ClipNSync
Your clipboard, on every device. Encrypted end to end.
Copy on your Mac, paste on your Windows PC. Text, images, and files move directly between your trusted devices on the same local network. If you need devices to catch up while apart, use your own shared cloud folder or WebDAV server. Everything is encrypted on your device first.
Why ClipNSync
A clipboard manager that syncs everywhere without handing your data to anyone.
End-to-end encrypted
AES-256-GCM with a key created on your first device and kept in the operating system's secure storage. Encryption happens before anything leaves your device.
Local network first
For most people, ClipNSync works directly across the same Wi-Fi or wired network with no cloud account. Shared cloud folders and WebDAV remain available when devices need to catch up while apart.
Password-safe
Clips your password manager marks concealed or transient are never captured or synced. Your passwords stay put.
Easy pairing
Add a nearby device with a short one-time code. The encryption key moves through an authenticated encrypted pairing session, never in plaintext.
Instant on your LAN
On the same network, trusted devices discover each other and push the same encrypted clip directly over the wire - near-instant.
Send files to people you trust
Link an optional account and send files straight to someone by email. Incoming files from people you have not accepted always ask first, accepted contacts can be trusted to skip the prompt, and you can block anyone or turn off being discoverable entirely - every transfer is end-to-end encrypted. Adding someone who is not on ClipNSync yet opens your own mail app with a ready-to-send invite.
See your usage
A built-in Usage view shows your relay quota for the day and your last 30 days of transfers: how much you sent and received, and how many went through.
Ignore patterns
Exclude anything you do not want synced with a regular expression: card numbers, key material, whatever you choose.
No admin required
Installs and runs as a regular user on macOS, Windows, and Linux. No UAC prompt, no privileged helper, no kernel extensions.
Cross-platform
One Rust core behind a menu-bar/tray app on desktop, with iOS and Android companions. Crypto is never reimplemented per platform.
Private by design
The server only ever sees ciphertext. Encryption keys are created and protected on your devices, not uploaded to ClipNSync.
Features
Everything the app does today, in one list.
Clipboard sync
- Text, images, and files sync across all your devices
- Any cloud folder: iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Nextcloud
- WebDAV backend for Nextcloud or your own server
- LAN mesh: near-instant direct delivery between trusted devices
- Offline catch-up: devices sync what they missed when they return
- Run entirely on your LAN - no cloud account or folder needed
- Size cap and text-only mode you control
Clip history
- Encrypted searchable history that survives restarts
- Click to copy any past clip back to the clipboard
- Pin clips to keep them -- pins sync to every device (optional), and deletes always follow, including over the LAN
- Delete a clip everywhere with one click
- Quick clip picker on a global hotkey (press-to-record your own)
- Recent clips right in the menu-bar/tray menu
Send files to people
- Send any file to a contact by email, end-to-end encrypted
- Findable by exact email (opt-out any time); strangers always ask first; block anyone
- Direct on your LAN, direct over the internet, or relay fallback
- Privacy mode: force the relay to hide your IP, per contact if you like
- Receiving modes: always ask, trusted auto-accept, or verified auto-accept
- Invite someone new from your own mail app
Folder sync
- Sync whole folders between devices, one-way or two-way
- Conflict handling that never silently loses a file
- Runs on a schedule or on demand
Security and privacy
- AES-256-GCM encryption with a device-protected vault key
- Zero knowledge: storage and server only ever see ciphertext
- Keys live in the OS keychain, never in config files
- Password-manager clips are never captured
- Ignore patterns: exclude card numbers, keys, anything by regex
- Pause syncing whenever you want
Devices
- Pair nearby devices with a short one-time code
- QR and manual pairing fallback for devices using the same shared folder
- Automatic discovery of your devices on the network
- Per-device delivery status: caught up or how many clips pending
- Manage and unlink devices from the web portal
Usage statistics
- Per-day counters for clipboard, file send, and folder sync - by transport
- This device or all your devices, today or the last 30 days
- Devices on your LAN share stats so every screen agrees
- Linked accounts see the same numbers on the web dashboard
- Relay quota meter so you always know where you stand
Desktop app
- macOS, Windows, and Linux (x64 and ARM64, Raspberry Pi included)
- Installs and runs without admin rights
- Self-updating: automatic checks hourly to monthly, or manual only
- Start at login, desktop notifications, light and dark theme
Account (optional)
- Everything works with no account - local and LAN forever
- Linking adds contacts, internet file send, and cross-device stats
- Web portal: devices, usage, profile, and email management
How it works
Local network by default, with shared storage when you need it.
Device A copies text -> encrypted locally (AES-256-GCM, your key) -> sent directly to a trusted device on your LAN -> or stored as ciphertext in your chosen shared folder -> Device B receives it and decrypts locally -> clipboard updated
LAN delivery is normally near-instant. Shared-folder speed depends on your cloud or NAS provider.
ClipNSync never stores your clips on clipnsync.com or any ClipNSync server - we run no storage of your clipboard data. Clips move one of two ways, and both are end-to-end encrypted on your device first: directly device-to-device over your local network (LAN), or through a cloud folder you already use (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Nextcloud), where only encrypted ciphertext is ever stored.
Learn the app
The interface has changed substantially since the early screenshots. The current guide follows the latest desktop design and identifies the published version for each platform.
Set up and pair
Start the first device, choose LAN or shared storage, then connect every other device with a short code. Read setup instructions.
Use each tab
Clipboard, Send files, Folder sync, and Usage solve different jobs. See what every tab does.
Fix a problem
Run the built-in private health check and follow the highlighted next step. Open troubleshooting.
Zero-knowledge by design
The security model, in plain terms.
Keys never leave your device
Your first device creates the vault key. Pairing transfers it through an authenticated encrypted session, and each device protects it in operating-system secure storage - never in a config file.
Nothing readable on the wire or in the cloud
Every clip is AES-256-GCM encrypted before it touches the sync folder or the network. The cloud only holds ciphertext.
Optional accounts, never plaintext
Clipboard and folder sync need no account - you own the transport: your cloud folder or your own WebDAV. Add an optional account and you can send files end-to-end encrypted to people by email: direct on your LAN or across the internet when possible, or through an encrypted relay as a fallback. The server only ever sees ciphertext and routing metadata - never file contents, names, or keys.
Auditable
Crypto lives in one shared Rust core with cross-implementation test vectors as the compatibility contract.
Download
Alpha. Current builds: macOS v0.21.27, Windows v0.21.23, Linux v0.21.23. macOS releases are signed and notarized; Windows SmartScreen may still warn while the app establishes publisher reputation.
| Platform | Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Universal .dmg | Menu-bar app; Intel + Apple Silicon |
| Windows | Per-user .exe (NSIS) | Installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%, no admin |
| Linux | .deb / .rpm / AppImage | x64 and ARM64 / Raspberry Pi |
| iPhone + iPad | TestFlight build 17 | Join the iOS beta (needs the TestFlight app) |
| Apple Vision Pro | TestFlight build 12 | Join the visionOS beta |
Latest in the Apple betas: files you receive save to Photos (media) or the Files app (everything else), you can share a received file again from File History, and sending from a Mac or Windows PC to your iPhone or Vision Pro works over the internet. Background clipboard capture is impossible on iOS and is not faked.
Download for your computer All builds What's new Platform support Documentation
FAQ and troubleshooting
Quick answers. The complete help guide is in Documentation.
macOS says the app "can't be opened" or "is damaged"
Current macOS releases are signed with a Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple. Download the current DMG from this site. If macOS still blocks it, do not bypass the warning: verify the file is the current official download and contact support.
Windows SmartScreen blocked the installer
SmartScreen warns on any app it has not yet seen widely signed.
Click More info, then Run anyway.
The installer is per-user: it installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%
and never asks for admin or shows a UAC prompt. Signing will remove
the warning later.
How do I use ClipNSync with Nextcloud?
Two ways, both end-to-end encrypted - your Nextcloud server only ever stores ciphertext:
- Through the Nextcloud desktop app (recommended).
Let the Nextcloud client sync a folder as usual, then in
ClipNSync pick that folder (for example
~/Nextcloud). ClipNSync writes encrypted.cnsfiles into it; Nextcloud carries them to your other devices, where ClipNSync reads them. Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux. - Direct WebDAV (advanced). The app can talk to
a Nextcloud server over WebDAV with no desktop client, using your
WebDAV URL
(
https://your-server/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/) and an app password (Nextcloud: Settings -> Security -> Devices & sessions -> Create new app password). Choose this during Cloud storage setup, or later under Settings -> Sync and storage -> Change sync method.
Use the same dedicated ClipNSync folder on every device. If Nextcloud's "Virtual files" feature keeps files online-only, make that folder available offline before using it.
I use Nextcloud (or OneDrive/iCloud) and see a "cloud file provider exited" or sync error
ClipNSync watches a folder your cloud app syncs. Nextcloud, OneDrive, and iCloud can keep files "online-only" as placeholders that download only when opened. If the desktop client is offline or restarting, reading a placeholder fails with messages like "the cloud file provider exited unexpectedly" (Windows os error 404). Two things fix it:
- Make sure your Nextcloud/OneDrive desktop app is running and signed in.
- Right-click the ClipNSync folder and choose Always keep on this device so its files stay downloaded locally.
ClipNSync retries temporary cloud-provider failures, but the cloud app still controls whether a placeholder is downloaded. Keeping the dedicated ClipNSync folder offline-available is the reliable setup.
How do I build from source?
You need stable Rust and your platform's Tauri prerequisites. Then, from the repo root:
cargo test --workspace cargo run -p clipnsync-desktop
Common gotchas:
- Linux: install the
webkit2gtkandlibappindicatordevelopment packages first. - macOS: install the Xcode Command Line Tools with
xcode-select --install. - Unsigned dev builds re-prompt for Keychain access after each
rebuild; set
CLIPNSYNC_PASSPHRASE=<pass>to skip the keychain while testing.
Is my clipboard data really private?
Yes. Everything is encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before it touches the folder or the network. The vault key is created on your first device, transferred only through authenticated encrypted pairing, and kept in operating-system secure storage. The storage layer only ever sees ciphertext.
How fast is sync?
Through a cloud folder, sync is as fast as your provider - usually a few seconds, not instant. On the same network, trusted devices normally exchange clips near-instantly over the LAN.
Do I need an account?
No. Clipboard, image, and folder sync work entirely through your own cloud folder or WebDAV server, with no ClipNSync account. An account is optional and only unlocks one thing: sending files to other people by email. If you never send files to someone else, you never need one.
How do I send a file to someone else?
Link a free account, then type the person's email. People are findable by their exact address unless they opt out (Profile, "Discoverable by email"), and anything from someone you have not accepted always asks before a single byte is saved. Add them as a contact and they can accept you for a smoother, trusted flow. Either way they get a prompt to accept or decline, and you can block anyone permanently. Every transfer is end-to-end encrypted, and you can mark a contact as trusted to skip the prompt next time. If the person is not on ClipNSync yet, the app opens your own mail app with a ready-to-send invite - the message goes out from your mail account, never from our servers.
How does sending files over the internet work?
ClipNSync picks the fastest path that will reach the other person: a direct connection on your local network, a direct connection across the internet when your networks allow it, or an encrypted relay as a fallback when they do not. In every case the file is encrypted on your device first. The server only ever sees ciphertext and the routing metadata needed to hand the transfer off - never the file contents, file names, or your keys.
What does "anonymous install statistics" share?
Once a day, the desktop app sends us a small ping: a random id generated for this install, the app version, your OS, and your CPU type. That id is not your sync identity - it is separate from the device id ClipNSync uses to sync your clipboard, and it is never sent alongside any account or sync request. This tells us what platforms and versions to keep supporting. On Windows and Linux, fully removing the app sends one final ping with the same fields marked as an uninstall (skipped if you opted out), so our install counts stay honest.
It never includes clipboard content, file names, your email, or anything about your account, and we do not keep IP addresses from these pings. It is on by default; turn it off any time in Settings -> History and privacy -> Share anonymous install statistics.
Support and contact
Questions, bugs, ideas - all welcome.
Email us
General questions and private support: support@clipnsync.com. We read every message.
Report a bug or request a feature
Let us know what is broken or what you would like to see: contact support.