Maccy

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How to Install and Configure Maccy (macOS Clipboard Manager)

Maccy is installed by running brew install maccy or by downloading it from GitHub or the Mac App Store. After launching it, press Shift+Command+C to open your clipboard history. For automatic pasting, grant Accessibility permission in System Settings. The whole setup takes about five minutes.

Quick answer

Install: Homebrew, GitHub release, or Mac App Store.
Open it: Shift+Command+C.
Grant Accessibility access if you want «paste automatically».
Add your password manager and sensitive apps to the Ignore list.
Set your history size and what gets stored (text, images, files).

You copy a command, then copy a URL, then realize you needed the command again. Without a clipboard manager, it’s gone. Maccy App keeps a searchable history of what you copied, stores it locally on your Mac, and doesn’t send it anywhere. This guide covers installation, the permissions macOS asks for, and the settings worth changing on day one.

What do you need before installing Maccy?

You need a Mac running a macOS version the current Maccy Mac release supports. Recent Maccy Clipboard 2.x releases require macOS 14 (Sonoma) or newer . Older Maccy 1.x builds support older macOS versions but no longer receive new features. Check the requirements on the GitHub releases page before downloading.

How do you install Maccy?

There are three official routes. All install the same app, and they differ in how you get updates and whether you pay.

Method	Cost	Updates	Best for
Homebrew	Free	`brew upgrade --cask maccy`	People who already manage apps in Terminal
GitHub release (.dmg or .zip)	Free	Manual, or built-in updater	Anyone who wants no package manager
Mac App Store	Paid	Automatic via App Store	Supporting the developer; hands-off updates

Option 1: Install with Homebrew

brew install maccy

Maccy is distributed as a cask, so this installs the app into /Applications. To update later, run brew upgrade --cask maccy.

Option 2: Download from GitHub

Open the latest release on the Maccy GitHub repository.
Download the app archive or disk image.
Drag Maccy.app into your Applications folder.
Open it from Applications. If macOS shows a first-launch confirmation, click Open.

Option 3: Install from the Mac App Store

Search for «Maccy» in the App Store and install it. The App Store build is a paid way to fund the project. The source code is the same open-source project either way.

How do you open Maccy for the first time?

Once Maccy runs, a clipboard icon appears in your menu bar. Click it, or press Shift+Command+C (the default global shortcut) to open the history popup. Start typing to search, use the arrow keys to move, and press Return to copy the highlighted item.

If nothing appears when you press the shortcut, another app may be using the same combination. Change Maccy’s shortcut in the settings (see below).

Why does Maccy need Accessibility permission?

Maccy needs Accessibility access only for one feature: pasting automatically into the frontmost app when you select an item. Without it, Maccy still copies the item to your clipboard, and you press Command+V yourself.

To grant it:

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
Switch Maccy on. If it isn’t listed, click the + button and add it from Applications.
Quit and reopen Maccy if the permission doesn’t take effect immediately.

Newer macOS versions also have clipboard-access prompts for apps that read the pasteboard in the background. If you see such a prompt, check System Settings → Privacy & Security for a pasteboard or «Paste from Other Apps» entry and allow Maccy .

Which Maccy settings should you change first?

Open settings from the menu bar icon, or with Command+, while Maccy’s popup is open. The labels differ slightly between versions, but these are the options that matter most .

Setting	Where	Recommendation
Launch at login	General	Turn on. A clipboard manager that isn’t running can’t record anything.
Global shortcut	General	Keep the default unless it collides with another app.
Paste automatically	General	Turn on once Accessibility is granted.
History size	Storage	The default is modest. Raise it if you routinely need items from earlier in the week.
Types to save	Storage	Text only is the lightest option. Add images or files if you want them in history.
Sort order	Storage	Last copied is the most intuitive. Alternatives sort by first copied or number of copies.
Ignored applications	Ignore	Add your password manager and banking or health apps.
Ignored content (regex)	Ignore	Add patterns for anything that should never be stored.
Menu bar icon	Appearance	Change it or hide it if your menu bar is crowded.

How do you keep passwords out of Maccy’s history?

Maccy skips clipboard items that apps mark as concealed or transient. Many well-behaved password managers do this, which is why their copied passwords typically never show up in history. That relies on each app doing the right thing, so don’t depend on it blindly.

Add a second layer:

Ignore by application: Open the Ignore tab and add your password manager, so nothing copied from it is ever recorded.
Ignore by pattern: Add a regular expression for strings you never want stored. For example, to skip anything that looks like a long API token, you might use ^[A-Za-z0-9_\-]{32,}$. Test the pattern on a harmless string first, since an overly broad regex will silently skip legitimate copies.
Clear on demand: Delete a single item with Option+Delete, or clear the full history from the menu .

Maccy stores history locally on your Mac. That is a real privacy advantage over cloud-synced managers, but it also means anyone with access to your unlocked account could open the history. FileVault and a screen lock matter here.

What are the everyday shortcuts worth learning?

Action	Shortcut
Open history	`Shift`+`Command`+`C`
Search	Just start typing
Copy selected item	`Return`
Pin or unpin an item	`Option`+`P`
Delete an item	`Option`+`Delete`
Paste without formatting	`Option`+`Shift`+`Return`

Pinning is the feature people discover late. Pin the snippets you reuse constantly, such as an email signature, a support reply or a terminal command, and they stay at the top regardless of how much else you copy.

Why isn’t Maccy working? Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Shortcut does nothing	Another app owns the combination, or Maccy isn’t running	Check the menu bar icon. Change Maccy’s shortcut in General.
Item is copied but not pasted automatically	Accessibility permission missing	Enable Maccy under Privacy & Security → Accessibility, then restart Maccy.
Permission is on but still fails	Stale permission entry after an update or reinstall	Remove Maccy from the Accessibility list, re-add it, and relaunch.
Something you copied is missing	The source app is ignored, the type isn’t saved, or a regex matched it	Review the Ignore and Storage settings.
Images or files aren’t in history	Only text is enabled	Enable those types in Storage.
Menu bar icon is gone	Hidden in settings or crowded out by other icons	Re-enable it in Appearance, or free up menu bar space.
App won’t open on first launch	Gatekeeper confirmation	Right-click the app, choose Open, and confirm.

How do you update or uninstall Maccy?

Update: use brew upgrade --cask maccy for Homebrew installs, download the new release from GitHub, or let the App Store handle it.

Uninstall: quit Maccy, then run brew uninstall --cask maccy or drag the app from Applications to the Trash. Clipboard history and preferences are stored separately in your user Library. To remove them as well, delete the related entries in ~/Library .

Is Maccy worth setting up?

Maccy is deliberately minimal. It records, searches and pastes, and it doesn’t sync across devices or manage snippets with templates and variables. If you want that, you’ll need a heavier tool. If you want a fast, private history that stays out of your way, five minutes of setup is enough.

Once it’s running, which part of your workflow loses the most time to re-copying: code snippets, links, or text you reuse in emails?

SEO Package

1. Title options

How to Install and Configure Maccy on macOS (2026)
Maccy Setup Guide: Install, Permissions and Settings
Install Maccy and Set It Up Right in 5 Minutes

2. Meta description

Install Maccy via Homebrew, GitHub or the App Store, grant Accessibility access, and configure privacy and history settings. Includes troubleshooting.

3. URL slug

/how-to-install-and-configure-maccy

4. Keywords

Primary: install Maccy

Secondary and semantic: Maccy setup, configure Maccy, Maccy clipboard manager, Maccy Homebrew, Maccy Accessibility permission, Maccy keyboard shortcut, macOS clipboard history, Maccy ignore list, Maccy settings, Maccy not working

5. Suggested internal links (varied anchors)

Anchor «keyboard shortcuts you’ll use daily» → Maccy shortcuts reference page
Anchor «keeping sensitive copies out of history» → Maccy privacy and security page
Anchor «other clipboard managers for Mac» → comparison or alternatives page
Anchor «Maccy» (brand) → homepage or download page, used once

6. Suggested external references

Maccy GitHub repository and releases page (github.com/p0deje/Maccy)
Homebrew documentation on casks (docs.brew.sh)
Apple Support: control which apps can access your Mac (privacy and security settings)

7. JSON-LD schema

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8. FAQ (schema-ready)

How do I install Maccy on a Mac?: Run brew install maccy in Terminal, download the app from the Maccy GitHub releases page, or buy it from the Mac App Store. Then open it and press Shift+Command+C to view your clipboard history.
What is Maccy’s default keyboard shortcut?: The default global shortcut is Shift+Command+C. You can change it in Maccy’s settings if it conflicts with another app.
Why does Maccy ask for Accessibility permission?: Maccy needs it to paste automatically into the app you’re using. Without it, Maccy still copies the selected item, and you paste manually with Command+V.
Does Maccy store copied passwords?: Maccy skips items that apps flag as concealed, which many password managers do. For safety, add your password manager to Maccy’s Ignore list as well.
Is Maccy free?: Maccy is open source and free to install from Homebrew or GitHub. The Mac App Store version is a paid option that supports development.

9. Reading time

About 1,450 words of article body, roughly 6 minutes at 230 words per minute.

10. Internal-linking opportunities

From any Maccy shortcuts or features article to this page, using a natural phrase such as «getting Maccy set up».
To a privacy and ignore-list deep dive, from the «keep passwords out of history» section.
To a Maccy troubleshooting article, if one exists, from the troubleshooting table. If one does exist, trim the overlap here rather than duplicate it.