Paste, Maccy & Raycast Alternatives for Windows (2026)
Paste and Maccy only run on Apple devices, so on Windows you need a substitute. Ditto is the closest match for Maccy, and for Paste's searchable long history. Raycast is the easy one: it now has a Windows version with clipboard history built in, and PowerToys Command Palette is the free Microsoft alternative. No Windows tool replaces Paste's sync to an iPhone or iPad.
Quick answer: what to install instead
| You used on the Mac | Closest on Windows | What carries over | What doesn't |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paste | Ditto, CopyQ, or a visual shelf such as Edge Drop | Long history that survives restarts, search, pinned items | Sync to iPhone and iPad; Paste's card strip |
| Maccy | Ditto (or Win+V for the basics) | Hotkey list, type to search, free and open source | Maccy's sparse look; its exact ignore rules |
| Raycast | Raycast for Windows, or PowerToys Command Palette | Launcher plus clipboard history in one shortcut | Some macOS features are still being ported |
| Yoink | A clipboard shelf such as Edge Drop | A place to park files and images and drag them out | Yoink itself is Apple-only |
| PopClip | No direct equivalent | Some text transforms, via PowerToys Advanced Paste | Actions that appear the moment you select text |
Before you install anything: what Windows already has
Windows includes a basic clipboard history. Press Windows logo key + V and select Turn on, and you get a popup of recent copies you can paste or pin. Microsoft documents its limits: up to 25 items, 4 MB per item, text, HTML and images only (no copied files), and everything except pinned items is cleared when the PC restarts. It can sync text to other Windows PCs signed in to the same Microsoft or work account.
That is the gap Mac switchers notice. Paste and Maccy keep a history that survives a restart; Win+V is closer to a scratchpad for today. Use it for a few days anyway, because it tells you which limit you actually hit. How to enable clipboard history in Windows 11 covers setup.
Paste alternatives for Windows
Paste is a paid clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad. It keeps everything you copy with no stated limit, lets you search it, organises reusable items into pinboards, and syncs across your Apple devices. It's sold as a subscription or a lifetime licence, with a 7-day free trial, and there is no Windows version.
Which replacement fits depends on the part of Paste you relied on:
| Paste habit | Windows option |
|---|---|
| Searching weeks of copied text | Ditto: free, open source (GPL-3.0), stores history in a local database |
| Organising clips into named groups | CopyQ: tabs you can sort and edit, plus scripting |
| Seeing recent images and files as cards | A visual shelf such as Edge Drop |
| Copying on the phone, pasting on the PC | No Paste equivalent; see the options below |
| A few items reused every day | Pins in Win+V |
The phone-to-PC part has no clean substitute. Windows clipboard sync is PC-to-PC and text only. On Android, Phone Link's cross-device copy and paste works on supported phones, and Microsoft SwiftKey can send your latest clip to Windows. From an iPhone, there's no built-in route; iPhone to Windows paste lists the workarounds. Why macOS has better visual clipboards than Windows explains why the card-style apps are mostly a Mac thing.
If what you miss is a visual board of screenshots and files, Edge Drop, made by the team behind this site, is a free shelf that slides out from the screen edge (or opens with Alt+C). It keeps 250 unpinned items by default, and you can drag images and files out of it into any app that accepts drops. It's local only, with no sync and no phone app.
Maccy alternatives for Windows
Maccy is a free, MIT-licensed clipboard manager for macOS 14 or newer. It does one job: press Shift+Command+C, type to filter your history, and paste. Items can be pinned, and by default it ignores copies that password managers mark as confidential. The App Store copy is paid as a way to support the developer; the download from its website is free.
On Windows, the closest match is Ditto:
- free and open source (GPL-3.0), Windows only,
- opens with Ctrl+` (the backtick key) by default,
- shows a searchable list of past copies that survives restarts,
- no account, no cloud and no telemetry, according to the project,
- available as an installer, portable build, Microsoft Store app, or through winget and Chocolatey.
Ditto has more settings than Maccy and looks plainer, but the workflow is the same: hotkey, type, paste. If you'd rather install nothing, Win+V has the same shape with the 25-item and restart limits above. When to choose Ditto over other managers covers where it's strongest.
Whatever you pick, check how it handles passwords. Windows lets apps mark a copy so it stays out of clipboard history, and most password managers do, but third-party managers vary. How to stop clipboard managers from saving secrets shows the settings to look for.
Raycast on Windows
Raycast now ships for Windows. It's a free download from the Microsoft Store or WinGet, needs Windows 10 (21H2 or later) or Windows 11, and includes clipboard history alongside the launcher, snippets, quicklinks, window management and an extensions store. Raycast says some macOS features are still being ported. Its manual lists clipboard history retention from 1 day to 3 months on the free plan, with longer periods on Pro, and lets you exclude apps such as password managers.
If you'd rather stay with Microsoft's tools, PowerToys Command Palette is the closest built-in alternative. Press Win+Alt+Space to open it; it launches apps, runs commands, searches files and includes a clipboard history command. PowerToys Run, the older launcher, is still documented and opens with Alt+Space.
Edge Drop vs Raycast clipboard compares a launcher's clipboard feature with a dedicated app, and whether PowerToys can replace a clipboard manager covers the Microsoft side.
Yoink and PopClip
Yoink is a drag-and-drop shelf for Mac, iPad and iPhone. On Windows, a clipboard shelf does the same job for anything you copy: park files and images at the edge of the screen and drag them out later. Edge Drop works this way; text and link cards are click-to-paste rather than draggable.
PopClip, which shows actions as soon as you select text, is Mac-only and has no direct Windows equivalent. PowerToys Advanced Paste covers part of it from the other end: it changes text at paste time, for example to plain text, Markdown or JSON.
Make your Mac shortcuts work on Windows
Your hands will keep pressing the old shortcuts for a while. PowerToys Keyboard Manager can remap one shortcut to another, so you can point a combination you're used to at Win+V, Ditto's hotkey or Command Palette. Pick a combination that your other apps don't already use.
How to choose, step by step
- Turn on Win+V and use it for a few days.
- If you need more than 25 items, search, or history after a restart, install Ditto.
- If you used Raycast as a launcher, install Raycast for Windows or turn on PowerToys Command Palette.
- If you mostly move screenshots and files between apps, try a visual shelf.
- Keep one clipboard history running at a time, so every copy (including passwords) isn't stored twice.
FAQ
Is there a Paste app for Windows?
No. Paste runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad only. Ditto or CopyQ covers the long, searchable history; nothing on Windows syncs with Paste.
Is Maccy available for Windows?
No. Maccy is macOS-only. Ditto is the closest Windows equivalent: free, open source and keyboard-driven.
Does Raycast for Windows have clipboard history?
Yes. Raycast lists Clipboard History among the features of its Windows app, which is a free download.
Related reading
- Best Clipboard Managers for Windows in 2026: 8 Compared
- Mac vs Windows Clipboard: What's Different, and Which Is Better?
- Raycast Clipboard History on Windows vs a Clipboard App
- Ditto Clipboard Manager Review: When It's the Right Pick
Sources
- Paste and Paste pricing — platforms, sync, pinboards, plans and trial.
- Maccy and Maccy on GitHub — MIT licence, macOS 14+, default shortcut, ignored password-manager types.
- Raycast for Windows — availability, requirements and features.
- Raycast manual: Clipboard History — retention options and excluded apps.
- PowerToys Command Palette (Microsoft Learn) — Win+Alt+Space and clipboard history.
- PowerToys Run (Microsoft Learn) — the older launcher.
- PowerToys Keyboard Manager (Microsoft Learn) — shortcut remapping.
- Ditto on GitHub and Ditto website — licence, default hotkey, install options, no cloud or telemetry.
- Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — Win+V limits and sync.
Deepender Yadav created Edge Drop and builds and tests it, from the edge-hover shelf to each release. A B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student, Deepender writes the Edge Drop guides, comparisons and developer posts, and checks product details against the app's source code.
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