Universal Clipboard: copy on one device, paste on another

Steps

1. 01

   Meet the four conditions

   Apple lists exactly four, and all of them must be true

   • Your devices are near each other
   • Each device is signed in with the same Apple Account
   • Each device has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on
   • Each device has Handoff turned on — Apple notes it is on by default

   ✓You should see: Two devices, same Apple Account, both radios on.

   Why?

   No network is involved in the way you might think: the devices find each other over Bluetooth and talk directly. It works without internet access.

2. 02

   Copy as you normally would

   • Select and copy on the first device — Command-C on a Mac, or Copy from the touch menu on an iPhone or iPad
   • Apple's description is deliberately unremarkable: copy the content as you normally would, and it is automatically added to the clipboard of your other nearby device
   • There is no send button and no confirmation — that is the feature working, not failing

   ✓You should see: Nothing visible. The copy behaves exactly like a normal copy.

3. 03

   Paste on the other device

   • Paste as you normally would — Command-V, or Paste from the touch menu
   • Give it a second on the first attempt; a file or a photo takes longer to arrive than a line of text

   ✓You should see: The text, image or file you copied, pasted on the second device.

   Also see: Live Text: copy text out of a photo or screenshot

4. 04

   Know what it carries and for how long

   Apple describes copying text, images, photos and videos between devices

   • The copied content stays available only briefly, or until you replace it by copying something else on either device
   • It is available for a short time, or until you replace it by copying something else on either device

   Why?

   Treat it as a hand-off, not storage. Copy, switch device, paste — in that order and without a tea break in the middle.

5. 05

   If it will not work, check Handoff first

   Handoff is the condition people most often have switched off without realising

   Ventura or later

   • On the Mac:System Settings›General›AirDrop & Handoff, then turn on ‘Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices’

   Monterey or earlier

   • On the Mac:System Preferences›General, then the same checkbox

   • On the iPhone:Settings›General›AirPlay & Handoff, then turn Handoff on
   • Then re-check the other three: proximity, same Apple Account, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on

   ✓You should see: Handoff switched on at both ends.

   Also see: AirDrop not working between your Mac and iPhone