard history in the free version. But if you need unlimited history, it’s available with the paid plan. Frankly, I can’t imagine a scenario where you’d need more than 3-months long clipboard history, but your needs may be different.
Also read: How to Change the Default Fonts in Excalidraw
Wrapping up
In conclusion, if you’re tired of inefficient clipboard management on your Mac and want a powerful, intuitive, and completely free solution, look no further than Raycast. With its seamless keyboard operation, advanced search capabilities, OCR functionality, and versatile features, Raycast redefines the way you manage your clipboard.
Give it a try. You’d thank me.