Offline clipboard manager for Mac
Most clipboard managers now require an account or sync your history to the cloud. Clipboard Doctor does neither — it's a free macOS clipboard manager that works entirely offline, keeps your history on your Mac, and asks for nothing.
Download for macOS — freemacOS 13+ · 2-minute install guide
What "offline" actually means here
These are not vague promises — this is the exhaustive list of what Clipboard Doctor does and does not do with a network connection:
- No account required — not now, not later.
- No cloud sync — clipboard history never leaves your Mac.
- No telemetry — no crash reports, no usage pings, nothing phoned home.
- No background network requests — the app makes zero outbound connections during normal use.
- OCR runs on-device using Apple's Vision framework — images are never uploaded to recognize text.
The only optional network touch is checking for software updates, and that can be skipped — you can always download the DMG directly.
Why this matters for your workflow
Clipboard history is surprisingly sensitive. It captures passwords from password managers that briefly put credentials on the clipboard, API keys you paste into terminals, private messages, bank account numbers. Keeping that history locked to your local disk — encrypted by macOS — means no breach at a third-party server can expose it.
This is also why Clipboard Doctor works fine on a plane, in a meeting room with no Wi-Fi, or on a network with outbound restrictions. There is nothing to fail.
Full-featured, not stripped down
Offline doesn't mean minimal. Clipboard Doctor keeps a full clipboard history with:
- OCR search inside screenshots — Arabic and English text recognized on-device, so you can search for words that appear inside images.
- Tags and pinning — organize clips you reach for often.
- Snippets — store reusable text fragments with a short name.
- Global hotkey (⌃⇧W) — bring up your history from any app.
- Deduplication — repeated copies don't bloat the list.
Questions
Does it work without any internet connection at all?
Yes. Install it once and it works indefinitely without internet. The OCR, search, and all history features are entirely local.
Where is the clipboard history stored?
In the app's sandboxed container on your Mac, inside your home folder. It is not in iCloud, not in any shared folder, and not accessible to other apps.
Can I sync my clipboard to my iPhone or another Mac?
No — and that's deliberate. Clipboard Doctor keeps your history on one Mac and never sends it over a network, which is the whole point of an offline clipboard manager. If you only need to copy something on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone or iPad once, Apple's built-in Universal Clipboard already does that for free — sign both devices into the same Apple ID with Handoff, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth turned on. But Universal Clipboard holds only the last thing you copied: it keeps no history, isn't searchable, and doesn't OCR screenshots. The two work well together — Universal Clipboard for a one-off hand-off between devices, Clipboard Doctor for searchable, OCR'd, unlimited history that stays on your Mac.
How is this different from Paste or Raycast?
Paste charges $29.99/year and syncs your history to iCloud by default. Raycast requires a free account and its Pro plan adds AI cloud features. Clipboard Doctor is free, requires no account, and syncs nothing — it is offline by design, not as an afterthought setting.
Can I verify that it doesn't call home?
Yes — use Little Snitch or any network monitor. You'll see no outbound connections during normal use. The update check (if enabled) is the only exception and it contacts only dl.rawag.xyz.
Is it free forever?
Yes. It's a solo-developer tool under the rawag.xyz brand. No freemium, no trial, no future paywall announced.
Also see: search text inside screenshots · Arabic clipboard manager · privacy details