Maccy
Maccy Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete Guide (2026)
Maccy‘s default shortcut is Shift + Command + C, which opens the clipboard history. From there, Return copies the selected item, Option + Return pastes it, Option + Delete removes it, and Option + P pins it. Almost everything else is typing to search and pressing a number key.
Quick answer: the shortcuts you’ll use daily
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Maccy | ⇧ ⌘ C (rebindable) |
| Search history | Just start typing |
| Copy selected item | Return |
| Paste selected item | ⌥ Return |
| Copy / paste item 1-9 | ⌘ 1-9 / ⌥ 1-9 |
| Pin or unpin item | ⌥ P |
| Delete item | ⌥ Delete |
| Clear unpinned history | ⌥ ⌘ Delete |
| Close without choosing | Esc |
Why Maccy is built around the keyboard
Maccy App is a lightweight, open-source clipboard manager for macOS that stores history locally on your Mac. It is designed so your hands never leave the keys: open, type a few characters, press Return. The shortcuts are few, so you can learn them in one sitting. The one thing that trips people up is the interaction between copy and paste, covered below.
How do I open Maccy with the keyboard?
Press ⇧ ⌘ C. The history window appears at the position set in your settings, with the search field already focused. You can also click the menu bar icon, but the shortcut is the whole point.
Changing the global shortcut
Open Maccy Mac‘s settings (⌘ , while the window is open, or via the menu bar icon) and look for the shortcut recorder under the General tab . Click it and press your new combination. Choose something that doesn’t clash with other apps. ⇧ ⌘ C collides with a few developer tools, which is the most common reason people rebind it.
How do I find an item fast?
Type. There is no need to click the search box. Maccy Clipboard filters history as you type, and the match is fuzzy by default, so “invce” can still find “invoice” . Then:
- ↑ / ↓ move through results.
- Return acts on the highlighted item.
- Esc closes the window, or clears the search first if you’ve typed something .
Emacs-style navigation such as ⌃ N and ⌃ P works in many macOS text fields, but check that it works in your Maccy version before relying on it .
Copy vs. paste: the part everyone gets wrong
By default, pressing Return only copies the item back to your clipboard. You then press ⌘ V yourself. Adding ⌥ makes Maccy paste directly into the frontmost app.
| Goal | Keyboard | Mouse equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Put item on clipboard | Return, or ⌘ 1-9 | Click |
| Paste into active app | ⌥ Return, or ⌥ 1-9 | ⌥ Click |
| Paste without formatting | ⌥ ⇧ Return | ⌥ ⇧ Click |
Maccy has a “paste automatically” option in Settings. When it’s on, the behavior inverts: plain selection pastes, and the modifier variant just copies. If the shortcuts seem to do the opposite of what this guide says, check that setting first. Pasting into other apps also requires Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
Number shortcuts for the first nine items
The first nine entries in the list are numbered. ⌘ 3 copies the third item, and ⌥ 3 pastes it. This is the fastest route when you copy two things in a row and want the older one back: open Maccy, press ⌥ 2, done.
How do I pin items?
Highlight an item and press ⌥ P. It moves to the top of the list and gets its own permanent shortcut key. Maccy assigns the letter, so check what it shows next to the entry rather than assuming. Press ⌥ P on a pinned item to unpin it.
Pinning suits snippets you reuse constantly: an email signature, a support reply, a terminal command, a shipping address. Pinned items survive “clear history.”
How do I delete or clear history?
| Action | Shortcut | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Delete one item | ⌥ Delete | Useful right after copying a password or token by mistake |
| Clear all unpinned items | ⌥ ⌘ Delete | Pinned items stay |
| Pause history capture | Click menu bar icon while holding ⌥ | Maccy ignores new copies until you toggle it back |
For password managers, don’t rely on manual deletion. Maccy lets you ignore specific apps and content types in Settings → Ignore, which is the safer fix for sensitive copies. Many password managers also mark their clipboard content as concealed, and Maccy respects that by default .
A 60-second workflow to build the habit
- Copy three different things in any app.
- Press ⇧ ⌘ C and look at the numbered list.
- Press ⌥ 3 to paste the oldest of the three directly.
- Open Maccy again, type a word from one entry, and press ⌥ Return.
- Pin your most-used snippet with ⌥ P.
Troubleshooting shortcut problems
- The shortcut does nothing. Another app has probably claimed ⇧ ⌘ C. Rebind Maccy’s shortcut in settings.
- Paste shortcuts only copy. Grant Accessibility access to Maccy, then relaunch it.
- Numbers don’t match what I expect. Pinned items occupy the top of the list, so numbering is based on what is currently displayed.
- Wrong behavior after an update. Settings and defaults have changed between major versions, so check your version under Maccy → About .
Honest limitations
Maccy keeps its shortcut set small on purpose. It doesn’t have the snippet folders or workflow automation that heavier tools like Alfred’s clipboard history or Paste offer. If you need those, a small tool will frustrate you. If you want fast recall with minimal setup, the short list above covers nearly everything.
Summary
Learn four things: ⇧ ⌘ C to open, type to search, ⌥ to paste instead of copy, and ⌥ P to pin. Everything else is a refinement. Which of your daily copy-paste routines could become a pinned item?
Maccy is free and open source. You can grab it from maccy.app.