copy4paste
v1.3 · macOS · Windows · Linux · MIT
copy4paste

Copy. Choose. Paste.

Your latest copied texts, always a single ⌘V (or Ctrl+V) away.

Download for Mac Universal DMG · Free
View on GitHub
Windows .zip Linux .tar.gz .deb
See Copy4Paste in 21 seconds · Free & open source
copy4paste
1 = latest
1 Recent text
2 Second sample text
3 Third text
4 Fourth text

The picker, exactly as it appears when you press ⌘V

Click a row or press keys 1-4 to interact
Make it yours

Six skins. Room for yours.

Four come with the app. Two more arrive as a small JSON file you import — and yours can be the next one.

Illustrative previews drawn from the real palette and geometry in the app source, not screenshots. The colour bar under each panel is the skin’s five colours in file order: background, selection, foreground, muted, delete.

Built-in

Pick one in Settings

Press ⌘V, click the gear, choose Skin and the panel changes as you pick. Dark, Light, Cyan and Midnight are always there and cannot be removed.

JSON

Import a file

Download ocean.json or sunset.json (Download raw file on the page), then gear → Import JSON skin… and pick the file. It applies immediately and stays in your list.

Open invitation

Your palette belongs here.

A skin is a text file with five colours and a corner radius. Copy the template, change the values, import it — no programming, no build step, nothing to install. If you like the result, open a Pull Request and your skin joins this gallery, credited to you.

  1. 1Copy template.json
  2. 2Change the five colours
  3. 3Import it in Settings
  4. 4Send it as a Pull Request
Get the template Browse all skins Contribute on GitHub

A skin is data only: five colours, a corner radius and an optional font. Nothing in the file runs, nothing is uploaded, and there is no in-app store yet — you download the JSON yourself.

A natural workflow

Built to never break your focus or slow your fingers down.

STEP 01

Copy several texts

Use your usual ⌘C as you go while browsing, digging through code or writing documents.

Silent storage
STEP 02

Press ⌘V

The floating picker appears instantly right where your cursor is, in any app.

No animation latency
STEP 03

Pick which one to paste

Press the number key (1 to 4) and keep working without ever leaving the keyboard.

Pastes straight into focus

Built with native discipline

No heavy Electron layers, no hidden telemetry. Pure system-utility precision.

Fast keyboard selection

Press ⌘V and choose instantly with the number keys 1 to 4, without touching the mouse or looking away.

1 2 3 4
No windows, no waiting

Configurable history

Set the temporary memory from 1 to 30 texts right in the settings panel, with nothing complicated to configure.

Memory limit 4 texts (recommended)

Privacy: 100% in RAM

Temporary, volatile storage in RAM only. Nothing touches the disk, nothing leaves your Mac, and it is gone when the app quits. Zero AI, zero cloud, zero telemetry.

No network, no telemetry Nothing leaves your Mac
Getting started

Install and first launch

Ready in under 30 seconds, with the whole source in the open.

1

Download the DMG

Get the universal binary: Apple Silicon and Intel, in a single DMG.

2

Drag it to Applications

Open the downloaded disk image and drag the copy4paste icon into your Applications folder.

3

Grant Accessibility permission

In System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, enable copy4paste so it can catch the global shortcut.

Windows 10 and 11

1

Download the ZIP

Unpack it anywhere: the .exe is the whole app, with the four skins inside.

2

Run it past SmartScreen

The build is not code-signed: More info > Run anyway, once. copy4paste then waits in the notification area.

3

Copy two texts, press Ctrl+V

The picker appears at the cursor. Settings is on the tray menu or Ctrl+Alt+P.

Linux (x86_64, GTK 3)

1

Download the tarball or the .deb

GTK 3, libX11 and libXtst are the only requirements, and desktop systems already ship them.

2

Install for your user

In the unpacked folder run ./install.sh (no root), or install the .deb with your package manager.

3

On Wayland, bind one shortcut

Wayland does not allow intercepting Ctrl+V: point a shortcut of your desktop at copy4paste --select. On X11 Ctrl+V works by itself.

macOS Gatekeeper notice

The app is open source and not notarized by Apple, so macOS distrusts it the first time. It is the only warning you will see, and only once:

1. Right-click the app → Open.
2. On macOS 15 or later that button may be missing: go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click “Open Anyway”.
Then grant Accessibility and you are set.

Technical specifications

Version
1.3
Architecture
macOS universal · Windows x64 · Linux x86_64
Installer size
Under 1 MB each
License
MIT (Open Source)
Platforms
macOS · Windows · Linux
Dependencies
System frameworks (GTK 3 on Linux)

The clipboard you always wanted

No subscriptions, no sign-ups, no background services draining your battery.

Download copy4paste.dmg Releases on GitHub
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