The more time you spend working on the computer, the more you realize that some tasks are repetitive nausea and takes up valuable chunks of time. It can add up, and scripting and process automation tools are designed to address this, but there’s one type of tool that doesn’t get enough credit: clipboard managers.
Having a way to access the history of your clipboard items can save you a lot of time when it comes to many repetitive tasks, and personally speaking, this kind of tool has dramatically changed how I use my computer and save time every day.
What are buffer managers good for?
Paste the same text over and over again
The clipboard on a computer has always been a fairly limited but important feature. You copy some text or an image from somewhere and it goes to the clipboard so you can paste it somewhere else. It stays in the clipboard until you copy something else, then replaces it. Herein lies the biggest limitation of classic clipboards: you can only save one item at a time.
This is not a new problem, and solutions for it have been around for a while, so much so that most desktop operating systems now offer an out-of-the-box solution for it. Windows has had clipboard history for years at this point, Apple added it to Spotlight with macOS Tahoe, and some Linux desktops like KDE Plasma one is included. These solutions save anything you copy to the clipboard as a list of items that you can bring up to select previously copied items.
However, these features are overlooked. If you don’t already know the keyboard shortcut to open it, it doesn’t help that Windows never reports the history of the clipboard, meaning most people don’t even know it exists. However, it should also be noted that these built-in tools can still be somewhat limited. Windows 11 and macOS both save clipboard items by default only for the current session, meaning they are deleted after a restart, for example.
But there are better solutions and they are still free.
Raycast is the best clipboard manager
And it’s free
I’ve spent more time writing than most people How big is Raycast?but before we explain all the reasons why, let’s focus on why the buffer manager is so big. As mentioned above, a major limitation of the built-in clipboards in Windows and macOS is that they only store clips for the current session. At least Windows lets you pin the items you want to save, but you still have to do it manually.
Raycast comes with a clipboard history manager which is absolutely beautiful. Not only does it load instantly by clicking on a shortcut of your choice, but it can also save anything you’ve copied between sessions, so nothing gets deleted just because you restart your computer. By default, history is saved for seven days, but the free version of the program allows you to save items for up to three months, which is already fantastic.
I rely on this tool every day and it’s a huge time saver. The most common use case for this is when I compile an XDA bulletin. In the opening paragraph, we usually close it with a link to follow us on Google News, and this format will take a few minutes to complete each time. But I just went into the HTML code, copied all the formatting, and now it’s always available. I just call up the clipboard, type “love” and the result appears instantly so I can include it in every publication.
Code examples are one of the best use cases for this. Another example I came across recently was copying the code that allowed us to add a hyperlink to an image using our CMS. This is an easily reusable piece of text that would take too long to write down and remember accurately, so this is perfect.
Yes, if it wasn’t clear, the clipboard on Raycast is also searchable. Just enter the part of the text you copied and you will find it. In fact, it can even detect text in images you’ve copied to the clipboard, so you can find screenshots that way too.
It does even more
Moreover, it works on many platforms
The Raycast clipboard has more useful little features. It not only saves text but also images and automatically recognizes the text in them. Of course, you can turn this off, but it makes finding images easier. When you select an image from the clipboard, you also have the option to copy recognized text from it or save the image directly as a file.
Raycast also stores a good bit of additional information about the content of the element, such as word and character counts for text bits, or the exact resolution and size of the image. Perhaps most notably, if you copy a link, Raycast will also load information about it when you select it, so you can see a thumbnail and title preview before opening it. This makes browsing your history very easy.
The best thing about Raycast is that it’s available on both macOS and Windows, and if you go for the Pro version of the app, you can actually sync the clipboard between Raycast and your devices. Even without sync, it’s still incredibly useful. If you’re a Linux user, there’s a program called Vicinae that emulates most of Raycast’s features, including a clipboard manager. not pretty much It’s just as robust, but the core features are still there and it’s still very fast.
There are alternatives
Raycast may not be for everyone
Of course, if you’re not into the Raycast idea, there are other options that provide great functionality like clipboard managers. On Windows, I’ve tried numerous solutions, and options like ClipClip and ArsClip are great. There are other Raycast-like launchers like Flow Launcher that also offer a clipboard management extension.
If you’re on macOS, you might want to check out Pasty, which does a great job of providing clipboard management with a custom UI that looks great and provides good organizational features. Linux users also have a variety of options, whether it’s custom apps or things like GNOME extensions (if that’s the desktop you’re using).
You don’t have to stick to any one program, but it’s generally a good idea to have a clipboard manager. You can browse around and choose the one that suits your taste. Of course, Raycast is my personal choice, so check it out below if you haven’t already.
