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Ways to Use Batch Clipboard

Menu itens in the application's menu are mentioned here, which means the menu opened by clicking the Batch Clipboard icon on the right side of the menu bar, as described in The Basics.

The application's Settings window is mentioned here too, it's opened by the Settings menu item in the Batch Clipboard menu. It contains tabs for panels of options, such as the tabs General, Keys, and Advanced. For more about this window and each of its panels, see Settings.

Easy Peasy Keyboard Shortcuts

This is the default way to use Batch Clipboard, as described in The Basics (and simplified a bit more even, for brevity):

  1. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  2. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

The menu icon normally shows its unhighlight icon. While copying you'll see the menu bar icon highlight and a counter beside it increase, then decrease while you paste and when it decrements past 1 the menu bar icon returns to normal.

More about using the global keyboard shortcuts:

These default keyboard shortcuts are similar to the stardard Copy and Paste keyboard shortcuts almost all applications use, plus this specific combination of modifier keys are rarely used with C and V by those applications. You may find this memorable enough so that you'll actually use Batch Clipboard when the need arises.

The keyboard shortcuts can however be customized if the applications you use assign CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + C or V themselves, or if you want to pick something else that's more memorable to you, or is easier for you to invoke on the keyboard. Do so in the Settings tab Keys.

If you forget the keyboard shortcuts, these copy and paste actions are also in the Batch Clipboard menu as items:

  • Copy Into Batch
  • Paste & Advance

As usualy, these menu items are badged with a reminder of the keyboard shortcuts.

With the Menu Bar Icon Hidden

You can use the keyboard shortcuts as described above, but you're able to hide the menu bar icon when you're using the clipboard's normal behavior. Upon collecting the first clip into a batch the icon appear, and after pasting the last in a batch, the icon hides again.

You may with to do this if you things are too crowded on the right side of your menu bar, and if you've managed to remember the keyboard shortcuts (the defaults or however you've customized them).

Turn this on using the option Hide Menu Bar Icon When Not in Use in the Settings tab General.

When the menu bar icon is hidden, you can temporarily reveal it again by re-launching Batch Clipboard from the Finder or from Spotlight.

In addition, you can turn on the option Show application icon in the Dock, also in the General tab. Then clicking the Dock icon also reveals the menu. Plus, being visible in the Dock causes it to be visible in the COMMAND (⌘) + Tab application switcher too, switching to Batch Clipboard with that also reveals the menu.

And If You Want to be Tricky

The keyboard shortcut CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + C enters batch mode plus does a Copy right after. You may wish to not use that at all and instead one of these techniques to just enter batch mode explicitly. Doing any of them highlights the menu bar icon with a count of 0 beside it.

As mentioned in Beyond the Basics, batch mode is when using Batch Clipboard to collect many clips, and also when pasting them. When in batch mode the menu bar icon highlighted with the count of items collected and not yet pasted beside it. Then after they are all pasted the clipboard returns to normal.

These 5 alternatives all share the same steps 2 & 3, they only differ in step 1 for starting batch mode ...

  1. Pick Start Batch from the Batch Clipboard menu
  2. Use Copy in your application or COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  3. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

This workflow is not very convenient when you have the menu bar hidden using the option in Settings mentioned above.

Just the Menu Bar Icon to Explicitly Start Batch Mode

  1. Control-click or right-click the Batch Clipboard icon in the menu bar,
  2. Use Copy in your application or COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  3. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

This workflow is also not convenient when you have the menu bar hidden using the option in Settings mentioned above.

Also, if you're already started batch mode, and the icon is highlighted, a control-click or right-click on the icon cancels batch mode and returns your clipboard behavior to normal and the icon to unhighlighted. See Special Menu Icon Actions.

Keyboard Shortcut to Explicitly Start Batch Mode

Assign a custom keyboard shortcut to Start Batch in the Settings tab Keys. By default there is no key combination assigned. Then:

  1. Your keyboard shortcut
  2. Use Copy in your application or COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  3. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

Re-launch Batch Clipbaord to Start Batch Mode

You can re-launch Batch Clipbaord by double-clicking its icon in the Finder, or by searching and selecting it in Spotlight. Normally this either reveals the menu bar icon if it's hidden. But if you turn on Re-launching application starts batch mode in the Settings tab General then you can use this workflow:

  1. Re-launch Batch Clipbaord
  2. Use Copy in your application or COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  3. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

Dock Icon to Start Batch Mode

If you also turn both Show application icon in the Dock and Re-launching application starts batch mode in the Settings tab General then you can use this workflow as well:

  1. Click Dock icon
  2. Use Copy in your application or COMMAND (⌘) + C some number of times to copy clips
  3. CONTROL (^) + COMMAND (⌘) + V equally many times to paste them

More Tricks

To learn other techniques for experts, see Advanced Copy and Paste Techniques.