HandyPaste

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iCloud sync and backups ​

iCloud sync ​

HandyPaste syncs your snippets, folders, variables and Recently Deleted between your Macs through your own private iCloud database. There's nothing to sign up for: any Mac signed in to the same Apple Account gets the same library.

Sync is on by default. Check its status in Settings ▸ iCloud, which says in plain words whether sync is working, and when it last synced.

To turn it off, uncheck Sync snippets with iCloud. The change takes effect when HandyPaste restarts, and it offers to restart right away. Your snippets stay on this Mac.

Why doesn't HandyPaste add examples on its own?

Sample snippets added automatically on first launch would be added again on every Mac and multiply through sync. That's why examples come from a button (Add Examples in an empty library) that you press once.

If sync isn't available ​

Settings ▸ iCloud tells you why:

  • Sign in to iCloud in System Settings: the Mac isn't signed in to an Apple Account. Sign in, and your library syncs from then on.
  • iCloud is restricted on this Mac: a management profile or Screen Time blocks iCloud.

Without sync, HandyPaste works exactly the same. The library just stays on this Mac.

Export and import ​

Export saves your whole library (folders, snippets, keywords, favorites and variables) to a JSON file. Import adds the snippets from such a file.

  • Export: File ▸ Export Snippets…, or the same button in Settings ▸ Backup
  • Import: File ▸ Import Snippets…, or the same button in Settings ▸ Backup

Import adds snippets and never overwrites what you have. It also reads backups from the HandyPaste Chrome extension. Imported snippets don't count toward the free version's limit.

Settings ▸ Backup also shows how much your library holds and when you last exported it from this Mac.

Where your library is kept ​

  • On your Mac, inside HandyPaste's app container. Time Machine backs it up along with everything else.
  • In iCloud, if sync is on, which also keeps it safe if a Mac is lost.
  • In your exports, wherever you save them.

An export now and then is still a good idea, for example before a big reorganization, or to share a set of snippets with a colleague.

Sharing snippets with a team ​

Export your snippets, send the file, and your colleagues import it. Imports are added next to what they already have, so nothing of theirs is replaced.