Search, then paste on Return
Filter as you type with case- and diacritic-insensitive matching, then use the arrow keys and Return. Option-Return pastes as plain text, and ⌘1 to ⌘9 paste a row directly.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · Clipboard
Your clipboard,
one shortcut away.
ClipRecallBar keeps your copy history in the menu bar. Press ⇧⌘V, type to filter, and hit Return to paste into the app you were using.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Fast, quiet, and private.
Everything is built around the keyboard, and your history never leaves your Mac.
Text, rich text, files, images
Captures plain text, RTF, file URLs and images. Duplicates move to the top instead of piling up, and history size is adjustable from 20 to 999 entries.
Skips password manager copies
Items marked concealed or transient are never stored. You can also ignore specific apps by bundle identifier or pause capture from the menu.
Pin what you reuse
Press ⌘P to pin an entry. Pinned items sort to the top and survive Clear History.
Floating panel near your pointer
A global hotkey opens a compact borderless panel with the search field already focused. The shortcut is configurable in Settings.
No network, local storage
There are no accounts, servers or network code. History is saved as local files, with a corrupt file moved aside rather than crashing the app.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
ClipRecallBar is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download ClipRecallBar-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move ClipRecallBar.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/ClipRecallBar.app
- When prompted, grant Accessibility in System Settings › Privacy Security so ClipRecallBar can send ⌘V to paste without it, items are still copied and you press ⌘V yourself.
Download
Get ClipRecallBar for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click ClipRecallBar.app → Open.
- macOS 14 Sonoma+
- Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- MIT licensed · open source
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Built with Claude Code · how and why
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is ClipRecallBar really free and open source?
Yes. It is released under the MIT license, with no accounts, subscriptions or ads. If it helps you, there is an optional Support / Donate button in the menu.
What permissions does it need?
Accessibility, only to send the ⌘V keystroke that pastes into your previous app. If you decline, everything else works and a banner reminds you to press ⌘V. Launch at login is optional and may ask for approval under Login Items it does not request Screen Recording or Microphone access.
Where is my clipboard data stored?
Only on your Mac, in ~/Library/Application Support/ClipRecallBar/. Text and metadata are saved as JSON and images as PNG files. The app makes no network connections.
Why isn't the app notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, and this is a free open-source project. Right-click the app and choose Open once to run it, or build it yourself from source with Xcode and XcodeGen.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. ClipRecallBar was generated by Claude Code from a written spec as a clean-room reimplementation, with no code or assets from any commercial app. The full source is on GitHub under MIT, so you can read every line before you run it. It has had less human review than a hand-written app, so bug reports are welcome.
Support ❤️
Built by one person, given away for free.
ClipRecallBar is a free, open-source alternative to paid utilities. If it earns a spot on your Mac, a coffee keeps the updates coming.
☕ Support Or on Ko-fi