Cut – Copy – Paste.
It’s been part of the computer experience for as long as I can remember, but even so, it’s not one of the things that immediately comes to mind when you think about the most important features of OS X.
Despite being as important as it is – the process of copying, then pasting text, pictures or links has been unchanged over the years. In the computer industry, this means one of two things: it can’t be improved or no one can think of how to improve it.
After using Paste for Mac these past few weeks, I can confidently say there is a better solution – and it’s available on the Mac App Store.
Paste for Mac is a fantastic utility that runs in the background of your Mac and stores a history of everything you cut or copy, regardless of whether it’s text or an image. Nothing changes about the way you Cut or Copy, it’s still the same keyboard short of Command + X/C.
However, where Paste for Mac show it’s brilliance is when you activate the (customizable) keyboard shortcut of Command, Shift and V.
Doing so will bring an Expose-style interface that shows you a running sideways list of everything you’ve cut or copied. The best part is that above your clipboard history, Paste shows your active application right above. This means if you’re writing an email, for example, you can easy click and drag previously copied text to your email draft.
The brilliance of Paste is in the implementation. It feels right at home on OS X, almost as if it was designed by Apple. Every time I use Paste for Mac, I wonder why this hasn’t been a core feature of OS X since the beginning.
Paste for Mac is one of those apps you’ll have a hard time living without. Once you have it on your Mac you’ll wonder how you managed without it. I can’t recommend it enough.
Paste for Mac is available on the Mac App Store for $6.99.