ClipNSync
Platform support, without the marketing
ClipNSync is one shared encryption and sync engine wrapped in a native app per platform. The engine is identical everywhere — your clips are encrypted the same way on a Vision Pro as on a Linux desktop. What differs is how much of the surrounding app each platform has today. This page says exactly where each one stands, including the parts that are not finished.
"Full" means the complete user flow is present in that platform's current build, not merely planned or mentioned in source code.
Where each platform stands
Ranked by how much of the macOS experience each one delivers right now. macOS is the reference build because it is the one that gets tested most.
macOS
The reference build. Every feature described on this site works here, and it is the platform we test on daily.
Windows and Linux
The full desktop app, with automatic release builds for Intel, AMD and ARM computers. Linux clipboard behavior depends on the desktop session; Windows hardware key protection depends on an available TPM.
iOS, iPadOS, visionOS
Public TestFlight beta. Sync, pairing, file transfer, settings, diagnostics and usage reporting work. Clipboard sending must be deliberate because Apple forbids background clipboard reading.
Android
Early alpha, built from source. Text sync, file send and receive, QR pairing, settings, diagnostics, sharing from other apps and background sync are present. Images and public distribution are not.
Feature by feature
Everything ClipNSync can do, and where it does it. "Not applicable" means the platform itself makes it impossible or meaningless — iOS, for example, does not let any app read the clipboard in the background, and we do not pretend otherwise.
| Capability | macOS | Windows | Linux | iOS / iPadOS | visionOS | Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipboard | ||||||
| Automatic capture in the backgroundLinux: native Wayland where supported, otherwise X11/XWayland | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Paste from history | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Images | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Copied filesfiles you copy in Finder or Explorer | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Skip password-manager clipsnever capture a concealed copy | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Search your history | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Pin and delete clips | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Choose how long clips are kept | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE | NONE | NONE |
| Sync | ||||||
| Your own cloud folderiCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Nextcloud | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Direct sync over your networkthe fast path, no cloud involved | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Your own WebDAV server | FULL | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL | PARTIAL | NONE |
| Peer-to-peer Apple radiodirect device link, no router needed | FULL | NONE | NONE | FULL | FULL | N/A |
| Keeps cloud files downloadedworks around Files On-Demand | N/A | FULL | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Devices and encryption | ||||||
| Create, join or recover a vault | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Add another deviceapprove a new device from this one | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Be added by another device | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Manage and remove trusted devices | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL |
| Rotate a device key | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Keys held in dedicated hardwareSecure Enclave, TPM or equivalent | PARTIAL | PARTIAL | NONE | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL |
| File transfer | ||||||
| Send over your local network | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Send to someone by email | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Approve every incoming file | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Resume an interrupted transfer | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL |
| Drag and drop to send | FULL | FULL | FULL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| The app itself | ||||||
| Menu bar or tray icon | FULL | PARTIAL | PARTIAL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Global hotkey to open history | FULL | FULL | FULL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Start at login | FULL | FULL | FULL | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Keeps syncing in the background | FULL | FULL | FULL | N/A | N/A | FULL |
| Updates itself | FULL | FULL | FULL | N/A | N/A | NONE |
| Diagnostics screen | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL |
| Usage and quota | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | FULL | NONE |
| Alert when a file arrives | FULL | FULL | FULL | PARTIAL | PARTIAL | FULL |
| Share sheet or keyboard extension | N/A | N/A | N/A | NONE | NONE | PARTIAL |
What to know before you install
The limitations worth knowing about up front, per platform. We would rather you read this here than discover it later.
Built automatically, not yet hand-tested on real hardware
Every Windows installer is compiled and packaged automatically for each release, and the shared sync engine is the same one macOS runs. What it has not had yet is a person sitting at a Windows PC working through the app end to end. Treat the Windows build as solid but young, and please report anything odd.
Intel, AMD and ARM builds are available
The signed updater manifest currently contains both x64 and ARM64 installers. That includes Snapdragon and ARM-based Surface computers; it is no longer an x64-only release.
Clipboard support depends on the Wayland compositor
ClipNSync reads Wayland directly on compositors that expose the data-control protocol, including KDE and wlroots-based desktops. GNOME does not expose that protocol, so ClipNSync uses the XWayland clipboard there when available. A pure Wayland session with neither data-control nor XWayland cannot be captured automatically; Diagnostics says which clipboard is actually active.
Password-manager detection needs the matching clipboard helper
ClipNSync now recognises the concealed-clipboard markers used by common Linux password managers. It reads those markers through wl-paste on Wayland or xclip on X11. If the helper is missing, or a password manager does not mark its copy, the text looks like an ordinary clip; Diagnostics explains when the protection cannot operate.
Copying files needs a clipboard helper installed
Picking up files you copied in your file manager relies on wl-clipboard on Wayland or xclip on X11. The Linux packages recommend both helpers, but some package managers may not install recommendations. Without one, the "on your clipboard" list stays empty and you send files with the picker or by dragging them in instead. Everything else works normally.
Hardware key protection is used where the computer supports it
Current macOS builds use the Secure Enclave when the Mac has one, and current Windows builds use a TPM through the Platform Crypto Provider. They fall back safely when hardware is absent or unavailable. Linux uses the operating system's credential store because there is no portable, correctly scoped TPM contract across Linux desktops. Mobile platforms request their hardware-backed stores but Android hardware varies. The Diagnostics screen reports the protection actually granted on that device.
No background clipboard capture, ever
Apple does not allow any app to read the clipboard in the background, and we will not ship a workaround that pretends otherwise. On these platforms you send the current clipboard with a tap when the app is open, and paste anything your other devices sent. Receiving is automatic; sending is deliberate.
Useful alpha, but not publicly distributed yet
Android now has text sync, file send and receive, QR and manual pairing, a foreground sync service, settings, diagnostics and an Android share target. It still has no image clipboard history, usage screen or automatic updater. CI compiles and tests both debug and release build types, but no current signed APK is published for general installation.
How each build reaches you
Different platforms are packaged and delivered differently. This is what you actually get.
| Platform | What you download | Status |
|---|---|---|
| macOS v0.21.27 | Universal .dmg, signed and notarized by Apple | STABLE |
| Windows v0.21.23 (x64) | Per-user installer, no administrator rights needed | UNTESTED ON HARDWARE |
| Windows v0.21.23 (ARM64) | Per-user installer, no administrator rights needed | AVAILABLE |
| Linux v0.21.23 (x86_64 and ARM64) | .deb, .rpm and AppImage | UNTESTED ON HARDWARE |
| iOS and iPadOS | TestFlight | PUBLIC BETA |
| visionOS | TestFlight | PUBLIC BETA |
| Android | Build from source; release build type is CI-checked | ALPHA |