Apple’s Universal Clipboard works well until one of your devices is an Android phone. Copy something on your phone and there’s no built-in way to paste it on your Mac. Android users on Windows can use Microsoft’s Phone Link, but Phone Link doesn’t run on a Mac.
That leaves third-party tools and a few workarounds. Here’s what works, fastest first.
The short answer
| Method | Direction | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syncra | Both ways, with history | A few seconds | Free plan; Premium subscription |
| KDE Connect | Both ways, same network | Mostly manual sends | Free, open source |
| Google Keep | Both ways | Manual, several steps | Free with a Google account |
| Email or messaging yourself | Both ways | Slow, several steps | Free |
If you move text between your phone and Mac more than once a day, use a clipboard sync app. The workarounds are fine for an occasional link.
Method 1: Sync your clipboard with Syncra
Syncra keeps one clipboard in sync across your Android phone and your Mac through the cloud. The devices don’t need to be on the same network.
Set it up (about 2 minutes)
- Install Syncra on your Android phone from Google Play and create an account.
- Install Syncra on your Mac from the download page. There are builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 12 or later. Sign in with the same account.
- That’s it. Both devices now share one clipboard history.
Copy on your Mac, paste on your Android phone
- Copy anything on the Mac as usual (
⌘ + C). Syncra picks it up automatically. - Open Syncra on your phone. The item is at the top of your history.
- Tap its copy button, then paste wherever you need it.
Copy on your Android phone, paste on your Mac
Since Android 10, apps can’t read the clipboard in the background, so on the phone there’s one extra tap. Use whichever of these suits you:
- Use the share sheet. In Chrome, Photos or most other apps, tap Share → Syncra to send the link, text or photo straight to your history. This also works on selected text: select it, tap Share, then Syncra.
- Open Syncra after copying. It spots what’s on your clipboard and asks whether to add it. Turn on Auto-sync Clipboard in Settings to skip the confirmation.
On the Mac, the item appears in Syncra’s list. Click Copy and paste with ⌘ + V.
Limits worth knowing: the free plan keeps your 10 most recent items on up to 3 devices, and photos, screenshots and files sync too, up to 10 MB each. Premium raises that to 1,000 items on 10 devices, with larger image and file limits.
Method 2: KDE Connect
KDE Connect is a free, open-source app that links an Android phone and a computer on the same Wi-Fi network. It shares the clipboard, along with notifications and files. It’s built mainly for Linux, but it also has a macOS version.
The catch is the same Android 10 restriction: KDE Connect can’t watch the phone’s clipboard in the background. Sending from phone to Mac means tapping Send clipboard in the app or its notification each time. Copies from the Mac generally reach the phone on their own while the two are connected. There’s no clipboard history, and nothing syncs once you leave your home or office network.
Method 3: Google Keep
Google Keep is a free notes app on Android, with a web version at keep.google.com that you can open in any Mac browser. Paste the text into a note on one device, then open the note on the other and copy it again.
It works anywhere and needs no new app on the Mac. Each item takes a few steps, though, and old notes pile up.
Method 4: Email or message yourself
The classic workaround: email the text to yourself, or send it to yourself in a messaging app that has a Mac app (Telegram’s Saved Messages or WhatsApp’s “message yourself” both work). Then copy it out again on the other device.
It works, but it takes five or six steps per item, and those apps fill up with notes to yourself.
What about Universal Clipboard and Phone Link?
- Universal Clipboard is Apple-only. It needs every device signed in to the same Apple Account, so an Android phone can’t join.
- Phone Link connects Android phones to Windows PCs, including clipboard sharing, but there’s no Mac version.
If you switched from an iPhone to Android and miss Universal Clipboard, a sync app is the closest replacement.
Which should you use?
- You move things between your phone and Mac every day: a clipboard sync app. Syncra is free to try on both.
- Both devices are always on the same Wi-Fi and you like open-source tools: KDE Connect.
- It’s a one-off: paste it into Google Keep or email it to yourself.
Using an iPhone with a Windows PC instead? See how to copy and paste between iPhone and Windows. Comparing more tools? See the best cross-platform clipboard managers.