PasteNote Usage Guide

First-Run Tour

The first time you open the panel, five intro cards walk you through the main features.

1. 1 Open the panel for the first time. The list shows five intro cards: the menu bar, clipboard history, favorites and folders, desktop notes, and App Workspace.
2. 2 Hold the pointer over a card to see a short explanation.
3. 3 Once you copy your first real item, the intro cards disappear for good.

Open & Close the Panel

Open the panel from any app with one shortcut, without switching away from the window you're working in.

1. 1 Press ⌘⇧V (default) to open the panel. It appears without taking focus, so your current app keeps its cursor and state.
2. 2 Press Esc, or ⌘⇧V again, to close it.
3. 3 You can also click the PasteNote icon in the menu bar and choose Activate PasteNote.
4. 4 While the panel is showing, left-clicking the menu bar icon closes it.

Tip: To open the panel with a single click on the icon, see Menu Bar Icon Settings. You can change the shortcut in Preferences → Shortcuts.

Activate at the Screen Bottom

Prefer not to use a shortcut? Move the pointer to the bottom of the screen to open the panel.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings → Activate at screen bottom and choose Bottom edge, Bottom-left, or Bottom-right (off by default).
2. 2 Move the pointer there and the panel rises immediately, with no need to wait.

Tip: Choose Off to turn it off.

Menu Bar Icon Settings

Hide PasteNote's menu bar icon, or make a single click open the panel.

1. 1 Show in Menu Bar controls the PasteNote icon in the menu bar (shown by default).
2. 2 Turn on Activate PasteNote by clicking the menu bar icon to open the panel with a left click; right-click to see the menu. (Off by default, where a left click shows the menu.)
3. 3 Turn off Show in Menu Bar to hide the icon, then open the panel with the shortcut or by moving to the screen bottom.

Tip: Both are in Preferences → Settings. When the icon is hidden, the click-to-activate option is hidden too.

Customize Shortcuts

Change the shortcuts you use most to whatever feels natural.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Shortcuts.
2. 2 Global shortcuts work in any app: Activate PasteNote (⌘⇧V), Pin Latest Clipboard as Note (⌘⇧P), and Collapse All Notes (⌘⇧X).
3. 3 Click a shortcut field and, when it shows Press shortcut…, press the new combination.
4. 4 App shortcuts: ⌘1–9 quick select can be turned on or off; Pin as Note, Open in Browser, Show in Finder, and Delete can be changed; Alternate Copy is always ⇧.
5. 5 Click Reset All Default Shortcuts to go back to the defaults.

Tip: See Keyboard Shortcuts at the end of this page for the full list.

Automatic History

Whenever you copy text, a link, a file, an image, or a color value, PasteNote records it in the background. There's nothing extra to do.

1. 1 Copy as usual with ⌘C.
2. 2 The new item appears at the far left of the panel; older items move to the right.
3. 3 Each card's header shows the source app's icon and when you copied it, followed by a summary: character count for text, dimensions for images, the domain for links, the extension or file count for files, and the HEX value for colors.
4. 4 The card body shows the text, an image thumbnail, the web page cover, or a color swatch.

Tip: To pause recording, skip one copy, or exclude an app, see the Privacy & Security chapter.

Recall an Item

Once you find the item you need, PasteNote writes it back to the system clipboard so you can paste it in the app you're working in.

1. 1 Press ⌘⇧V (default) to open the panel.
2. 2 Select the item: click its card, press Return on the selected card, or press the ⌘1–⌘9 shown at the bottom of the card.
3. 3 The content is written back to the system clipboard and the panel closes.
4. 4 Go back to your app and press ⌘V to paste.

Tip: PasteNote never presses ⌘V for you and does not request Accessibility access, so pasting is always your own step. ⌘1–⌘9 map to the first nine visible cards and can be turned off in Preferences → Shortcuts.

Drag and Drop

When you don't want to overwrite the current system clipboard, drag a card straight to where it should go.

1. 1 Open the panel and press and hold on a card.
2. 2 After you move a short distance, the drag starts and a thumbnail of the card follows the pointer.
3. 3 Drag it into a text field, editor, browser, or Finder window in another app and release when the green plus appears.
4. 4 When the drop succeeds, the panel closes.

Tip: Dragging only copies: the original item is never moved or deleted, and the system clipboard is left unchanged. If you cancel or the target refuses the drop, the panel stays open; whether a drop is accepted is up to the target app. Cards in History, Favorites, folders, and Notes can all be dragged.

Alternate Copy (Hold ⇧)

Sometimes you need an item in another format: plain text without formatting, a color's HEX value, or a file's path. Just hold ⇧ when you select it.

1. 1 Hover over a card. The preview lists the alternate format available for that item: Hold ⇧ Copy as Plain Text, Hold ⇧ Copy as HEX, or Hold ⇧ Copy File Path.
2. 2 Hold ⇧ and the hint changes to Will copy plain text, and so on.
3. 3 Keep holding ⇧ and click the card or press Return.
4. 4 Go back to your app and press ⌘V to paste the alternate format.

Tip: Formatted text copies as plain text; a color copies as HEX when it wasn't written in HEX to begin with (for example rgb()); files copy as their paths. The key is always ⇧ and cannot be changed. Alternate copy isn't available in the Notes tab.

Hover Preview & Quick Actions

Cards can't show everything. Pause the pointer over one to see the full preview, with common actions listed right in the popover.

1. 1 Hold the pointer over a card. It gets a blue outline and the preview pops up a moment later.
2. 2 The top shows the full content: all of a long text, a larger image, the web page cover for a link, or the file name and location.
3. 3 Below are the actions available for that item. Press the shortcut to use one: ⌘P Pin as Note (text and images), ⌘S Add to Favorites, ⌘O Open in Browser (links), ⌘R Show in Finder (files), ⌘⌫ Delete.
4. 4 Move the pointer away and the preview closes.

Tip: ⌘P, ⌘O, ⌘R, and ⌘⌫ can be changed in Preferences → Shortcuts → In-App Shortcuts.

Link Previews

Copy a web address and its card shows the page title and cover, so you can tell pages apart at a glance.

1. 1 Copy an http or https address.
2. 2 The card first shows a link icon and the domain, then switches to the page cover and title once they're fetched.
3. 3 Hover over the card to see the cover in the preview. While fetching it shows Loading webpage preview…, and if nothing can be fetched it shows No webpage preview available.
4. 4 Press ⌘O to open the link in your browser.

Tip: Link previews visit the address to fetch public information such as the title and thumbnail; your browser's sign-in state is never read. Links marked as sensitive are never fetched.

Color Cards

Copy a color value from code or a stylesheet and its card shows a swatch, so you can see exactly which color it is.

1. 1 Copy a color value, such as rgb(59, 130, 246) or #3B82F6.
2. 2 The card shows a swatch of that color, with the HEX value in its header.
3. 3 Hover to preview it. If the original wasn't written in HEX, the preview offers Hold ⇧ Copy as HEX.
4. 4 Hold ⇧ and click the card to copy the HEX value.

Tip: Choose Colors (⌥6) in the type filter to see only color items.

File Cards

Files you copy in Finder are recorded too, so you can paste them somewhere else later or quickly find where they live.

1. 1 Select one or more files in Finder and press ⌘C.
2. 2 The card shows the file icon and name, with the extension or file count in its header.
3. 3 Hover to preview, then press ⌘R to show the files in Finder.
4. 4 Hold ⇧ when selecting the card to copy the file path instead of the file itself.

Tip: If the original file is moved or deleted, the card may show File unavailable. With iCloud sync on, files smaller than the File sync size limit sync to your other devices; larger ones stay on this Mac.

Delete an Item

Remove any single item you don't want to keep.

1. 1 Hold the pointer over the card you want to delete until the preview appears.
2. 2 Press ⌘⌫. The item is deleted and the cards after it move up to fill the gap.

Tip: Deleting can't be undone. To clear your history all at once, see Clear All Clipboard Data. ⌘⌫ can be changed in Preferences → Shortcuts.

Tabs & Keyboard Navigation

History, Favorites, Notes, and your own folders at the top of the panel are all tabs, and you can move between them from the keyboard.

1. 1 Press ⌘→ for the next tab and ⌘← for the previous one.
2. 2 Press ⌘0 to jump straight back to All History from anywhere.
3. 3 You can also click a tab at the top.

Tip: ⌘0 also switches the workspace back to All History, which is handy after browsing one app's workspace.

Maximum Items

History has a size limit. Once it's reached, the oldest items are cleaned up automatically so the list doesn't keep growing.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings → Clipboard.
2. 2 Type a number in Maximum storage or use the arrows next to it (10–999, default 200).

Tip: When the limit is exceeded, only the oldest items that aren't in Favorites or a folder are removed. Favorited and foldered items don't count toward the limit and are never cleaned up.

Clear All Clipboard Data

Use this to empty your clipboard history in one go. Favorites and folder contents are kept.

1. 1 Click ··· at the top right of the panel and choose Clear all clipboard data, or click the same option in Preferences → Settings → Clipboard.
2. 2 Click Clear all in the confirmation dialog.

Tip: History that isn't in Favorites or a folder is permanently deleted and can't be recovered. Favorited and foldered items are kept (they just no longer appear in All History), and notes are not affected.

Filter by Type

When you only want links, images, or colors, filter by type first and the list gets much shorter.

1. 1 Click the type icon to the left of the search field and choose All, Links, Files, Images, Text, or Colors.
2. 2 Or press ⌥1–⌥6 to switch directly, in the same order as the menu.
3. 3 The list then shows only that type; type a keyword to narrow it further.
4. 4 Press ⌥1 to go back to All.

Keyword & Scoped Search

Can't remember where you copied something? Type a few words to find it, or switch to a folder first to narrow things down.

1. 1 Type a keyword in the search field at the top; the list instantly shows only matching items.
2. 2 Text recognized in images on your Mac is searchable too.
3. 3 Switch to Favorites or a custom folder before searching to look only within it.
4. 4 Clear the search field to see the full list again.

Tip: Search runs entirely on your Mac.

Favorites

Favorite the things you use often so new copies never push them away and they're never cleaned up automatically.

1. 1 Hold the pointer over a card and press ⌘S in the preview, or right-click the card and choose Add to → Favorites.
2. 2 A ★ appears in the card's header.
3. 3 Click the Favorites tab at the top to see everything you've favorited.
4. 4 Press ⌘S again in the preview to remove it from Favorites.

Tip: Favorites don't count toward Maximum storage and aren't removed by Clear all clipboard data.

Create a Folder

Make a few folders by purpose, such as Work or Assets, and sort your frequently used content into them.

1. 1 Click + at the right of the panel's top bar.
2. 2 A folder named New Folder appears in the top bar, ready to rename. Type a name and press Return.
3. 3 The new folder is automatically given a color that isn't in use yet.
4. 4 To change it, right-click the folder and choose Color to pick a color that sets it apart.

Tip: The number of folders depends on the panel's width. When you reach the limit, you'll see The current layout supports up to N folders.

Add Items to a Folder

Right-click a card to put it in a folder. An item can be in several folders at once.

1. 1 Right-click a card, choose Add to, and pick a folder. Folders it's already in show a ✓; choose one again to take it out.
2. 2 Click a folder tab at the top to see what's inside.
3. 3 Inside a folder, right-click a card and choose Remove from "folder name" to take it out of that folder.

Tip: Items in folders don't count toward Maximum storage and aren't removed by Clear all clipboard data.

Rename & Delete Folders

Change a folder's name or color anytime, and delete folders you no longer need.

1. 1 Right-click a folder in the top bar and choose Rename. You can also double-click the folder, or force click it on a trackpad, to start renaming right away.
2. 2 The current name is selected. Type the new name right in the tab and press Return.
3. 3 Right-click the folder and choose Delete. The folder is removed right away.
4. 4 Deleting a folder doesn't delete what's in it; those items return to your history.

Tip: For Lock Folder in the folder's menu, see the Privacy & Security chapter.

Pin as a Note

Don't want to dig through the panel for something you use all the time? Pin it as a note that floats on your desktop.

1. 1 Open the panel and hold the pointer over the card you want to pin (text or an image).
2. 2 Press ⌘P (Pin as Note) in the preview.
3. 3 The content becomes a note floating on your desktop, above all windows and visible on every desktop space.
4. 4 Drag the note's top bar to put it where you want.

Tip: A freshly pinned note isn't saved yet, so its top bar only shows ✕ Close: close it without changes and it's gone. As soon as you change its text, colors, or image display mode, it's saved automatically and the top bar switches to Delete and Collapse. Only text and images can be pinned as notes.

Pin the Latest Item

Pin without opening the panel: one shortcut turns what you just copied into a desktop note.

1. 1 Copy something as usual.
2. 2 Press ⌘⇧P (default; change it in Preferences → Shortcuts).
3. 3 The newest item on the system clipboard becomes a desktop note right away.

Tip: As with notes pinned from the panel, closing it without changes doesn't save it.

Show & Collapse Notes

Collapse notes you don't need right now and show them again later. Their content is always kept.

1. 1 Open the panel and click the Notes tab at the top.
2. 2 Each note card is labeled Showing or Hidden.
3. 3 Hold the pointer over a note and press ⌘P: a showing note collapses, and a hidden one reappears on your desktop.
4. 4 You can also click — in a note's top bar to collapse it.

Tip: Favorites and alternate copy aren't available in the Notes tab.

Collapse All Notes

Too many notes on your desktop? Collapse them all with one shortcut.

1. 1 Press ⌘⇧X in any app (default; change it in Preferences → Shortcuts).
2. 2 All visible notes collapse and your desktop is clear again.
3. 3 When you need one back, press ⌘P on it in the panel's Notes tab.

Tip: This only collapses notes for now; it doesn't affect their automatic display when you switch apps later (see Bind Notes to an App).

Edit Text Notes

Text notes are editable in place, with common formatting tools in the top bar.

1. 1 Edit the text right in the note.
2. 2 Select text and use B (bold), I (italic), and U (underline) in the top bar.
3. 3 Use the small and large A buttons to decrease or increase the font size.
4. 4 Click the underlined A to change the text color, and the swatch at the far right to change the note's background color.

Tip: The note saves automatically after your first change, and every later change is saved too. There's nothing to save by hand.

Image Note Display Mode

Image notes can switch between showing the whole image and filling the window.

1. 1 Click the display mode button on the right side of the image note's top bar.
2. 2 The image toggles between fitting entirely in the window (with possible empty margins) and filling the window (edges may be cropped).

Tip: Changing the display mode counts as an edit, so a freshly pinned image note is saved automatically.

Annotate Images

Pin a screenshot as a note and mark it up right there, without opening another image editor.

1. 1 Pin a screenshot as a note (press ⌘P in its preview).
2. 2 Click the pen, rectangle, circle, or arrow in the top bar. Color and line width options appear above it (6 colors, 3 widths).
3. 3 Drag on the image to draw. Hold ⇧ to make squares, perfect circles, or lines at 0°, 90°, or 45°.
4. 4 Click Undo to remove the last mark.
5. 5 Click the selected tool again to stop annotating.

Tip: Annotations sit on top of the image and never alter the original. There's no blur or redaction tool yet. Undo only works within the current annotating session.

Copy, Download & Save Images

Copy an annotated image to share it, or save it as a file.

1. 1 Right-click the image note and choose Copy, then press ⌘V in a chat or document.
2. 2 Or click Download at the left of the top bar, or right-click and choose Save Image As….
3. 3 Pick a location and click Save. The file is named like PasteNote-20261017-094112.png.

Tip: Both copying and saving use the annotated image; without annotations you get the original.

Clear All Notes

Use this to delete every note at once.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings → Clipboard and click Clear all notes.
2. 2 Click Clear all in the confirmation dialog.

Tip: All notes are permanently deleted and can't be recovered. Your clipboard history is not affected.

Search Text in Images

Copy a screenshot and PasteNote recognizes its text on your Mac, so you can later find the image by the words in it.

1. 1 Copy an image that contains text (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and English are supported).
2. 2 Recognition runs in the background on your Mac, with no network access or uploads, and doesn't interrupt your copying.
3. 3 Type words that appear in the image into the search field to find it.
4. 4 Recognized text is only used for search and isn't shown in the preview.

Tip: Images copied before this feature arrived aren't recognized retroactively. Recognition is on by default and currently has no separate switch.

QR Codes & Barcodes

QR codes and barcodes in images are recognized automatically. Copy the result or open the link directly.

1. 1 Copy an image that contains a QR code or barcode.
2. 2 Hold the pointer over the card; the preview lists what was recognized at the bottom.
3. 3 Press ⌥⌘C to copy the result as plain text.
4. 4 If it's a web address, press ⌘O to open it in your browser.

Tip: Recognition also happens on your Mac; images are never uploaded.

Set Up a Workspace

Create a workspace for an app you use a lot, and whatever you copy in it is grouped together automatically.

1. 1 Open Preferences → App Workspace and make sure Enable App Workspace is on (it's on by default).
2. 2 Click Add Workspace, then pick an app under Add from Recent Sources or click Choose from Applications….
3. 3 The new workspace appears in the list with four switches below it.
4. 4 From now on, whatever you copy in that app goes into its workspace automatically.

Tip: Items copied before you created the workspace aren't moved in automatically. Right-click a card in All History and choose Add to App Workspace to add it by hand. All History always shows everything.

Create from the Panel

Skip Preferences and create a workspace for the current app with one click in the panel.

1. 1 Open the panel while you're in the app you want a workspace for.
2. 2 Click the Workspace button to the left of the search field. The first item in the menu is Create workspace for "App name".
3. 3 Choose it. The workspace is created and the panel switches to that app's items.
4. 4 To add existing items, right-click a card, choose Add to App Workspace, and pick the workspace.

Tip: This item only appears when the current app doesn't have an active workspace yet. If its workspace is paused, it reads Restore workspace for "App name" instead.

Prefer the App's Workspace

Open the panel in an app and see that app's items first.

1. 1 In the workspace's card in Preferences, turn on Prefer this app's context on panel open.
2. 2 When you open the panel in that app, it goes straight to its workspace.
3. 3 Open it in an app without a workspace and you still get All History.
4. 4 Click the workspace button at the top left of the panel to switch at any time, or press ⌘0 to return to All History.

Tip: With this switch off, the panel opens to All History and you can switch manually.

Bind Notes to an App

Bind a note you only need in one app to that app: it shows up when you switch to it and hides when you leave.

1. 1 In the workspace's card in Preferences, turn on Auto-show bound notes.
2. 2 Click Show In in the note's top bar and choose the app. You can pick more than one; All Apps (Global) means it isn't bound.
3. 3 When you switch to that app, its bound notes appear automatically.
4. 4 Switch to another app and they hide automatically.

Tip: Show In only appears when App Workspace is on and at least one workspace exists. There's a limit to how many notes auto-show at once.

Auto-Mark a Workspace as Sensitive

Automatically blur everything you copy in apps like Terminal or password tools.

1. 1 In the workspace's card in Preferences, turn on Auto-mark copied content as sensitive.
2. 2 Content copied from that app is still recorded, but its card is blurred and shows Sensitive Content.
3. 3 Whether viewing it requires Touch ID or your password depends on the Require verification to preview setting.

Tip: This works the same as Recorded but Locked by Default apps (see the Privacy & Security chapter).

Pause & Remove a Workspace

Pause a workspace you don't need for now, or remove it entirely. Existing content is always kept.

1. 1 Turn off Enable this App workspace to pause just this one. The card shows Paused and the other switches dim, but their settings are kept.
2. 2 Click − at the top right of the card and confirm Remove.
3. 3 Removing only deletes the configuration; clipboard history and notes already assigned to it are kept.

Tip: If the app is also on the Ignored Apps list, the workspace shows Paused by privacy rule.

Pause & Resume Recording

Pause recording when you don't want what you copy to go into your history.

1. 1 Click the PasteNote icon in the menu bar and choose Pause Recording. You can also choose it from ··· at the top right of the panel, or turn it on in Preferences → Privacy & Recording.
2. 2 Nothing you copy while paused is recorded.
3. 3 Choose Resume Recording when you're ready.

Tip: Pausing stays on, even after restarting PasteNote, until you turn it off yourself. Skipped content is never written in the first place; it isn't saved and then deleted.

Ignore the Next Copy

Skip just the next thing you copy, such as a one-time code.

1. 1 Click the menu bar icon or ··· at the top right of the panel and choose Ignore Next Copy.
2. 2 The next item you copy isn't recorded.
3. 3 Copies after that are recorded as usual. Before you copy, you can choose Cancel Ignore Next Copy.

Tip: You can also click Start Ignoring next to Ignore Next Copy in Preferences → Privacy & Recording.

Ignored Apps

Keep everything you copy in a particular app out of your history by adding it to the ignore list.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Privacy & Recording → Ignored Apps, click Add, and choose the app.
2. 2 Nothing you copy in that app is recorded from then on.
3. 3 To undo it, click − next to the app to remove it.

Tip: Existing history, favorites, and notes are unaffected, and content skipped earlier isn't added back after removal. Ignore rules take priority over App Workspace: if an app is set up in both, its workspace shows Paused by privacy rule.

Mark as Sensitive

Mark any item as sensitive to blur it in the list, so people looking at your screen can't read it.

1. 1 Right-click a card and choose Mark as Sensitive.
2. 2 The card's content is blurred right away and shows Sensitive Content.
3. 3 Selecting and pasting it work as usual, with no verification.
4. 4 To undo it, right-click and choose Unmark as Sensitive; you'll need to confirm with Touch ID or your system password first.

Tip: Require Verification to Preview is off by default, so hovering still shows the content. To require verification for previews too, see the next section. Locking hides content on screen from onlookers; it doesn't encrypt your data.

Require Verification to Preview

Protect blurred items in previews too by requiring you to verify first.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Privacy & Recording → Content Lock and turn on Require Verification to Preview (off by default).
2. 2 Hover over a blurred card and the preview shows Sensitive Content while it asks you to verify.
3. 3 After Touch ID or your system password, the preview shows the content.

Tip: Verification lasts only while the panel stays open; after you close it, you'll need to verify again. Quick actions in the preview (Favorites, Pin as Note, and so on) and selecting to paste never require verification.

Recorded but Locked by Default

Keep what you copy in certain apps, but never show it in plain text in the list.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Privacy & Recording → Recorded but Locked by Default, click Add, and choose the app.
2. 2 Content copied in that app is still recorded, but blurred automatically.

Tip: After you remove the rule, new copies from that app aren't locked by default; items already locked stay that way. Auto-mark copied content as sensitive in App Workspace has the same effect.

Lock a Folder

If a folder holds IDs, accounts, or similar items, lock the whole folder.

1. 1 Right-click a custom folder in the top bar and choose Lock Folder.
2. 2 Everything already in the folder is marked as sensitive.
3. 3 Anything you add to the folder later is marked automatically too.

Tip: Locking a folder marks its items as sensitive in bulk. Opening the folder doesn't require verification. Moving items out or turning the lock off doesn't remove existing marks; unmark them one by one with Unmark as Sensitive. Favorites can't be locked.

Passwords Locked Automatically

Password managers mark the passwords you copy as concealed. PasteNote records them as usual but blurs them automatically.

1. 1 Copy a password in your password manager.
2. 2 Its card is blurred from the start and shows Sensitive Content.

Tip: There's no switch for this and nothing to set up. If you don't want passwords in your history at all, add the app to Ignored Apps.

iCloud Sync

Turn on personal iCloud sync to keep your history and notes in sync across your Macs.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings and turn on Sync with iCloud (off by default).
2. 2 When Restart Required appears, click Restart Now. Clicking Cancel undoes the change.
3. 3 After the restart, syncing begins, and new items keep syncing while PasteNote runs.

Tip: Sync goes through your own Apple iCloud account, never the developer's servers. iCloud background sync can sometimes take a few seconds to a few minutes.

File Sync Size Limit

With iCloud sync on, choose how large a copied file can be and still sync.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings → Clipboard → File sync size limit (MB) and type a number or use the arrows (1–200, default 20).
2. 2 Files under this size sync to your other devices via iCloud; larger files stay available only on this Mac.

Tip: This only affects files copied after the change, not your existing history.

Launch at Login

Start PasteNote automatically when you log in, so you never miss your first copy.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings and turn on Launch at Login (off by default).
2. 2 PasteNote then starts in the background and begins recording whenever you log in.

Help & Feedback

Have a problem or an idea? Email the developer directly.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Settings → Help Center → Send Email to Developer. A new message opens with your app version, system version, and device model filled in.
2. 2 Preferences → About shows the version number, a Rate on the App Store button, and links to the User Guide, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Use.
3. 3 The User Guide is also in ··· at the top right of the panel.

Tip: Feedback address: coderchan.support@icloud.com

Enable Sequential Mode & Set the Order

Use Sequential Paste when you need to paste a set of items one after another into a form or spreadsheet.

1. 1 Create or choose a custom folder and add the items you want to paste in order.
2. 2 Right-click the folder name and choose Enable Sequential Mode.
3. 3 The Sequential Paste floating window appears, showing how many items there are.
4. 4 Drag cards to set the paste order.

Tip: Enabling Sequential Mode on another folder ends the current one and clears its temporary order. The temporary order and progress aren't kept across restarts.

Input Monitoring Permission

Sequential Paste needs to recognize the ⌘V you press in other apps, so it asks for Input Monitoring permission first.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Sequential Paste and click Request Permission under Input Monitoring.
2. 2 In the system prompt, click Open System Settings, then turn on PasteNote under Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring.
3. 3 Restart PasteNote, then enable Sequential Mode again and confirm the order.

Tip: The permission is only used to detect a plain ⌘V press and release, so PasteNote can count and prepare the next item. Typed text isn't recorded, keystrokes aren't uploaded, and no keys are simulated. Without it, clipboard history and manual copying still work.

Start, Stop & End

Once started, every ⌘V pastes the next item, and the sequence loops back to the start after the last one.

1. 1 Click Start in the floating window.
2. 2 Go back to your app. Each ⌘V pastes the current item, and the window prepares the next one, showing Current Item 2 / 5.
3. 3 After the last item it loops back to the first and shows N rounds completed.
4. 4 Click Stop Sequential Paste to stop. After stopping, click End to leave the mode and close the window.

Tip: Each full press and release of ⌘V counts once; PasteNote doesn't check whether the paste actually succeeded. Stop keeps the mode and temporary order, and End never deletes the folder or its items. After stopping, the system clipboard keeps whatever is on it. Locking the screen, sleeping, or the idle timeout also stops it.

Pastes per Item & Idle Stop

Paste each item several times, or have the sequence stop on its own when you're idle.

1. 1 Open Preferences → Sequential Paste → Paste Behavior.
2. 2 Pastes per Item: how many times each item is pasted before moving to the next (1–20, default 1).
3. 3 Stop When Idle: how long without activity before it stops automatically (1–60 minutes, default 5).
4. 4 Show Floating Window: turn it off to hide the window; the sequence keeps running, and you can start or stop it from the folder's right-click menu.

Tip: Changing Pastes per Item stops the current run. Copying elsewhere doesn't extend the idle timer.