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A Useful Update to Batch Clipboard 2

After some lengthy consideration of what was still missing in Batch Clipboard for macOS by Bananameter Labs, version 2.3 of the application was released this week on the Mac App Store and on GitHub for manual install. It fixes a few issues and rounds out the feature set with some things requested by users and still others long on the back burner.

The next release planned is one that adds no new features, but does add localization to some languages other than US English. Which languages are coming first and the timeline of this release are still to be determined. Stay tuned!

Along with this release is a revision to the documentation pages, importantly adding a new page which summarizes the different techniques for using with the app. It collects some details that were strewn about other documetation pages, or previously missing, or new to this version. There is more to do still though, including updating the now slightly out-of-date screenshots of menus, and of Settings window panels, and also completing the details about those panels. These updates will be rolled out in stages without fanfare, and for this as well no timeline is set.

Thank you to the beta testers, and to friends and family. This release was completed while the 2026 World Cup of football was ongoing, and also while our technical lead at Bananameter Labs was away house-sitting at two different households and wrangling a total of 5 cats between them. Names and photos withheld but to humans K, J, A, M, T, and critters N, D, C, L, J, thanks it was fun!

Users of the App Store edition should soon be offered an upgrade to this version automatically. Users of the non-App Store edition who have "Check for updates automatically" turned on in the settings will also be offered an automatic upgrade soon. For non-App Store users without automatic update checking turned on, choose the "Settings" item at the bottom of the Batch Clipboard menu, and in the window that opens, use the "Check Now" button.

The new features in version 2.3:

  • Hold option key with the menu open to show Start Batch with Clipboard, use if you cut/copy something then realize you in fact want a batch of several clips, it starts a batch with the first item being what’s already on the clipboard.
  • New option useful when the menu bar icon is hidden: show the app in the Dock and app switcher, and made switching to the app reveal the menu bar icon. Added contextual menu to the Dock icon.
  • Changes in the General Settings tab: made more explicit the option for hiding the menu bar icon, added the option to turn on the Dock icon, another to start batch mode when the Dock item clicked, moved keyboard shortcut fields to its own new tab.
  • Change in the Advanced Settings tab: one to reset previously supressed alerts (ones containing “Don’t ask again” checkboxes), another to enable some debug logging.
  • Simplified menu when advanced paste items are enabled using the checkbox in the Advanced tab of the Settings window. “Skip to Next” and “Start Pasting From Batch” are now one context sensitive menu item.
  • About Batch Clipboard now opens a new first About panel in the Settings window, with more room to describe what the app does and use real buttons for linking to further resources instead of underlined text.
  • Improved layout of the Intro window in preparation for localization, and updated some of the content to fixing typos and improve clarity.
  • New Intro window page asking user to choose to add Batch Clipboard as a login item. Includes an option to defer decision and show a reminder alert after copying & pasting a batch a few times.
  • For IAP-unlocked saved batch feature in the App Store version: a new Repeating setting for saved batches, made visible if new checkbox turned on in the Advanced Settings tab. After pasting last begin pasting from the first again, until batch cancelled.
  • Also for saved batch feature: holding option key when saved batch menu showing changes “Reply” menu item to “Replay Repeating”. Menu item to open dialog for editing or deleting saved batches changed from “Rename” to “Edit”, and fixes to behavior of that dialog.

And the fixes:

  • Fixed alerts sometimes opening behind other applications’ windows, and improved reliability of returning the user’s application and window to be frontmost after using Batch Clipboard menu items or Settings window.
  • Log exceptions in release builds instead of crashing. Further diagnosis of the few apparent edge cases that were tripping exceptions will be done in debug builds, perhaps future betas that use an analytics framework.
  • Removed internal hidden menu bar definition that was intended to assist localization, but added complexity and seems to have been contributing to menu lag on some systems.
  • Fixed some bugs when clipboard history is enabled.
  • Fixed some warnings that were being logged to the system console.
  • Removed dependency on the package SDWebImage, not used since early betas of version 1.

Batch Clipboard is avaiable in the Mac App Store at https://apps.apple.com/app/batch-clipboard/id6695729238 and if you prefer to manually install the non-App Store edition then it's available on GitHub at https://github.com/jpmhouston/Batch-Clipboard/releases/latest. (And if you go there, also consider adding a star on the GitHub repository; this will allow us to add the application to the default homebrew index and let nerdy users more easily discover and install it from their terminal command-line).

See also the app's information and documentation site at batchclipboard.bananameter.lol.

An Important Bug-fix Update to Batch Clipboard 2

Version 2.0 of Batch Clipboard was released this fall to acclaim and well-regard. Alas, some bugs crept into that version which have finally been fixed. To every user of the app we extend our sincerest apologies for not catching these issues earlier, and also heartfelt thanks to the testers who helped reveal and fix them.

Also, a thank you to the developers of each open source library the app leverages to implement its features, specifically those with recent updates that have been included in this version.

Users of the App Store edition should soon be offered an upgrade to this version automatically. Users of the non-App Store edition who have "Check for updates automatically" turned on in the settings will also be offered an automatic upgrade soon. For non-App Store users without automatic update checking turned on, choose the "Settings" item at the bottom of the Batch Clipboard menu, and in the window that opens, use the "Check Now" button.

Changes in version 2.2:

  • Fixed a crash that was occurring after copying text that contains non-breaking space and potentially other special characters.
  • Fixed a crash that was occurring when using Undo Last Copy, a feature unlocked by In-App Purchase in the App Store version.
  • Corrected the set of batch menu items visible in the menu after some are pasted, including the badge that indicates the next one to be copied.
  • Tahoe UI update in the Settings window (from upgrading the Settings library dependency).
  • UI updates in auto-update dialog for non-App Store build (from upgrading the Sparkle library dependency).
  • Potential minor fixes to purchasing in App Store build (from upgrading the Flame library dependency).
  • Corrected the source-code project setup that claimed to have localizations that were missing, possibly having a minor impact on non-English systems to avoid presenting the app as localized when it isn't.

Regarding that last change, feedback is always welcome regarding the use of the app on non-English systems. With more support, development of the app can continue with the aim of localizing it into multiple languages. Please consider the in-app purchase within the Settings window of the App Store version, and/or donate to the app at buymeacoffee.com.

Batch Clipboard is avaiable in the Mac App Store here and if you prefer to manually install the non-App Store edition then it's available on GitHub. Please also consider adding a star on the GitHub repository to permit us adding the application as a homebrew cask, and let nerdy users choose to easily install from their terminal command-line.

See also the app's information and documentation site at batchclipboard.bananameter.lol.

Batch Clipboard Version 2.0 is Done!

We're happy to announce that Batch Clipboard 2.0 is now available. It's been teased in this blog, in posts to social media and reddit, with a few versions released to beta testers (thanks everyone for who tried it out). Now it's done and available in the App Store, on GitHub for the manual-install edition, and existing users of both editions will soon be seeing upgrade notifications.

What's with this new version? Well, Batch Clipboard is already less than a clipboard manager: less complication, less UI to learn, less to manage. But the application gives your Mac clipboard a super-power often called "serial paste" or a "paste queue". The easiest to use compared to any clipboard managers with this feature: simply copy as many items as you like with Control-Command-C, then Control-Command-V to paste each one.

Now version 2.0 brings you more “less”! Less performance hit to your system, less duplication of macOS 26 features, less complexity in the menu behind its menu bar icon, and if you want to, hide that icon automatically when not needed for less space taken up in your menu bar.

But also more, such as “Repeat Last Batch” to paste the most recent batch of items again without re-copying them. And even more “more” if you support its development with a one-time in-app purchase: you can save a batch to recall anytime. In fact, save as many as you like. Recall saved batches from a new section in the menu and optionally give each a keyboard shortcut!

More than before and less than ever. So to celebrate “more” and “less”, that in-app purchase for more is now priced less for the next 2 weeks: US$1.99 so (more or less) half price!

Batch Clipboard 2.0 is out now. Avaiable in the Mac App Store here and if you prefer to manually install the non-App Store edition then here.

Media people, please find the press release at https://batchclipboard.bananameter.lol/PR-Version-2.0

Beta 2 of Batch Clipoboard Version 2.0 is Out

The second beta of Batch Clipboard 2.0 for macOS is now available on TestFlight and GitHub.

This version demos a feature that hides the menu bar icon until you use the global copy keyboard shortcut (defaults to Control-Command-C) to collect a set of clipboard items, and after pasting the last (Control-Command-V) the icon disappears again. To try this, get the TestFlight version and complete the sandbox in-app purchase (you won't be charged), then check the Advanced panel in the Setting window.

The non-App Store version from GitHub also re-enables Sparkle self-updates, now with a checkbox in Settings to receive beta updates vs only final releases. Sorry there are no updates from previous versions to 2.0 beta 1 or 2, only going forward (although once 2.0 is final, I will make sure version 1.0.x will update to it).

It also futher improves the design of the menu, and improves app intents for Shortcuts, Siri, and Spotlight (in macOS 26 Tahoe). This is likely to be the last set of changes to

Signup for betas of the App Store version on TestFlight here.
Download the non-App Store version of beta 2 from GitHub here.

An Announcement About Batch Clipboard Version 2.0!

As described last month in a teaser blog post, a new and improved version of the Batch Clipboard app for macOS is in beta and imminently will be available to testers in TestFlight. The changes we've been able to finish turned out to be substantial enough to warrant the version number 2.0 instead of just 1.1.

To not bury the lede, in celebration of the first beta of this new version, the in-app purchase in the Mac App Store's current version, 1.0.3, will be half price for the next 4 weeks, or as long as it takes for 2.0 to go final. For that time it's a one-time purchase of now US$1.99 that never expires, so will count for version 2.0. Read on to hear what it unlocks.

First however, what is Batch Clipboard? It's a minimal clipboard utility for the Mac that strives to be far simpler than a full clipboard manager and provides mostly just the one feature other apps describe as serial paste, or a clipboard queue. Its user experience is just a top-right menu and global keyboard shortcuts: the same Command-C and Command-V you know but with Control also held down, so ^⌘C and ^⌘V.

It has no large window demanding you to now "manage" your clipboard history. However, somewhat hypocritically, it has stealthily provided a clipboard history feature visible by opening its menu with the option key pressed. During the lead up to 1.0 as well, some features were added for completeness but sacrificing more of the app's intended simplicity.

Version 2 is all about regaining simplicity yet extending the batch feature in a new and terrifically useful direction:

  1. Now, by default, the app no longer collects your clipboard history! With macOS 26 getting this as a built-in feature, this was an easy decision with some interesting implications...

    Firstly, this permitted the change to arrange the menu items representing the current batch in a more natural top-down order, the one first in the menu being the one that will be pasted first.

    Secondly, by foregoing history, the app is largely able to turn off its background clipboard monitoring. Only after invoking the start of a batch, or the first batch copy with the menu or shortcut, does the app start monitoring the clippboard in the background.

    Finally, for the set of existing users, we didn't want to yank features away so we decided to continue supporting the history feature if the user chooses that. This lets the user continue to open the menu with the option key pressed to view and choose history items to repaste, and user of the App Store version who've made the in-app purchase can continue replay a batch of clips from the reent history and use the Undo Last Copy menu item.

  2. A new feature that recalls the previous batch pasted, so the whole set can be pasted again.

    This improves upon a feature that was previously only available in the App Store version after making an in-app purchase. This non-free feature was cumbersome, yet this new feature that replaces it is available to all and far more straight-forward, just a simple new menu item.

    Also, the General panel in the Setting window allows you to pick a custom keyboard shortcut to invoke it. Take that, version 1.0!

  3. A winning expansion on this feature for users making an in-app purchase in the App Store version: saved batches.

    The most recent batch copied, in addition to being replayed again, can be saved along with a title, and it will be shown and selectable in the menu anytime.

    Each saved batch can also be given its own custom keyboard shortcut. 🤯

A more complete list of changes since version 1.0.3 is available here.

The 2.0 version will be available from the Mac App Store at https://apps.apple.com/app/batch-clipboard/id6695729238, or from GitHub at the new link https://github.com/jpmhouston/Batch-Clipboard/releases, and also I expect the GitHub releases to be available from homebrew with brew install batchclipboard.

Beta versions will be available before then on GitHub, and you're also welcome to sign up to test betas of the App Store version via TestFlight at this link. But note, in-app purchases made in a TestFlight beta aren't real, you aren't charged and they won't count for the final release. If you want to test the beta in addition to taking advantage of the half price in-app purchases price, then:

  • First get the current release version from here on the Mac App Store,
  • Visit the Setting window's Support Us panel and complete the purchase,
  • Find Batch Clipboard in your Applications folder and trash it,
  • Finally visit this TestFlight page and follow the instructions to become a tester and download the beta.

An Update About the Upcoming Version 1.1

An update to Batch Clipboard is in progress! It will soon be simpler, be even less of a clipboard manager, and better fit with the upcoming macOS 26 Tahoe.

The global shortcut keys Control-Command-C and Control-Command-V (or whatever you customize them to be) aren’t going anywhere, nor is their ability to collect multiple clipboard items at once and paste them where you like. However, the app is being simplified even further, eliminating a small but persistent performance hit to your system, while introducing a new, more unique feature for power users in place of the version 1.0's somewhat-hidden clipboard history features.

The new release will either be version 1.1 or 2.0, or perhaps 2.6 as a nod to Apple’s macOS 26.

Previously, the app continuously monitored clipboard changes whenever it was running, maintaining a recent history whether you used that feature or not. This behavior was inherited from Maccy, the open-source project from which Batch Clipboard was forked. The batch feature and the presentation of items in the menu were built on top of that foundation. It made sense to leave clipboard history as a secondary feature, and add related bonus abilities as a perk for in-app purchasers.

Now that macOS includes a built-in clipboard history, it makes less sense to duplicate that functionality. By abandoning constant monitoring for clipboard changes, we avoid the minor performance penalty it caused. Removing clipboard history also allows us to simplify the menu item. Current version have an expanded menu (revealed with an option-click) which was designed to display the history in menu items in reverse order, bottom oldest and newest at the top. Menu item representing the current batch used to be shown the same way in compatibility with that. Now however, there will be no expanded menu displaying history and menu items showing the current batch in progress will instead be listed in a more natural, top-down order.

For anyone who relies on the current behavior, we’ve kept it as an optional mode, controlled by a switch in the Storage panel in the app’s Settings window. After upgrading, the Intro window will appear again with a new page explaining this change and letting you choose between the new behavior or the legacy mode.

Admittedly, this new default, history-free mode removes the key perk that for those who supported the app’s development via in-app purchases, as it was closely tied to clipboard history. To make up for that, we're happy to announce that a new and very exciting bonus feature is in the works, one that's been requsted and may be a great benefit for power users. Details will be announced soon, sometime after this version's first beta release on TestFlight.

Batch Clipboard will remain free to download and use its core feature, as well as the legacy clipboard history feature for anyone who wants to turn that on. Anyone supporting the project via in-app purchase will get the current and future unlocked features. The app will remain open source on GitHub with a permissive MIT license.

Stay tuned!

  • The folks a Bananameter Labs