Enable Direct Paste for Cliptop on Mac

Direct Paste is the fastest way to use Cliptop when you already know what you want to paste. Open Cliptop, pick the clipboard item, and Cliptop sends it straight back to the app you were using.

macOS protects that kind of action behind Accessibility permission. Cliptop asks for it only so the app can paste on your behalf. Your clipboard history still stays local on your Mac.

This is the setting people usually run into when they search for macOS Accessibility permission for paste. The permission is not about reading more clipboard history; it is about letting Cliptop send the final paste command to the app you were already using.

When you need this setting

Enable Accessibility permission if you want Cliptop to paste the selected item directly into another app. Without it, Cliptop still works: it can restore the item to your clipboard, and you can paste manually with Command-V. If you often paste as plain text on Mac, Cliptop can also keep that workflow available from your clipboard history.

Why macOS says Cliptop can control your computer

The wording in System Settings can sound broader than the actual Cliptop workflow. macOS uses the Accessibility permission for apps that need to send actions to another app on your behalf. Apple describes this as allowing an app to control your computer because the permission can be powerful.

For Cliptop, the reason is narrow: Direct Paste needs to place the selected clipboard item into the app you were already using. Cliptop writes the selected item to the clipboard, returns focus to your current app, and sends the paste command. That final step is what macOS protects behind Accessibility.

This permission is optional. Cliptop does not need it to keep clipboard history, search recent items, or copy an item back to the clipboard.

How to enable Direct Paste

1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Open Accessibility.
4. Find Cliptop in the app list.
5. Turn the switch on.

If Cliptop does not appear in the list, use the + button at the bottom of the Accessibility panel, choose Cliptop from your Applications folder, then turn it on.

After you turn it on

Return to the app where you were working, open Cliptop, and choose an item from your clipboard history. Cliptop can now paste that item directly into the active app instead of only putting it back on the clipboard.

What happens if Direct Paste is not enabled

If Direct Paste is not enabled, Cliptop still works as a clipboard history app. When you choose an item, Cliptop copies that item back to your Mac clipboard. You then press Command-V in the app where you want it to appear.

That fallback is useful if you prefer not to grant Accessibility permission, if you are setting up Cliptop on a locked-down work Mac, or if macOS has not refreshed the permission yet. The workflow has one extra keystroke, but your history, search, previews, and copy actions still work.

If Direct Paste still does not work

Quit and reopen Cliptop after changing the permission. If macOS still blocks the action, remove Cliptop from the Accessibility list with the minus button, add it again with the plus button, and turn the switch back on.

Direct Paste is optional. If you prefer not to grant Accessibility permission, keep using Cliptop as a local clipboard history tool and paste restored items manually with Command-V.