Ortu for Linux
A free, open-source clipboard manager for Linux
Ortu brings a fast, searchable clipboard history to Linux desktops, with AppImage, .deb and .rpm builds. Text, images and file references are kept in a local SQLite database on your own machine — MIT licensed, no account, no cloud, no telemetry. Built with Rust and Tauri, so it is a single small native binary rather than a bundled browser.
Installing on Linux
Pick your package
Releases include an .AppImage that runs anywhere, plus .deb and .rpm packages for Debian/Ubuntu and Fedora/RHEL families.
AppImage
Make it executable and run it — no installation required.
chmod +x Ortu_*.AppImage ./Ortu_*.AppImage.deb or .rpm
Install with your usual package manager.
sudo apt install ./Ortu_*_amd64.deb # or sudo dnf install ./Ortu-*.x86_64.rpm
Linux keyboard shortcuts
| Open the quick popup | Alt + V |
|---|---|
| Copy selection into the paste stack | Ctrl + Shift + C |
| Paste next item from the stack | Alt + Shift + V |
| Quick copy by position | Ctrl + 1 – 9 |
| Pin / unpin a clip | Ctrl + P |
| Dismiss | Esc |
The three global hotkeys are rebindable in Settings → Global Shortcuts.
Good to know on Linux
- Ortu runs on both X11 and Wayland. On Wayland some window placement is handled by the compositor rather than the app, so the quick popup follows the compositor's rules.
- A tray icon needs an AppIndicator implementation. On GNOME that usually means the AppIndicator extension; most other desktops ship one already.
- Copy-to-stack sends the OS copy command to whatever app is focused, then queues the result. Paste-next pastes the queue back one item at a time, in order.
- History is stored in a local SQLite database under your home directory. The only network request Ortu makes is an update check against GitHub.
Questions about Ortu on Linux
Which Linux packages does Ortu ship?
An .AppImage that runs on most distributions without installing, plus .deb packages for Debian and Ubuntu and .rpm packages for Fedora and RHEL-family systems.
Does Ortu work on Wayland?
Yes. Ortu runs under both X11 and Wayland. Wayland deliberately restricts what applications can know about window and pointer position, so a few placement behaviours are left to the compositor.
I do not see a tray icon. What is wrong?
The tray needs an AppIndicator implementation on your desktop. GNOME users generally need the AppIndicator extension enabled; KDE, XFCE, Cinnamon and most others provide it out of the box. Ortu still works without a tray — the global hotkey opens the popup.
Is Ortu open source?
Yes, MIT licensed. The full source and the CI workflow that builds every release are public on GitHub.