Guides
What are you trying to get done?
Pick the job you need to finish now. Every guide starts with what macOS already does.
Guides
Copy between Macs
The text, link or image you just copied, sent to a group of Macs you chose.
Mac clipboard sync for the two Macs you switch between
The address is on the laptop. The field waiting for it is open on the desktop. That gap is the whole problem.
Read the guideCopy between MacsCopy and paste between Macs, one working handoff at a time
Five conditions have to line up before this works at all. Most people have four of them right.
Read the guideCopy between MacsClipboard sync without a shared Apple ID
IT owns the account on one machine. You own the other. Nothing you toggle will merge them.
Read the guideCopy between MacsManaged Mac clipboard sync after IT turns Continuity off
The profile removed the feature. That is not a fault you can troubleshoot.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA Universal Clipboard alternative, when the built-in route is closed
Name the missing part: the link between the devices, the handoff itself, or a copy you already replaced.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA TandemClip alternative, if local history is what you want
Same core job. Different answer to where your clipboard history lives.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA PastePal alternative, if you only need the Macs
One covers Mac, iPhone and iPad. The other covers Macs on a LAN and stops there.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA Maccy alternative only earns its place once you have a second Mac
Keep Maccy for a single Mac. Look at Deskferry when a copy has to reach another Mac on your network.
Read the guideCopy between MacsPaste vs Maccy: free history on one Mac, or paid sync across your Apple devices
Pick Maccy for fast, free history on a single Mac. Pick Paste when your clipboard has to follow you to an iPhone or iPad. If the gap is between several Macs on one network, Deskferry is a third option.
Read the guideCopy between MacsChoosing a Paste alternative for Mac by what you use Paste for
Leaving Paste over the subscription? Pesty, Clipbara and Pasty copy its card look for free, Maccy keeps a plain list, and Maus is a one-time purchase. If you rely on iPhone sync, stay on Paste. If your Macs need to pass copies over your network, look at Deskferry.
Read the guideCopy between MacsDo you need a ClipBob alternative? Start with its requirements
ClipBob merges clipboard history across your Macs through iCloud, if they run macOS 26 on Apple Silicon and share one Apple ID. Stay on it if that fits. For history on an iPhone, look at a cross-device app such as Paste. For Macs on different Apple IDs, or Finder files over your network, look at Deskferry, which keeps history on each Mac.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA MultiClip alternative for Macs that should sync without being asked
MultiClip, the open-source Mac menu bar app, shares copies between Macs on one LAN on request: you pick an item and only then does it move. Keep it if that suits you. For automatic sync, look at TandemClip or Deskferry. For history on one Mac, look at Maccy-type apps.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA ClipBook alternative only matters once the copy has to cross
ClipBook keeps a deep, searchable history on the Mac you copied on, and says plainly that it uses no cloud. If both your Macs need the same copy, that is the line you hit.
Read the guideCopy between MacsA PasteBar alternative, when a shared folder is not really sync
PasteBar is free and runs on Mac and Windows, with its source on GitHub under a non-commercial licence, but its data lives on one device. Pointing that data folder at a cloud drive is file sync, not a copy arriving on your other Mac.
Read the guideCopy between MacsUniversal Clipboard not working: check it in the right order
The fastest way to lose an afternoon is to change five settings and then paste.
Read the guideCopy between MacsLAN clipboard: get the two Macs reaching each other first
Both Macs have internet. That tells you nothing about whether they can see each other.
Read the guideCopy between MacsSync text between Macs: a paragraph, an address, a link
You research on one Mac and write on the other. That handoff should cost one keystroke.
Read the guideCopy between MacsSync images between Macs: picture content or the original file
Does the picture belong inside a document, or does the file belong in a folder? Answer that first.
Read the guideGuides
Transfer files
Finder handoffs, AirDrop and shared folders answer different questions. Pick the right one.
Transfer files between Macs without leaving Finder
Copy at the source. Paste at the destination. Open the file and get back to work.
Read the guideTransfer filesHow to AirDrop from Mac to Mac, step by step
It starts on the receiving Mac, not the one holding the file. That trips up most people.
Read the guideTransfer filesAirDrop not working on Mac? Find the stage where it stops
The stage you reach tells you which causes to stop investigating.
Read the guideTransfer filesAirDrop vs clipboard sync: choosing an AirDrop alternative on Mac
Who receives this, and how often? That answer picks the tool.
Read the guideTransfer filesMac File Sharing: give another Mac access to one folder
Share a directory when both Macs need the same live files. Send a copy when you just need the file.
Read the guideGuides
Local clipboard history
Find, preview and reuse what you copied earlier on this Mac.
Clipboard history on this Mac: find an earlier copy
Copying the next thing should not cost you the last one.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyHow to see clipboard history on Mac and copy an item again
Whether yesterday's copy still exists was decided yesterday, not now.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyClipboard history retention: decide what this Mac keeps
Storage rules decide what survives. Access rules decide what you can open. Two different things.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyClear clipboard history on Mac, and the copy that is on it now
Clearing one list never clears the other, and neither reaches what you already pasted.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyHow to recover copied text on Mac after a new copy replaces it
Work through the places that might actually hold it. There is a point where it is fair to stop.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyClipboard history for images and files: pull an asset back out
Getting the right picture back into a project, not just an earlier sentence.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyClipboard history vs clipboard sync: which one you need
One is a question about place. The other is about time.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyA clipboard manager for Mac that also reaches the Mac beside it
macOS holds one copy at a time. A clipboard manager keeps the rest; Deskferry keeps them on each Mac and moves the current one across.
Read the guideLocal clipboard historyHow to pick the best clipboard manager for your Mac
The right tool shortens a search you keep repeating. Feature-list length is not the test.
Read the guideStart with the question you arrived with
Need to get a PDF to someone sitting nearby? Start with AirDrop, step by step. Moving work between the same two Macs all day? See the Deskferry Finder workflow. Lost something you copied an hour ago? Follow the recovery guide.
The guides here fall into three groups: copying text and images between Macs, moving files and folders, and getting back to an earlier copy on a single Mac. Each one solves the problem with the tools macOS already gives you, then says where Deskferry saves a step and where it does not help at all. If something is broken rather than unfamiliar, look for the guide named after the symptom instead of the task.
Deskferry
Keep the next step simple.
Continue on another Mac, hand off a file, or find an earlier copy.
macOS 14+ · One Mac for history · Reachable LAN for sync
