Ortu for macOS
A free, open-source clipboard manager for macOS
Ortu keeps every clip you copy on your Mac — text, images and files — in a local, searchable history you can call up over any app with a hotkey. It is MIT licensed, stores everything in a local SQLite database, and sends nothing anywhere: no account, no sync, no telemetry. Built with Rust and Tauri, so it is a small native binary rather than a bundled browser.
Installing on macOS
Download the .dmg
Grab the latest release and open the disk image, then drag Ortu into Applications as usual.
If Gatekeeper blocks it
Ortu is not yet notarized with an Apple Developer certificate, so macOS may refuse to open it the first time. Clearing the quarantine flag lets it launch. You only need to do this once.
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Ortu.appGrant Accessibility permission
To paste straight into the app you were last using, Ortu needs Accessibility access. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable Ortu. Without it, clips still copy to the clipboard — you just paste them yourself.
macOS keyboard shortcuts
| Open the quick popup | ⌥V |
|---|---|
| Copy selection into the paste stack | ⌘⇧C |
| Paste next item from the stack | ⌥⇧V |
| Quick copy by position | ⌘1 – ⌘9 |
| Pin / unpin a clip | ⌘P |
| Dismiss | Esc |
The three global hotkeys are rebindable in Settings → Global Shortcuts.
Good to know on macOS
- Ortu runs as a menu-bar app rather than a Dock app, so it stays out of your way.
- All three global hotkeys are rebindable in Settings → Global Shortcuts if ⌥V clashes with something.
- 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.
- Clipboard history lives in a local SQLite database on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and the only network request Ortu makes is an update check against GitHub.
Questions about Ortu on macOS
Why does macOS say Ortu "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified"?
Because the build is not yet signed with a paid Apple Developer certificate. The source is public, so you can read or build it yourself. To open the downloaded app, clear the quarantine attribute with: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Ortu.app
Does Ortu work on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
Yes. Releases ship a universal macOS build, so the same download runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Why does Ortu ask for Accessibility permission?
Only so it can paste directly into the app you were using before the popup appeared. macOS treats sending keystrokes to another application as an Accessibility action. If you decline, Ortu still works — clips are placed on the clipboard and you paste them yourself.
Is Ortu a free alternative to paid Mac clipboard managers?
Yes. Ortu is MIT licensed and free of charge, with no paid tier, subscription or account. You can inspect every line of the source on GitHub.