Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

The shortcut does not open the panel

Another program uses the same combination. This is the most common cause. CopyPaste detects it and says so in Settings › Keyboard shortcuts, with a list of free combinations. Pick one and try again.

CopyPaste is not running. Look for its icon next to the clock (Windows) or in the menu bar (Mac). On Windows it may be hidden behind the arrow for hidden icons; on a Mac with many icons, behind the notch. If it is not there, open it again from the Start menu or from Applications.

The panel got stuck. Right click the icon › Restart the panel.

I picked it, but it was not pasted

When CopyPaste cannot paste for you, it leaves the item copied and tells you why. Paste it yourself with Ctrl+V (⌘V) and you are done. The reasons:

Message	What is happening	What to do
the window never came back to the front; still copied	The app you were in did not get the focus back in time	Paste it yourself with Ctrl+V; if it keeps happening with one app, let us know
there was nowhere to type there; still copied	There was no active text field	Click the field before opening the panel
that window is gone; still copied	You closed the window while choosing	Paste it where it belongs
that window runs as administrator; still copied	Windows does not let a normal app type into one running as administrator	Paste it yourself, or open that app without administrator rights
the system is protecting what is typed; still copied	A protected field, such as the sign-in screen	Paste it yourself
the system refused the keystroke; still copied (Windows)	Windows did not let CopyPaste send the keystroke	Paste it yourself
the accessibility permission is missing; still copied (Mac)	macOS has not given CopyPaste permission to paste	See below

On a Mac, if a password field is open anywhere, macOS does not let any app paste for you for as long as it stays open.

On a Mac nothing gets pasted

The Accessibility permission is missing:

1. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
2. Turn on CopyPaste.
3. If it was already on and still does not work, remove it with − and add it again. This tends to happen after an update.

Settings › General › Permission to paste shows whether the permission is granted.

On a Mac what I copy is not kept

macOS does not let CopyPaste read the clipboard. Allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Paste from Other Apps. If macOS asks whether CopyPaste can read the clipboard, answer Allow.

I copied a password and it does not show up

That is on purpose: your password manager marked it as secret and CopyPaste does not read it. See Privacy.

A card says «Not found»

The file or folder behind that card is no longer where it was: you deleted it, moved it, or it was on a drive that is no longer connected. CopyPaste keeps the path, not a copy of the file.

The history deletes itself

That is the time set in Settings › History › Keep (30 days by default), or the History size limit. To keep something forever, pin it (Ctrl+P): pinned items are never deleted automatically.

Notices in Settings

Sometimes Settings shows a notice at the top about the panel:

Notice	What to do
The panel is not working: it could not start / it is not answering / it will not stay up; restart CopyPaste	Right click the icon › Restart the panel. If it persists, quit CopyPaste and open it again
nothing is watching the clipboard / it stopped watching the clipboard	Restart the panel. Until then, nothing you copy is being kept
the system does not let CopyPaste read the clipboard	On a Mac, check the Paste from Other Apps permission (above)
A note from the panel: the history was damaged and a new one was started	What you copy is still being kept. If you have a .cpbackup, import it

If a notice does not go away, put together a report and open an issue.

Windows shows warnings when installing

The .exe installer is signed with a self-signed certificate. Chrome or Edge may ask you to confirm the download, and SmartScreen shows Windows protected your PC: choose More info › Run anyway. It only happens once. To avoid it, install from the Microsoft Store. More in Installation.

Putting together a report

1. Open Settings › About › If something goes wrong.
2. Save a report… puts CopyPaste's log, its version and which Windows or macOS you use into one file, with your user name and home folder blanked out.
3. Read it if you like: it is plain text. It contains nothing you copied.
4. Open an issue and attach it.

In the issue, tell us:

• your system and its version;
• the CopyPaste version (in Settings › About);
• what you were doing, what you expected and what happened;
• if you can, the steps to make it happen again.

Open the log takes you to the log folder, in case you prefer to look at the files yourself: logs/cp-gui.log (the Settings window) and logs/cp-panel.log (the panel).