Today I wanted to email some information I had stored on my iPhone on the Mac. I spontaneously came up with several ways to transfer the required information: I can move it to the Notes app, since it is synchronized via the iCloud, and I can also send it to myself by e-mail. But then I remembered that there is also a cross-device clipboard for Apple devices. As I found out, this is called the "general clipboard". In order to use them, however, a few settings must be made. Below you will find everything you need to know about it.
For Apple devices with the same Apple ID, there is the universal clipboard, so content can be copied and pasted across devices. This works with the iPhone, iPad, Mac and the Apple Watch.
In a nutshell: This is how you enable the cross-device clipboard
Before you can copy something on one Apple device and paste it on the other Apple device, a few features need to be enabled. Here is the overview for those who are in a hurry:
Sign up on the devices with the same Apple ID an
Activates the function named Handoff on the devices (see below)
Switches on the devices respectively Wi-Fi and Bluetooth a
This is how you activate Handoff on your Apple devices
Both on mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad as well as on Mac models macOS 13 Adventure and newer you can find the handoff option at: Settings (mobile) / System Settings (Mac) -> General -> AirDrop & Handoff. On the mobile devices you activate the slider for "Handoff" so that it is displayed with a green background. On the Mac, activate the slider for "Allow handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices" so that it is displayed with a blue background.
For the cross-device clipboard from Apple, the individual devices must not only be logged in with the same Apple ID, but also have Handoff activated. This is what it looks like below iOS 16 and macOS 13 off.
In older Mac operating systems, i.e. in macOS versions up to macOS 12 Monterey, you can find the handoff settings under System Settings -> General and then directly as an option "Allow handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices". So here is the submenu Airdrop and handoff away. This is exactly how it currently looks on the Apple Watch. There you can handoff directly in the area General activate.
Copy content on one Apple device and paste it on the other
In addition to the iPhone and the Mac, you can also use the general clipboard with the iPad and the Apple Watch. Depending on the device combination, a wide variety of content can be transmitted. From text and links to photos and images to videos and other files, a lot is possible. I've only tried it with iPhone 12 Pro and 2021 MacBook Pro and with copied text content. After activating the functions described above, these could easily be copied and pasted – regardless of the ones used Apps such as Notes, Pages, Word, Mail and Co.
After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.
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