Skip to content

How to sync your clipboard between Mac and Windows

FileClipSync gives a Mac and a Windows PC one shared clipboard. Copy a link, a block of text or an image on either machine and it is ready to paste on the other, usually before you have finished switching windows. The Windows companion connects to your Mac over the same local network, and everything is end-to-end encrypted - so your clipboard never leaves your own Wi-Fi.

The annoying bit

Apple's Universal Clipboard stops at the edge of the Apple ecosystem, so the moment a Windows PC is involved you are back to emailing yourself snippets or pasting into a chat window just to move them across. Most clipboard-in-the-cloud tools fix that by routing every copy through their servers - which is exactly what you do not want for passwords, client data, or anything private.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Install FileClipSync on the Mac

    Launch it from Applications. It lives in the menu bar and, on notch MacBooks, in the notch shelf.

  2. 2

    Install the Windows companion

    Run the FileClipSync companion on your PC and make sure it is on the same Wi-Fi or wired network as the Mac.

  3. 3

    Connect over the local network

    Approve the pairing on both machines. Keys are exchanged directly between them; no account, email or server is involved.

  4. 4

    Copy on one, paste on the other

    Copy text, a link or an image as you normally would. It becomes the current clipboard on the other machine - just press paste.

  5. 5

    Scroll back through history

    Open the shelf on the Mac to see a searchable history of what you have copied, so you can paste something from earlier, not only the last item.

Questions

Does the clipboard sync go through the cloud?

No. Between a Mac and a non-Apple device like Windows, FileClipSync syncs only over your local network. There is no cloud relay for Windows, so both devices share a network - which is also why nothing ever leaves it.

Is my clipboard encrypted?

Yes. Every item is encrypted on-device with AES-256-GCM before it moves, using keys exchanged directly between your devices. We run no servers and cannot read it.

Will passwords I copy sync around too?

FileClipSync detects sensitive items like card numbers and passwords, wipes them from the clipboard, and locks a copy in the Vault behind Touch ID rather than syncing them around freely.

Do both machines need to be awake and on the same Wi-Fi?

Yes. Because there is no server in between, the two devices sync while they are both on and share a network. Put them on the same Wi-Fi and it happens automatically.

Does it work with Linux too?

Yes. A Linux companion connects the same way over the local network, with the same end-to-end encryption.

← All use cases

Stop hunting for that thing you just copied.

Capture it once, find it anywhere, keep it private. The shelf your Mac and iPhone always needed.

Download for Mac - $14.99 Explore features

One-time price · macOS 14 + iOS 17 · Private by design