How to Copy and Paste Multiple Items on a Mac

Windows has Win + V: a clipboard history that lets you copy several things and paste any of them. On a Mac, ⌘ C overwrites whatever you copied before. If you're moving five fields from one form to another, or gathering quotes from several pages, that means a lot of switching back and forth.

Here's how to copy multiple items on a Mac, from the free options to the fastest.

Option 1: Spotlight clipboard history (macOS Tahoe)

Since macOS Tahoe, Spotlight remembers recent copies:

1. Copy each item as usual with ⌘ C.
2. When you want to paste one, press ⌘ Space, then ⌘ 4.
3. Choose the item you need.

It's free and built in, but each paste takes a few steps, and Apple doesn't document how long items are kept. More in Spotlight clipboard history, explained.

Option 2: drag text to the Desktop as clippings

An old Mac trick that still works in many apps: select text and drag it onto the Desktop or a Finder folder. It becomes a small "text clipping" file you can drag back into a document later. Handy for a few items; messy for many.

Option 3: paste into a scratch note

Keep a Notes or TextEdit window open, paste each item into it as you go, then copy from there. It works anywhere, but it doubles every copy and loses images and formatting.

Option 4: a clipboard manager (the Windows + V equivalent)

A clipboard manager keeps everything you copy, so "copy multiple items" stops being something you plan. You just copy, and every item is waiting. In EasyPaste:

• Pick any earlier item: press ⌃ ⌘ V in any app, type a word from the item (or scroll), and press Return to copy it back. Then paste with ⌘ V.
• Grab a recent one instantly: ⌃ ⌘ 1 copies the most recent clip, ⌃ ⌘ 2 the one before, up to ⌃ ⌘ 0 for the tenth. Filling a form becomes copy, copy, copy, then paste them in order.
• Paste several at once: in the history, hold ⌘ and click each clip you want, then choose Combine. EasyPaste makes one card from them, in the order you copied them. Choosing that card copies all of their text in one go, separated by blank lines.
• Images, links and colours too: not just text. Screenshots and copied images are kept and searchable by the words in them.
• Drag from the notch: on MacBooks with a notch, hover the notch to see recent clips and drag one straight into the app you're in.

Comparison

Frequently asked questions

Can a Mac hold more than one item on the clipboard?

The clipboard itself holds one item. macOS Tahoe adds a clipboard history in Spotlight, and clipboard managers keep a full history of everything you copy.

What is the Mac equivalent of Windows + V?

On macOS Tahoe, Command-Space then Command-4 opens Spotlight's clipboard history. A clipboard manager gives you a single shortcut instead, such as Control-Command-V in EasyPaste.

How do I paste several things at once on a Mac?

In EasyPaste, Command-click the clips you want and choose Combine. The combined card copies all of them at once, in the order you copied them.

Does copying multiple items work with images?

With a clipboard manager that supports images, yes. EasyPaste keeps copied images and screenshots and even makes the text inside them searchable.