Clip on Mac and Linux: what's the same and what differs
Clip by Zaweba also comes for macOS and Linux, sharing the history file and settings with Windows. What differs, from Mac permissions to Wayland.
Clip by Zaweba started on Windows, but it isn't only a Windows app. There are versions for macOS and for Linux, on both X11 and Wayland, and they're built to behave like the original. If you move between computers, your clipboard habits can come with you.
The same core
The Mac and Linux apps share their capture rules, storage and history code with the Windows app. That's the part that decides what gets recorded, how duplicates are handled, how long history is kept and how it's stored. Because it's shared code rather than a lookalike, the behaviour matches.
They use the same history file and settings too, so the same history file works on every system. Pins, snippets, limits and the choices you've made about what to record carry over.
What changes on a Mac
On macOS, Clip needs Accessibility permission to paste. That's how the system controls which apps may send keystrokes to other apps, and pasting into the app you were using needs it. Without it, Clip can still record what you copy, but it can't paste for you. Grant the permission when asked, or add Clip in the system's privacy and security settings later.
Pasting works on the same principle as on Windows: the item is put on the clipboard and a paste is sent to the app you were using. If something stops a paste going through, the item is still on the clipboard for you to paste yourself.
What changes on Linux
Linux desktops come in two main kinds, X11 and Wayland, and Clip supports both, with one difference. On X11 it records and pastes. On Wayland it's copy-only. Wayland is stricter about one program sending input to another, so Clip records your history but leaves the final paste to you: choose the item, then paste with your usual keys.
If you're not sure which you're running, your desktop's settings or system information will usually say. Many recent distributions default to Wayland.
Using it across machines
The shared history format is the useful part if you work on more than one system. A writer with a Windows desktop and a Linux laptop, or a designer with a Mac at work and a Windows PC at home, gets the same rules and the same kind of history on each. Snippets written on one are snippets you can use on the other.
Keep in mind that Clip is offline and has no account, so nothing syncs by itself. The history lives in a local file on each computer, and moving it between machines is up to you.
Privacy on every system
The privacy approach comes from the shared capture rules: content that is flagged as private is skipped, and the excluded programs list keeps chosen apps out of your history. As on Windows, browser-extension password managers can't be detected, so pause recording while you use one.
Getting started
Install the version for your system, grant Accessibility on a Mac, and copy something. Open the popup and you'll find the same numbered list, pins first, then newest first, with search as you type.
Whichever system you're on, Clip by Zaweba keeps your clipboard history on your own computer, under rules you already know.
