What is Universal Clipboard, and does it work with Android?

Universal Clipboard is an Apple feature that lets you copy something on one Apple device and paste it on another one nearby. Copy a paragraph on your iPhone, click paste on your Mac, and it appears. It does not work with an Android phone. Apple's support page says you can use it "with any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro", and Android is not on that list. If you own a Mac and an Android phone, you need a different tool to get the same result.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does Universal Clipboard actually do?

Apple describes three steps. You copy text, an image, a file, or other content on one device as you normally would. The content is automatically added to the clipboard of your other nearby device. Then you paste it there as you normally would. Apple adds that the content stays there briefly, or until something new is copied on either device.

There is nothing to open and no button to press. It is part of what Apple calls Continuity, the set of features that make Apple devices behave like one system. Apple's Continuity requirements page lists Universal Clipboard for iPhone (iOS 10 or later), iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. It is not tied to the iPhone alone: a Mac and an iPad can share a clipboard with no phone involved.

What does it need to work?

Apple's page lists these conditions:

• Your devices are near each other.
• Each device is signed in with the same Apple Account.
• Each device has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
• Each device has Handoff turned on. Apple says Handoff is on by default.

On a Mac, Apple's Handoff page puts the switch at System Settings, General, then AirDrop & Continuity (or AirDrop & Handoff on some versions), under "Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices." On an iPhone it is under Settings, General, then AirPlay & Continuity.

The requirement that matters most for this site is the Apple Account. Every device in the chain has to be signed in to it, and Apple's pages describe the feature only for Apple devices. Nothing on them describes a way to add an Android phone.

Does Universal Clipboard work with Android?

No. Apple's pages do not list any Android device, and there is no setting on a Mac to add one. The Mac side of Universal Clipboard only looks for other devices signed in to the same Apple Account.

Android has its own wrinkle that affects every tool in this area. Google's Android 10 privacy page says that unless an app is the default keyboard or the app that currently has focus, "your app cannot access clipboard data on Android 10 or higher." That is why phone-to-Mac clipboard tools on Android are built differently from Apple's, and why some of them need a tap on the phone.

What are the options on Android and a Mac?

Think of it as three levels.

KDE Connect's download page offers a stable macOS release. Check its current behaviour with Android 10 and later on your own phone. The step-by-step comparison is in Universal Clipboard for Android and Mac. The two directions each have their own guide: copy on Mac, paste on Android and copy an image on Android, paste on a Mac.

Where does The Relay fit?

The Relay does the Android-and-Mac version of this job. It is an app you install on both devices, and it syncs the clipboard in both directions for text, images, and links. Your clipboard travels directly between the phone and the Mac over your local network, and it is not uploaded to The Relay's servers. There is no account with The Relay.

What it does not do: it does not work through Apple's Continuity, so it cannot paste into an iPhone, and it needs both devices on the same network or within Bluetooth range. It needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial. If you only move a link or a line of text a few times a week, the free routes above are enough. If you want something close to Command-C on one and Command-V on the other, try the trial at /download.

Questions people ask

Is Universal Clipboard the same as Handoff?

They are related but separate. Handoff lets you start a task, such as an email, on one Apple device and continue it on another. Universal Clipboard moves copied content. Both use the same Handoff switch, and Apple's page says Handoff must be on for Universal Clipboard to work.

Do I need an iPhone to use Universal Clipboard on a Mac?

No. Apple's page says any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro can use it. You need a second Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account, but it does not have to be an iPhone.

Why did Universal Clipboard stop working between my Apple devices?

Apple's troubleshooting steps are to install available software updates, restart both devices, and confirm that each device meets the setup conditions above and is near the other. Check the Apple Account first, because every device has to be signed in to the same one.

Can I paste from an Android phone to a Mac the same way?

Not with anything built in. See copy and paste between a phone and a Mac not working if you have a tool installed and it is failing.