Paste stack, not just history
Queue several clips and paste them one-by-one, in order, into any app. Most managers only give you back the last thing you clicked.
Ortu — free open-source clipboard manager for macOS, Windows and Linux
Clipboard memory for people who move fast.
Native, local-first clipboard history with keyboard-first recall. Built with Rust + Tauri for fast startup and zero telemetry.Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux
macOS + Windows + LinuxLocal SQLiteNo Cloud SyncOption + V
What makes Ortu different
Cross-platform, lightweight, and private — without the trade-off.
Most clipboard tools make you choose two of the three. Ortu keeps all three, then adds the power-user features the rest leave out.
Secrets stay secret
Ortu detects keys and tokens, masks them on sight, and encrypts them at rest with AES-256-GCM — revealed only when you ask.
Native, not a browser in disguise
Built with Tauri + Rust: a small binary with low idle memory and no bundled Chromium like Electron-based tools.
Organizes itself
A rule-based classifier sorts clips into URLs, code, JSON, shell and paths automatically, so your history never becomes a junk drawer.
Search that scales
SQLite FTS5 full-text search with fuzzy ranking stays instant across tens of thousands of clips — not a slow substring filter.
Yours, and open
Everything lives in a local database. No account, no cloud sync, no telemetry — and it's MIT licensed, so you can read every line.
Everything in v2.0.0
A complete clipboard manager in one tiny app
A focused, local-first clipboard manager with native performance, deterministic keyboard flows, and privacy built in. Designed for developers and power users.
Smart auto-grouping
A rule-based classifier sorts every clip automatically — URLs, code, JSON, shell commands, secrets, file paths and more.
URLsCodeJSONShellSecretsPaths
Multi-format capture
Keep text, images and files — complete with thumbnails — not just plain strings.
Paste stack
Queue several clips and paste them in order into any app with global hotkeys.
Lightning-fast search
SQLite FTS5 full-text search with fuzzy ranking, scaling to tens of thousands of items.
Privacy & encryption
Detected secrets are masked and encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM); reveal on demand. Local-only, no cloud, no telemetry.
AES-256-GCMMasked secretsNo cloudNo telemetry
Customizable shortcuts
Rebind every global hotkey in-app, with one-click restore to defaults.
Flexible retention
Clear on reboot, keep forever, or set age/count limits — pinned & grouped items are always kept.
Snippets & transforms
Reusable snippets with variables, plus “Copy as” — JSON, Base64, URL-encode, case, slugify and more.
Themes
Light, dark, or follow the system appearance.
Auto-update
Signed updates delivered straight from GitHub Releases.
Native & lightweight
Built with Tauri + Rust — no bundled browser, a tiny install and low memory use.
Keyboard-firstBuilt for hands that
Built for hands that
never leave the keys
Every core action has a global shortcut that works over any app — and you can rebind all of them in Settings, with one-click restore-to-defaults.
Fully rebindable · restore defaults anytime
Open quick popup⌥+V
Copy selection to stack⌘+⇧+C
Paste next from stack⌥+⇧+V
Quick copy by position⌘+1–9
Pin / unpin⌘+P
Add to group⌘+C
Add item to stack⌘+S
Efficiency & comparison
Tiny footprint, full feature set
Ortu is built on Tauri + Rust, so it ships as a small native binary and stays light on memory — no bundled Chromium runtime like Electron-based clipboard tools. Compared with native macOS-only utilities, it keeps that efficiency while staying truly cross-platform.
| Capability | Ortu | Electron-based app | Native macOS-only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idle memory | Low | High | Lowest |
| Install size | Small | Large | Small |
| Cross-platform (macOS · Windows · Linux) | Yes | Yes | Often macOS-only |
| Open source | MIT | Varies | Varies |
| Local-first / no telemetry | Yes | Varies | Usually |
| Images + files | Yes | Varies | Varies |
| Encryption at rest | Yes | Not available | Rare |
| Paste stack / multi-paste | Yes | Varies | Rare |
| Full-text search (FTS5) | Yes | Varies | Basic |
| Price | Free & open source | Free / paid | Free / paid |
Comparisons are qualitative and shown relative to common alternatives; memory and install size are approximate and vary by OS and usage. Electron-based and native tools differ widely between products — this reflects typical, not universal, behaviour.
MacOS Download
Choose the build for your platform. ORTU is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with extra Terminal steps only required for the macOS .dmg when Gatekeeper blocks launch.
macOS Gatekeeper Commands
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Ortu.app"
codesign --force --deep --sign - "/Applications/Ortu.app"
open "/Applications/Ortu.app"Required only when macOS shows an unsigned app warning for the .dmg build.
Windows SmartScreen
If Windows SmartScreen warns about the unsigned build, click “More info” then “Run anyway” to continue. Ortu is open source—review the code before installing.
Linux
Download the .AppImage, mark it executable (chmod +x) and run it. No extra steps required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about installation, privacy, platform support, and licensing.
Is Ortu clipboard manager free and open source?
Yes. Ortu is MIT licensed and free to use. You can inspect the source code and contribute through GitHub.
Does Ortu send clipboard data to cloud servers?
No. Ortu is local-first and stores clipboard history on your device using local storage.
How do installation steps differ across macOS, Windows, and Linux?
Linux uses the standard installer flow for its build. On macOS, if Gatekeeper blocks the .dmg version, run the Terminal commands shown in the download section to remove quarantine and open the app. On Windows, if SmartScreen warns about the unsigned build, click “More info” then “Run anyway” to continue.
Windows SmartScreen is blocking the installer. What do I do?
That warning appears because the build is not yet code-signed. Click “More info” on the SmartScreen dialog, then “Run anyway”. The app is open source—you can review every line on GitHub before installing.
What's new in Ortu v2.0.0?
v2.0.0 adds image & file capture with thumbnails, a paste stack for multi-paste, encryption at rest for detected secrets (AES-256-GCM), FTS5 full-text search, customizable global shortcuts, snippets & transforms, and flexible history retention. See the full changelog on GitHub Releases.
Is Ortu available on Windows and Linux?
Yes. Ortu is a cross-platform clipboard manager available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Support the craft.
Ortu is free and open source. If it makes your digital life better, consider fueling the development with a coffee.
Buy me a coffee