Do you ever wish you could copy something on one device and paste it directly on another? macOS Sierra made this automatic for iPhone users, and it's also easy to share a clipboard between Windows and Android.
But what if you often switch between Windows and Mac machines? Fortunately you can share more than just files by setting up a shared clipboard to simplify your cross-platform setup.
Today well look at 1Clipboard, which uses your Google account to sync clipboard data between all of your Mac and Windows computers. If you don't yet have a Google account, you should create a new one first.
Set Up 1Clipboard
Download 1Clipboard and install it on all the Mac and Windows computers among which you want to share clipboard content. Currently, 1Clipboard is only available for macOS and Windows, not Linux.
Note: We'll show the setup procedure on Mac, but the steps are the same for Mac and Windows.
Run 1Clipboard on both (or all) machines you want synced. On a Mac, you'll need to click Open on the following warning dialog box.
You're asked if you want to Sign in to Google to synchronize clipboard on multiple computers. This is the default choice and we're going to accept it for our example.
If you just want to use 1Clipboard as a clipboard manager, select No, thanks. I will use it on this computer. You can use 1Clipboard only as a clipboard manager on the current computer if you would rather not sync among your computers.
If you chose to sign in to your Google account, enter your Gmail address on the Sign in screen, and then enter your password when asked.
1Clipboard asks for permission to manage its own configuration data in your Google Drive account. Your personal data in your Google account is not changed or accessed in any way. Click Allow.
You're all set on this computer. Click Finish.
Repeat the steps in this section on all computers you want include in the syncing process.
On your Mac, you'll see a paper clip icon on the menu bar. Click it to open 1Clipboard and access your clipboard history.
The default clipboard on your computer only holds one copied item at a time. 1Clipboard extends that capability by storing your clipboard history and allowing you to access previously copied items.
Move 1Clipboard From System Tray to Taskbar
On your Windows PC, the 1Clipboard icon is added to the system tray. If you want one-click access to 1Clipboard, like you have on your Mac, you can move the icon to the Taskbar.
To move the icon, right-click on an empty area of the Taskbar and select Taskbar settings from the popup menu.
Scroll down on the Taskbar screen and click Select which icons appear on the Taskbar.
Find 1Clipboard in the list and click the slider button so it turns blue and reads On.
Now, you'll have quick, one-click access to 1Clipboard on your Windows computer.
Use 1Clipboard to Sync Copied Items to All Computers
Once you've set up 1Clipboard on all your computers, you're ready to copy and paste content among all your Mac and Windows PC computers. For example, copy text in TextEdit on your Mac:
And it's added to 1Clipboard and available on your other synced computers.
You can also "star" previously copied content to easily access items in the future. Access starred items by clicking the star icon on the left black bar. To delete an item, click the X icon above the star on the item.
If you've copied a lot of stuff and you want to find something you copied a few days ago, you can use the search icon on the left black bar.
Click any item in 1Clipboard to copy it again. The item at the top of the list is still in the computer's default clipboard, so it can be pasted without copying it again in 1Clipboard.
Then, you can paste that item into any app or program that accepts that type of content.
You can even copy items like images and tables and use 1Clipboard to paste it on another computer.
Note: Tables, like the ones you might copy from Word or Pages, do not display as tables in 1Clipboard. But, the table I copied in Word on my Windows PC pasted as the same table in Word on my Mac.
We've copied a few items and now we want to copy and paste the second item. To copy an item from the clipboard history in 1Clipboard, simply click on it.
You can then paste it into another app or program on the same computer or on another computer on which you're syncing the clipboard.
Change 1Clipboard Settings
The button on the left black bar with the three dots provides access to some settings. If you decide you don't want to sync that computer, click the Sync Clipboard History slider button so it turns white.
Note: When you turn syncing back on, items copied on other synced computers will sync back to the current computer. But, any items copied on the current computer while syncing was off are not synced to other computers.
To access additional settings, click Preferences.
On the General tab, set System preferences to decide whether or not to automatically start on system startup or to show desktop notifications.
You can also change the Keyboard shortcut that opens your clipboard history and change the Language.
On the Account tab, you can turn off clipboard syncing on the current computer and unlink the current computer from your Google account.
If you're storing the clipboard locally only, you can view how many items are stored on your computer and the total size of the items. Click Clear to delete all the items in your clipboard history.
Copy Content Anywhere
Now you don't have to waste time transferring content from your Mac and then finding it again on your Windows PC to copy again, or vice versa. Copy whatever content you want on any Mac or Windows computer and it will be available on all synced computers.
Have you figured out another way to sync the clipboard between your Mac and Windows computers? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.