Troubleshooting

Snippets are copied but not pasted

HandyPaste needs Accessibility permission to press ⌘V for you. Without it, choosing a snippet copies it, and the picker's footer shows Allow Pasting….

1. Open Settings ▸ Pasting and check Permission. If it isn't allowed, click the button next to it.
2. In System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Accessibility, turn on HandyPaste.
3. If HandyPaste is already on but pasting still doesn't work, turn it off and on again. After an update, macOS sometimes needs this.

Also check Settings ▸ Pasting ▸ When you choose a snippet is set to Paste it into the current app.

One app won't take the paste

Most apps accept a pasted ⌘V, but a few (some games, remote-desktop windows, and some password fields) ignore keystrokes from other apps. Use ⌘Return in the picker to copy the snippet, then paste it yourself.

The shortcut doesn't open the picker

• Is HandyPaste running? Its icon should be in the menu bar (if Show in menu bar is on). Turn on Settings ▸ General ▸ Open at login so it's always there.
• Is it the right shortcut? Open the menu bar menu: Open Picker shows the current one.
• Does another app use it? Look for a red message under Settings ▸ General ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts. If a shortcut can't be registered, HandyPaste says why and keeps the previous one. Record a different one; see Change a shortcut.

⌥⌘V or ⌥⌘C no longer works in another app

While HandyPaste runs, its shortcuts take priority. With the defaults, Finder's ⌥⌘V (Move Item Here) and ⌥⌘C (Copy as Pathname), and ⌥⌘C in Safari and Chrome's developer tools, reach HandyPaste instead. Give HandyPaste different shortcuts, for example ⌃⌥V and ⌃⌥C. See Shortcuts other apps use.

Save Selection says “Can't Copy in This App”

The app has Secure Keyboard Entry on, which stops other apps from pressing keys in it. Terminal and iTerm offer it, and password fields turn it on while they're focused. Turn it off in the app's menu (in Terminal: Terminal ▸ Secure Keyboard Entry), or copy the text yourself and create the snippet in the library. Pasting into such an app has the same limit; copy with ⌘Return and paste yourself.

The caret doesn't end up at {{cursor}}

HandyPaste moves the caret with arrow keys after pasting, which needs Accessibility permission. A {{cursor}} before a {{tab}} or {{enter}} is ignored, because arrow keys can't go back into an earlier field. Put it after the last key press.

A placeholder pastes as typed

• Check the spelling. Only HandyPaste's own placeholders are filled in. Anything else in double braces is left as typed on purpose.
• A {{var:…}} with no saved variable of that name stays visible. Check Settings ▸ Variables. The editor preview warns about it.
• A {{snippet:…}} whose title doesn't match any snippet, or that would include itself, stays visible.
• Is there a backslash in front? \{{date}} deliberately pastes {{date}}.
• Pro placeholders paste as typed when you choose Paste Without Filling on the free version. See Free and Pro.

Snippets don't sync between Macs

1. On each Mac, open Settings ▸ iCloud and check the status.
2. Make sure every Mac is signed in to the same Apple Account.
3. Give it a moment: changes arrive in the background, and opening HandyPaste on the other Mac helps them along.

If sync was turned off, turning it back on needs a restart, which HandyPaste offers.

I can't create a new snippet

The free version lets you create up to 15 snippets. Imported and synced snippets don't count, and none of your snippets stop working. Delete some you don't need, or unlock Pro.

Still stuck?

Get in touch through the support page. Please include your macOS version, what you tried, and what happened.