Do you know how to clear the clipboard on Macbook pro? The clipboard is where you keep your copied text and images, as well as data from most recently used items. The main purpose of the Clipboard is to provide an easy way for you to insert and paste data into other programs. The clipboard offers a short-term storage option to store your copy and paste data.
This data is stored in your Mac’s RAM.
Sometimes the clipboard gets overloaded with a number of different items from various applications. This could cause some problems, including:
Lag in opening Applications,
Lag in switching tabs in a browser
To avoid these issues as well as to keep your data secure, especially if you are sharing your Mac, it is always advisable to clear your clipboard. This becomes more essential if you have just copied some sensitive data.
Since the data will always be stored in the clipboard even after you have copied and pasted it, clearing your clipboard in Mac will not only free up space in your Mac’s memory but will also keep your data secure.
In this Article
How to View Clipboard content
To check what data is stored in the clipboard, just follow these steps
- Open Finder
- Select Edit
- From the drop-down menu, choose Show Clipboard.
A new window will open up which will show you the current contents of the clipboard.
How to delete or clear Clipboard Content
Here are 4 ways by which you can clear the contents of the clipboard in Mac.
1. Clear Clipboard by Restarting
This is the easiest if a bit time taking step.
All data stored on the CLipboard gets erased when you restart the Mac.
So, to clear the clipboard just Restart your Mac.
2. Terminal
Restarting Mac just to clear the clipboard content sounds a bit unrealistic. I honestly can’t remember the last time I restarted my Mac. So if this option is just not for you, you can go a bit geeky here and use the Terminal to delete all clipboard history.
Just head to Terminal on your Mac.
You can access it by opening the Spotlight-just press the Command+Space bar- and type in Terminal.
Copy the following command and paste it into the Terminal and hit Enter.
pbcopy < /dev/null
And Voila, your clipboard’s data and history will be completely erased now.
If you had just copied an extremely large file, then you will notice a smoother and lag-free Mac experience immediately.
3. Clear Clipboard by Replacing data
This is by far the easiest and most effective way to clear your data in Clipboard.
Since the clipboard on Mac can only hold one thing at a time, this allows you to quickly clear sensitive or personal information from the clipboard by copying something else.
Simply open any application on your Mac, it could be a text file, word document, or even a browser.
Now select and copy any empty space. This could be the space between any two words or a blank area. Copy it by pressing Command+C.
You can check that the clipboard is empty by going back to How to View Clipboard content.
Your clipboard should be empty now.
Related :Mac Screenshots-Copy, Paste, and Edit
4. Use an APP to manage and clear your Clipboard on Mac
There are many apps available on the Apple Store that can help you effectively manage and clear the contents of your Clipboard.
I personally can recommend 2 CleanMyMac x and Unclutter.
Both of these are great tools that I can personally vouch for.
CleanMyMac X
It’s a user-friendly problem fixer for Mac. It will delete system junk, unwanted apps, and malware, and tune your Mac for maximum speed. For a slow computer, it’s a must-have.
It has a Free version also, which I love, as that gives you the opportunity to play around with the app and really discover whether you like it or not.
Go check it out!
Unclutter
Unclutter is a nice handy way to store all your notes, files, and clipboard contents. It has a very neat UI and the best part is that it is so accessible. You only need to move your mouse to the top of the screen and drag it down. All your notes and copied content are instantly accessible. And in case you want to edit or delete any data, it’s super easy.
This too has a Free Version so you can safely check it out and determine whether it’s for you or not.
Summary
Well, that was it. You now know of all the ways to clear the contents and history of the clipboard in Mac.
I personally recommend Clear Clipboard by Replacing data as it’s the easiest and the fastest way to clear your pasteboard.
