Paste App – My Endlessly Useful Clipboard Manager

Sometimes we’re trying to solve a problem we didn’t know we had, or the problem is so small we weren’t even sure there was a tool out there that could help us do something better. And this app I’m going to talk about next helped me get away from some expensive apps, helped me write my podcast and YouTube videos more efficiently, and even solved problems I didn’t know I had until I found it.

Most of my podcasts revolve around books, clips, articles, quotes—bits of information from a variety of places. What I was doing before was collecting these clips and screenshots and pasting them together into a document. But what I really wanted to do was move away from screenshots and get the actual text itself, so I could paste it into my Notion databases or directly into my Elgato teleprompter.

Screenshots are not editable. Maybe I only want a specific quote, but the screenshot grabs a whole paragraph. I can’t search those screenshots. I can’t annotate them. And since I’m trying to create a Notion empire of all my learned knowledge, those screenshots just aren’t helpful.

The problem I had was that the Kindle software limits how much text you can copy and paste out of the app. I guess they think you’re trying to steal the book. But in my case, I’m reviewing it. I’m looking for quotes, measurements, and references for things I talk about on the Buzz, Blossom & Squeak podcast. I’m not trying to steal—I just want to take notes on what I’m reading.

##Paste App to the rescue!##

Allison had previously reviewed several paste buffer tools, and she got me into using TextSniper, which allows me to highlight a portion of the screen and grab the actual text. That helped—I could then paste that text into a document. But when I’m reading a book, I don’t want to constantly flip back and forth between copying and pasting. I just want to read and collect as I go.

That’s when I found the app Paste—available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. They call themselves “a clipboard as it should be.”

What’s exciting about this app is that it allowed me to collect all those TextSniper grabs and then—with one command—paste them all into a new document or directly into the Elgato Prompter software (which doesn’t allow screenshots or image pasting). This changed my workflow. Now I can sit in my little reading nook, read a book, keep grabbing text, and at the end, copy all of the book clips and paste it all at once.

This is also great for someone like me who likes to take notes on books. Sometimes I read something and think, “That’s a really good idea—I want to remember that.” And now I can have the actual text inside my own notes.

Paste App Details

Let’s talk a bit more about the Paste app itself.

There are lots of clipboard managers out there—many of them very good. This one stood out to me. Like most, it has a tray or panel where you can view all your saved clips. I assigned a hotkey to bring it up, and I also added a button to my Stream Deck. I can quickly pop open the clipboard and find whatever I copied.

It collects copy-and-paste data from almost every app I use. I haven’t found one it doesn’t work with. You can also tell it not to remember certain apps—like your password manager. I disabled copy tracking for 1Password, which gave me a little more peace of mind.

So what is it? It’s an endless clipboard history. It keeps everything you copy and stores it locally on your computer, so you know it’s secure. It’s not uploading it to some random cloud service. It syncs via iCloud to your other devices, including your iPad and iPhone. So any piece of text, link, or copied item is available across devices.

Here’s an example: I told a friend about a pair of binoculars a couple of weeks ago, and she couldn’t remember the link I sent her. It was easy for me to open Paste, search with its fantastic tool, and boom—there it was. Now she’s forgotten the link two more times, and I’ve still got it saved.

Paste tells you what the clip was, what app it came from, and you can even rename clips. So now I’ve labeled that binoculars link, and I can find it instantly the next time she asks.

Another recent example: I grabbed something for a friend, pasted it into a chat, and then went on with my day. Later she asked, “Can you send that again?” I didn’t remember the site, didn’t remember where I got it. But it was still in my clipboard history. A few clips back—there it was. Sent it again.

It also supports macOS shortcuts, iOS Shortcuts, and works with Keyboard Maestro, which opens up more sophisticated automation. I’m thinking about ways to take my process even further.

Pinboards are Handy!

Pinboards are another powerful feature. You can take your copied items and group them into collections. These pinboards give you a preview of the clips, too.

I have a pinboard for shopping links, articles to read later, funny memes, podcast research and frequently used text.

Need to find that graphic? That interesting article? They’re all in pinboards—organized and searchable. You can create an endless number of pinboards with an endless number of items.

For example, a few weeks ago I copied an interesting article about bees that I might want to use in a future podcast. I found it in two ways: with the search function and because I had added it to my “Podcast Research” pinboard. It keeps all my incoming and outgoing information organized in one place.

##Pricing##

It costs $29.99 per year. It’s also available on Setapp, which might tip the scales if you’re considering a Setapp subscription. You can try it out for 14 days from their website or use it through Setapp.

I bought mine during a Christmas sale with a really good discount code. Funny story—I couldn’t get the code to work, but I contacted their support right before Christmas, and they responded immediately. I explained what I was trying to do with their software, and they sent me links and videos to help me use it more effectively. I appreciated that. They even said, “Let us know how you’re using it and how it’s working for you.”

One use case they shared on their site—but I haven’t tried yet—is building or rebuilding a website. You could collect your new color palette, graphic images, text blocks and code snippets and keep them all in one pinboard. That way, everything is ready to go when you’re working.

Developers use it like that, too. You find something great on GitHub or Stack Overflow—save it. Reuse it later.

Pinboards vs Notion?

I’m creating new pinboards almost daily for short-term reference. I use Notion for long-term memory—what they call your “second brain.” But I use Paste pinboards for short-term snippets, quick-access links, and temporary ideas I want handy for a few days or weeks.

So for me, this app has been the missing piece in making my podcast workflow more efficient. I manage a lot of podcasts and YouTube channels. I have to keep them separate and be able to find info quickly.

For example: I have a disclaimer I use in some of my YouTube videos. I could go copy it from an old video, but instead, it’s saved in a pinboard—always ready to go.

This is a great company, with friendly people, and I’m really glad I got to talk to them. This app has become a core part of my workflow, changing how I research, write, and organize every one of my podcasts.

It has revolutionized almost everything I do—and now, my information is always right where I need it.

I hope this helps you decide if Paste, the endless clipboard app, might be exactly what you need for your processes, too. I’m always happy to answer questions about it on Allison’s Slack channel.