Apple Expands Spotlight Clipboard Settings in macOS Tahoe 26.1 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Expands Spotlight Clipboard Settings in macOS Tahoe 26.1

by

Apple quietly added a small but notable enhancement to Spotlight in macOS Tahoe 26.1, which was released on Monday. The update introduces new clipboard history controls for Spotlight, allowing users to decide how long copied items remain accessible in search results.

spotlight clipboard history settings 26 1%402x
Previously, Spotlight could optionally retain clipboard contents for up to eight hours, but the latest update expands that flexibility with three options – 30 minutes, 8 hours, or 7 days. There's also a new "Clear Clipboard History" button in System Settings ➝ Spotlight, giving users the ability to manually wipe stored clipboard data without having to wipe Spotlight search history wholesale.

The changes should be welcomed by anyone wanting finer control over how long potentially sensitive information is retained by Spotlight, and it puts the feature more on par with third-party clipboard management apps. Apple did not mention the change in its macOS 26.1 release notes, suggesting it may be just one of several under-the-radar refinements to macOS Tahoe 26.

Related Roundup: macOS Tahoe
Related Forum: macOS Tahoe

Popular Stories

macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Third macOS Tahoe 26.6 Beta Now Available for Developers

Monday June 29, 2026 10:09 am PDT by
Apple today provided the third beta of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple seeded the second beta. Developers can download the macOS Tahoe 26.6 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free...
Read Full Article • 3 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Third Public Betas of iOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6 and More

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:38 am PDT by
Apple today provided public beta testers with the third betas of iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6, watchOS 26.6, and tvOS 26.6, with the software coming a day after Apple seeded the betas to developers. After signing up to beta test the software updates on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the new software using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each ...
Read Full Article • 7 comments
macos tahoe

macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 and iOS 26.5.2 Updates Coming Soon

Monday June 22, 2026 12:58 pm PDT by
Apple is working on a macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 update that's expected to come out in the near future. The second macOS Golden Gate beta includes an upgrade path from macOS Tahoe 26.5.2, which suggests 26.5.2 is an upcoming build that Apple expects devices to be running soon. The update will be released alongside iOS 26.5.2, which we've already confirmed is in testing based on MacRumors visitor...
Read Full Article • 13 comments

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
sniffies
9 months ago
Still barebones clipboard compared to Raycast's, but the 7-day history is definitely a much needed improvement.

Other improvements I'd like to see:

[LIST=1]
* Single-step keyboard shortcut; ⌘-space-4 just ain't cuttin it
* Full contents of copied data
* Copied image size and dimensions
* Number of characters/words for copied text
* Allowlist and blocklist for apps; for example, allow copying from Passwords app
* 30-, 60-, 90-day history
* Copied data filtering; for example, show text only, images only, links only, etc.
* Copied data previewing (not opening); for example, preview images, links, etc.
* Pinning, which would prevent pinned entries from getting cleared beyond history limit
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaus Avatar
cmaus
9 months ago

so what happens to our passwords copied with 1password? do they get indexed for everyone to find?
I just tried it with 1Password 7:
I clicked on a saved password, hence copying it into my clipboard, and: Spotlight did not add it to its clipboard history. 👍
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
svish
9 months ago
Glad to see more controls. Ability to manually wipe is very great. Will be updating my Macs soon.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
W
WWP99
9 months ago
I just want it to work. Spotlight is so poorly designed that I can never find a file I literally type the name of. Have to use third-party apps, which are much better.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
jarman92
9 months ago

so what happens to our passwords copied with 1password? do they get indexed for everyone to find?
Do you think Spotlight...publishes its index publicly?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devnul0 Avatar
Devnul0
9 months ago

so what happens to our passwords copied with 1password? do they get indexed for everyone to find?
Hopefully whatever it is that password managers do to keep the things that they stuff into the pasteboard from getting involved with Continuity (copy on one device, paste on the other), will keep them out of the hands of Spotlight. But realistically it needs to be tested to be sure, because Apple has shown us some really stupid things.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments