A copy on the work laptop that quietly appears in the paste buffer on the home PC saves the fifteen tab-toggles that used to sit between them. That is the one feature every cross-device clipboard app promises, and it is the one that decides whether the app earns a permanent slot in the tray or gets uninstalled by the weekend. We compared eight desktop clipboard tools that sync across machines, focusing on how they handle plain text, rich text, images, and file paths, and on whether they route data through their own cloud or over a peer connection you control.
The eight below run on Windows, macOS, and Linux in some combination, and cover the two schools of thought this space has settled into: LAN-only sync for people who never want their clipboard leaving the house, and account-based sync for people who move between locations and want the same buffer across office, home, and coffee shop.
What to look for in a cross-device clipboard app
Not every feature matters equally. The ones that separate a good tool from a nuisance:
- Sync scope. LAN-only, account-based, or both. LAN is faster and never leaves your network. Account sync works everywhere but puts your clipboard on someone else’s server.
- History depth. How many entries the tool keeps and whether it drops old ones or pins them.
- File support. Copying a file path in Finder and pasting it into a File Explorer window is the harder case that many tools skip.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. End-to-end encryption is standard on the paid tiers, less consistent on the free ones.
- Format retention. Does copying formatted text keep its formatting when it lands on the other machine, or does it collapse to plain text.
- Trigger keys. A global hotkey that opens the history palette is the difference between a background utility and one you actively use.
Quick comparison
| App | Sync scope | Platforms | Open source | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ditto | LAN or self-hosted server | Windows | Yes (GPL) | Full app, no cap |
| ClipboardFusion | Cloud (Binary Fortress) | Windows, macOS | No | 20-item history |
| 1Clipboard | Google Drive sync | Windows, macOS | No | Free |
| Paste | iCloud | macOS, iOS | No | 14-day trial |
| Maccy | Local only (iCloud in beta) | macOS | Yes (MIT) | Free |
| CopyQ | Local plus scripted sync | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes (GPL) | Free |
| KDE Connect | LAN peer-to-peer | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes (GPL) | Free |
| LocalSend | LAN peer-to-peer | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes (MIT) | Free |
1. Ditto — Best for Windows-only LAN sync
Ditto is the Windows clipboard tool that has been around long enough to feel like a system utility. Point two Ditto installs at the same IP address, open the sync tab, and every copy on one machine shows up in the other’s history within a second. It keeps rich text, images, and files, and it plays well with virtual desktops.
Where it falls short: Windows only, and the settings UI still looks like it did a decade ago.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under a GPL license.
- No paid tier.
Download: ditto-cp.sourceforge.io
Bottom line: if every machine in the setup runs Windows, this is the one to install first.
2. ClipboardFusion — Best for cloud sync between Windows and Mac
ClipboardFusion is the option that sync-across-OS people default to. It routes clipboards through Binary Fortress’s cloud, encrypts in transit, and handles text, images, and files. Macro support lets you strip formatting or replace strings before paste automatically.
Where it falls short: Linux is not supported, and cloud sync sits behind a paid tier after the trial ends.
Pricing:
- Free tier caps history at 20 items and disables cloud sync.
- Pro is a monthly subscription with unlimited history and sync.
Download: clipboardfusion.com
Bottom line: the smoothest cross-OS story if paying a monthly fee is on the table.
3. 1Clipboard — Best for Google Drive as the sync backend
1Clipboard keeps its history in a Google Drive folder, which means the sync layer is one you already trust and there is no additional account to manage. Installs run on Windows and macOS, and pasting a clip from one lands it on the other after Drive picks up the change.
Where it falls short: development has slowed and the app has not seen a major release in some time. Latency is Drive-dependent, so a slow connection means a slow sync.
Pricing:
- Free.
Download: 1clipboard.io
Bottom line: worth trying if a Google account is already the center of your workflow and low sync frequency is acceptable.
4. Paste — Best for Apple-only households
Paste is the polished Apple-ecosystem option: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, syncing over iCloud with end-to-end encryption. Pinboards let you organize snippets by project, and the history palette handles rich text without flattening it.
Where it falls short: no Windows, no Linux, no Android. If any machine breaks that fence, another tool is needed for it.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial.
- Subscription for continued sync and unlimited history.
Download: pasteapp.io
Bottom line: pick this if the entire fleet is Apple and the annual fee is easier than juggling two tools.
5. Maccy — Best for macOS local-only history
Maccy is the open-source macOS clipboard manager that keeps history on-device and stays out of the way. An iCloud sync mode is in beta for people who want two Macs to share, but the design intent is fast local search over the last hundred or so copies.
Where it falls short: cross-device sync is still labelled experimental, and formatted text can drop styling on paste.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under an MIT license.
- Optional paid tier on the Mac App Store supports development.
Download: maccy.app
Bottom line: the right pick if the priority is a lightweight local history and cross-machine sync is a nice-to-have.
6. CopyQ — Best for scripting the clipboard
CopyQ runs on all three desktops and exposes the clipboard through a scripting layer. Tabs organize history by project, and a command language lets you transform, filter, or route entries automatically. Sync is not a first-class feature, but combining it with a file sync tool (Syncthing, Resilio, Nextcloud) gets you a shared history folder that all machines can read.
Where it falls short: no native cross-device sync. Setting it up takes reading the docs and configuring another tool.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under a GPL license.
Download: copyq.readthedocs.io
Bottom line: for people who already run Syncthing or a similar tool and want the clipboard to ride along.
7. KDE Connect — Best for LAN sync between Linux and a phone
KDE Connect started as the Linux answer to Apple’s Continuity and grew into a cross-platform sync layer for clipboards, notifications, files, and remote input. On Linux the desktop client is native, on Windows and macOS the ports have caught up in the last two years, and on Android the mobile app closes the loop.
Where it falls short: the macOS port is still catching up in polish. Clipboards need to be manually pushed on some platforms rather than syncing automatically.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under a GPL license.
Download: kdeconnect.kde.org
Bottom line: if the setup is a Linux desktop and a phone, this is the ecosystem-neutral cross-device layer.
8. LocalSend — Best for one-off transfers with a clipboard mode
LocalSend is not strictly a clipboard manager, it is a peer-to-peer file transfer app that added a message mode. The message mode is a clipboard bridge: type or paste text on one device, and it lands on the other in seconds over the LAN with no account. It works across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Where it falls short: no persistent history and no automatic clipboard capture. Every transfer is a manual action.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under an MIT license.
Download: localsend.org
Bottom line: the ad-hoc option for people who do not want a background agent watching the clipboard at all.
How to pick the right one
If every machine runs Windows and privacy comes first, pick Ditto. Same story with Apple only, pick Paste, or Maccy if paying monthly is a dealbreaker. For cross-OS sync without a subscription, use ClipboardFusion’s free tier for basic clip sharing or wire up CopyQ with Syncthing for a self-hosted solution. If the fleet mixes Linux with a phone, KDE Connect is the ecosystem bridge. LocalSend is the one to grab when you want no background app at all and only need to move a clip a couple of times a day.
FAQ
What is the best free cross-device clipboard app?
Ditto is free and reliable on Windows-only setups. For a cross-OS free option, ClipboardFusion’s free tier covers the basics and CopyQ paired with Syncthing gives full local control at zero cost.
Can I sync my clipboard between Windows and Mac?
Yes. ClipboardFusion, 1Clipboard, and Paste (Mac plus iOS) all handle this. LocalSend also works if manual pushes are acceptable.
Are cross-device clipboards secure?
The LAN-only tools (Ditto, KDE Connect, LocalSend) never touch a third-party server, so security depends on your network. The cloud tools (ClipboardFusion, Paste) encrypt in transit and typically at rest, but the clipboard does pass through the vendor.
Do these apps sync images and files, or just text?
Ditto, ClipboardFusion, and Paste sync formatted text, images, and files. Maccy and CopyQ handle images locally. LocalSend transfers files as a first-class feature.
What is the fastest clipboard sync app?
LAN-based tools (Ditto, KDE Connect, LocalSend) are the fastest since they skip the round trip to a cloud server. Sync latency is typically under a second on a local network.
