Product Introduction

1. Pocket Copy is a lightweight clipboard management utility designed exclusively for macOS that operates from the menu bar. It maintains a temporary history of copied items and provides quick-access shortcuts for both recent and frequently used clipboard entries. The application prioritizes speed and simplicity while maintaining core functionality for daily productivity workflows.
2. The core value lies in its ability to streamline repetitive copy-paste tasks through keyboard-driven navigation and persistent storage of critical clipboard items. By reducing context-switching between applications, it enhances efficiency for users who rely on frequent data reuse across documents, code editors, or communication platforms.

Main Features

1. The application automatically tracks and displays the last five items copied to the clipboard through any source application. Users can cycle through these recent entries using configurable global keyboard shortcuts without manual interface interaction.
2. Five permanent favorite slots allow storage of critical snippets accessible via dedicated keyboard shortcuts (Command+Shift+1 through Command+Shift+5). These favorites persist across system reboots and remain available until manually cleared by the user.
3. Global hotkey support (Command+Shift+V by default) triggers a pop-up menu overlay displaying both recent and favorited clipboard items. This system-wide accessibility ensures instant retrieval of stored content regardless of the active application or window focus.

Problems Solved

1. It eliminates the frustration of losing clipboard data when copying new content, a limitation of macOS's native single-item clipboard. The history buffer prevents accidental overwriting of important temporary data during multitasking sessions.
2. The tool specifically benefits developers, writers, and administrative professionals who regularly juggle multiple information sources. Its design caters to users requiring rapid access to code snippets, formatted text blocks, or repetitive customer support responses.
3. Typical scenarios include reusing API keys during development debugging, maintaining consistent terminology across documentation drafts, and quickly inserting pre-written email templates into communication clients. The favorites system serves as a lightweight alternative to more complex snippet managers for common use cases.

Unique Advantages

1. Unlike feature-heavy clipboard managers with cloud sync or formatting tools, Pocket Copy focuses exclusively on keyboard-accessible recent history and essential favorites. This reduces memory footprint to under 15MB while maintaining instantaneous response times for clipboard operations.
2. The hybrid approach combines transient recent items with permanent favorites in a single interface, addressing both short-term multitasking needs and long-term snippet retention. This dual-layer system prevents favorite list clutter while preserving quick access to temporary data.
3. Competitive differentiation comes from its menu bar integration that avoids screen space consumption through separate windows, coupled with full offline operation that ensures sensitive data (like passwords or API tokens) never leaves the local machine. The absence of subscription models or feature paywalls contrasts with commercial alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does Pocket Copy work with macOS versions older than Ventura 13.5? The application requires macOS 13.5 or newer due to SwiftUI framework dependencies and security updates in recent macOS clipboard APIs. It supports both Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs within this version range.
2. Where are the clipboard items stored? All data persists exclusively in the user's local storage within the application sandbox container at ~/Library/Containers/com.josephpballantyne.PocketCopy. No network permissions are requested or required during operation.
3. Can I increase the number of recent items beyond five? The current version fixes the history buffer at five items to maintain performance objectives, though users can chain multiple copies to refresh the queue. Future updates may introduce configurable history limits through preference settings.
4. How do I ensure clipboard security when handling sensitive data? The application never writes clipboard contents to permanent storage unless explicitly saved to favorites. Recent items exist only in memory and are cleared upon quitting, while favorites are encrypted using macOS Keychain services when stored.
5. What is the proper uninstallation method? Users must both delete the application bundle and remove it from Login Items via System Settings > General > Login Items to prevent automatic relaunch. No residual configuration files remain after complete removal.