Support

How can I help?

Answers to common questions, and how to get in touch.

Getting started

How do I open xcv?

Press ⇧⌘V anywhere, or click the clipboard icon in the menu bar and choose Show Clipboard. You can change the shortcut in Settings › General. xcv lives in the menu bar and has no Dock icon.

My Mac doesn't have a notch. Does xcv still work?

Yes. The island hangs from the top of the screen as a small pill. You can also have it slide in from the top, bottom, left or right edge in Settings › General › Slide out from.

How do I start xcv when I log in?

Turn on Start at login in Settings › General. It's off until you turn it on. If macOS asks you to approve it, go to System Settings › General › Login Items.

Can I see the welcome tour again?

Choose Welcome Tour… from the menu bar icon, or click Show Welcome Tour in Settings › About.

Permissions

Why does xcv ask for Accessibility access?

So it can press ⌘V for you and paste a card directly into the app you were using. It's optional: without it, Return copies the card and you press ⌘V yourself. xcv never uses Accessibility to read your screen or other apps.

To grant it, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and turn on xcv.

Pasting only copies. Nothing appears in my app.
  • Check that xcv is turned on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. If it already is, turn it off and on again; macOS sometimes needs this after an update.
  • Make sure Paste directly into the active app is on in Settings › General.
  • Some apps and secure text fields (like password fields) ignore pasted keystrokes by design.
macOS asks whether xcv can access the clipboard.

On macOS 15.4 and later, the system asks before an app reads the clipboard in the background. Choose Always Allow so your history stays complete. You can change this later in System Settings › Privacy & Security.

Your data

Where is my clipboard history stored?

Only on your Mac, in xcv's app container: ~/Library/Containers/com.rymcol.xcv. Settings › About › Show in Finder opens the folder. xcv has no network access, so it can't upload or sync anything.

How do I stop xcv recording passwords or a particular app?

Anything a password manager marks as concealed is skipped automatically. To exclude a whole app, open Settings › Privacy › Excluded apps and choose Add running app…, or type its bundle identifier. To stop recording for a while, press the pause button in the island or choose Pause Capturing from the menu bar (⌘T in the menu).

How do I delete my history?

Delete a single card with ⌫. Choose Clear History… in the menu bar to remove everything except pinned items. Settings › General controls how long items are kept and how many are kept.

How do I remove xcv and all of its data?
  1. Quit xcv from the menu bar icon.
  2. Move xcv from Applications to the Trash.
  3. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder…, enter ~/Library/Containers/com.rymcol.xcv and move that folder to the Trash.

That's everything. xcv never stored anything anywhere else.

Trial and Unlock

How does the free trial work?

Every feature is available for 14 days from the first time you open xcv. No account or sign-up is needed. After that, xcv keeps working with the free limits: your newest 25 items and up to 3 pins.

What happens to my older items when the trial ends?

They're hidden, not deleted. Your normal history settings still apply, and when you unlock, everything that's still within those settings comes back.

How do I unlock xcv?

Choose Unlock xcv… from the menu bar icon or from Settings › About, and confirm the one-time purchase with the App Store: $10 in the US, or the App Store's equivalent in your currency. It isn't a subscription.

I bought Unlock xcv on another Mac. How do I get it here?

Sign in to the same Apple Account in the App Store, then choose Restore Purchases in xcv's Unlock window. Nothing to type, no licence key.

How do I get a refund?

Purchases are handled by Apple, so refunds are too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Keyboard shortcuts

Show or hide the island
⇧⌘V
Previous / next card
←→
First / last card
⌘↑⌘↓
Paste
↩
Paste as plain text
⌘↩
Quick-paste card 1–9
⌘1–9
Quick-paste as plain text
⌥⌘1–9
Quick Look
Space
Copy without pasting
⌘C
Pin or unpin
⌘P
Open link or file
⌘O
Delete card
⌫
Search
⌘F or just type
Move between search and cards
Tab↑↓
History / Pinned
⌘←⌘→
Clear search, then close
Esc

The show shortcut and the plain-text paste key can be changed in Settings › General.

Still stuck?

Email me and I'll get back to you. Include your macOS version and what you were trying to do. Please don't send clipboard contents you'd rather keep private.

Email support