⌘C
on the MacCtrlV
on WindowsMac and Windows share one clipboard
Copy on either computer and paste on the other within a second. Passwords from your password manager stay where they were copied.
Universal Clipboard, for desks that aren't all Apple.
Apple only shares the clipboard between Apple devices. ClipShare adds your Windows PC to the same habit: copy, switch, paste.
iPhone without an app
Scan a QR code and the iPhone opens ClipShare in Safari. Send text, photos and files both ways.
Tap twice
Back Tap from the iPhone
Two ready-made Shortcuts move the iPhone clipboard to your computer, and back, when you tap the back of the phone.
HEICIMG_2041.heic2.1 MB
PDFReceipt.pdf86 KB
TXTnotes.txt3 KB
Photos and files too
Drop a file on the ClipShare page, paste a screenshot, or pick a photo on the iPhone. Up to 2 GB each.
Set it up once.
Pick what you want to connect. Each guide starts at the download and ends with your first paste.
Install Python, once
ClipShare is a small program written in Python, so each computer needs Python installed. It's free.
Windows: download it from python.org and install it. If the installer shows Add python.exe to PATH, tick it.
Mac: nothing to do yet. If macOS offers to install command line developer tools when you open ClipShare in the next step, click Install, wait a few minutes, then open ClipShare again.
Open ClipShare on the first computer
Double-click ClipShare.bat on Windows or ClipShare.command on a Mac. The first time, your computer will be careful about a file from the internet:
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC"Click More info, then Run anyway.
If macOS says "ClipShare.command" wasn't openedClick Done, not Move to Trash. Then open the path below, scroll down, click Open Anyway and open ClipShare again.
System SettingsPrivacy & SecurityOpen AnywayA ClipShare window opens and asks what to do. Type 1 and press Enter.
What do you want to do?
1 Start ClipShare here
2 Connect to my other computer
› 1Allow it on your network
The first time, the computer asks whether ClipShare may use the network. On Windows, keep Private networks ticked and click Allow access. On a Mac, click Allow if it asks about incoming connections.
Windows SecurityAllow Python to communicate on these networks:✓Private networks, such as my home networkCancelAllow accessThe ClipShare window now shows a six-digit pairing code, and the ClipShare page opens in your browser.
Connect the second computer
Open ClipShare on the second computer the same way, type 2 and press Enter. It finds the first computer by itself and asks for the pairing code shown there.
● Found MacBook Air
Type the pairing code shown on MacBook Air
› 482 913
● ConnectedCopy on one, paste on the other
Press ⌘C on the Mac and Ctrl+V on Windows, or the other way round. Keep the ClipShare window open on both computers. You can close the browser page.
Find the QR code
On the computer where you typed 1, the ClipShare page has a QR code under Add your iPhone. It stays blurred so screenshots don't give it away: click Show QR code.
Scan it with the Camera
Open the Camera on the iPhone, point it at the code, and tap the link that appears.
Add it to the Home Screen
In Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Next time, ClipShare opens like an app.
ShareAdd to Home ScreenAddSend both ways
Whatever you copy on a computer appears on the phone: tap Copy to put it in the iPhone clipboard. To send from the phone, paste or type in the box at the top and tap Send. It's ready to paste on the computer.
Add "To Computer"
On the iPhone, open the ClipShare page, expand Back Tap from iPhone and tap Add "To Computer". The page copies your address for you.
Paste the address
Shortcuts opens and asks for the ClipShare address. Tap the field, choose Paste, then Add Shortcut.
Add "From Computer" the same way
This one brings the latest text from your computer into the iPhone clipboard.
Put them on Back Tap
Set Double Tap to "To Computer" and Triple Tap to "From Computer".
SettingsAccessibilityTouchBack TapCopy, tap, paste
Copy anything on the iPhone, tap the back of the phone twice, then press Ctrl+V or ⌘V on your computer. The first time, the iPhone asks to let the Shortcut connect: tap Allow.
The second computer can't find the first
Check that both are on the same Wi-Fi and that ClipShare is allowed on the network. If it still can't, it asks for the address instead: on the first computer's page, open It can't find this computer? and click the eye to show it.
The iPhone can't open the page
Check that it's on the same Wi-Fi as the computer. If the page lists several addresses under the QR code, pick another one and scan again.
It stopped working after a restart
Open ClipShare on both computers again: 1 on the first, 2 on the second. They find each other by themselves. On the iPhone, scan the QR code again if its page doesn't load.
Your clipboard stays at home.
Your devices talk to each other over your own network. Nothing goes through a server on the internet.
No cloud
Text and files move straight between your devices on your Wi-Fi.
Paired with a code
Only devices you pair with a code or a QR code can connect. The key stays hidden on screen, so screenshots are safe.
Passwords stay private
Passwords copied from a password manager are never shared.
Forgets on exit
History lives in memory and disappears when you close ClipShare.
On your network, devices talk over plain http without encryption. Use ClipShare on your home or office Wi-Fi, not on public networks.
Pick your computer.
Each download is a folder with two files. Install it on every computer you want to share a clipboard with.
ClipShare for Windows
Windows 10 and 11. Needs Python, free from python.org.
ClipShare.batDouble-click to openclipshare.pyThe appClipShare for Mac
Any recent macOS. If Python is missing, macOS offers to install it the first time.
ClipShare.commandDouble-click to openclipshare.pyThe appiPhone: nothing to download
Open ClipShare on a computer and scan its QR code. It runs in Safari.
Questions, answered.
Is ClipShare free?
Yes, and it's open source: the code is on GitHub. It's a small program you run on your own computers. There's no subscription, no account and no paid version.
Which computer should I start first?
Either one. Pick the computer that's on most of the time, type 1 there, and 2 on the other. Your iPhone connects to the one where you typed 1.
Do I have to set it up every day?
No. After the first time, open ClipShare on both computers: 1 on the first, 2 on the second. They remember each other, so no code is needed. Keep the ClipShare window open while you work.
Where's the pairing code?
On the computer where you typed 1: in the ClipShare window, and on the ClipShare page under Add another computer. It changes every time ClipShare starts there, so an old code can't be reused.
Why does the iPhone need a tap, when the computers don't?
iOS doesn't let any app read the clipboard in the background, so nothing can notice a copy on the iPhone by itself. The Back Tap Shortcut is the closest thing: copy, tap twice, paste.
I only have a Mac and an iPhone. Do I need this?
Probably not. Apple's Universal Clipboard already does that: turn on Handoff on both devices. ClipShare is for when a Windows PC is part of your setup.
Do photos sync between computers too?
Text syncs between computers automatically. Photos and files go through the ClipShare page: drop them in, and download them on the other device.