Apple Expands Spotlight Clipboard Settings in macOS Tahoe 26.1

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

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
9 weeks 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)
tkermit Avatar
9 weeks 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:
...
I had hoped to see something closer to Paste ('https://pasteapp.io'), which feels way more Apple-like... this is barely an MVP.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devnul0 Avatar
9 weeks 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)
jarman92 Avatar
9 weeks 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)
bmustaf Avatar
9 weeks ago
"Apple quietly added a small..."

Oh, with Spotlight involved it'll be anything but quiet and small.

mds, mds_stores, etc are things of nightmares, hahaha.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WWP99 Avatar
9 weeks 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)