What private actually means
Three terms get used interchangeably when they describe very different things.
- Local-only. Your clipboard history is stored only on your machine and never transmitted anywhere. This is the strongest guarantee for a single device. Ditto, Maccy, and CopyQ all work this way. The tradeoff is that your history does not follow you to your other devices.
- End-to-end encrypted (E2EE) sync. Your history is encrypted on your device, using a key derived from your passphrase, before it is ever sent to a server. The server stores only ciphertext it cannot read. Even if the server were breached, your clipboard would remain unreadable. This is what Relic does.
- Transport encryption. Your data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS or TLS, then decrypted on arrival at the server. The server can read it. This is what most cloud services use by default, including Windows Clipboard History with sync enabled. It protects against interception on the wire but not against the server operator.
A tool that claims to be private but syncs through a server without E2EE is relying on transport encryption. That is a real protection against eavesdropping, but it is not zero-knowledge. The company can read your clipboard.
The comparison at a glance
| Relic | Ditto | Maccy | CopyQ | Win+V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stays on your device only | Syncs, E2EE | Cloud sync | |||
| End-to-end encrypted sync | |||||
| No account required | Account for sync | Microsoft account | |||
| Open source | |||||
| Server can read your clips | Never (ciphertext only) | n/a (local) | n/a (local) | n/a (local) | Yes, if synced |
A note on CopyQ’s “partial” for E2EE: CopyQ supports optional per-tab GnuPG encryption, which means you can encrypt specific tabs manually. It is not automatic and not on by default, so your clipboard is not encrypted unless you configure it. Relic’s “partial” for open source reflects that the source is on the roadmap to be published but is not fully open source today.
Ranked by privacy need
1. You want zero cloud, single device: Maccy, Ditto, or CopyQ
If you work on one machine and want no cloud involvement at all, these three are the honest answer. Each one keeps your clipboard history entirely on your device, never phones home, and is fully open source so the code is auditable.
- Maccy is the lightest option for Mac users. Fast, keyboard-driven, minimal. It keeps a local history and nothing else. See Relic vs Maccy.
- Ditto is the best local option for Windows. It has a searchable history, runs quietly in the background, and can sync across your own Windows machines over a local network with no cloud involved. See Relic vs Ditto.
- CopyQ runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is the most scriptable and configurable of the three, and the right pick for power users who want tabs and custom commands. The tradeoff is a steeper learning curve.
All three are legitimate, genuinely private tools for their use case. There is no surveillance or cloud dependency to worry about.
2. You want a private history that syncs across devices: Relic
Relic is built for people who work across more than one machine and do not want to sacrifice privacy to do it. Every item is encrypted on your device using XChaCha20-Poly1305 with a key derived from your passphrase via Argon2id before it is stored or synced. The server holds only ciphertext. Even Relic cannot read your clipboard.
The honest caveats: the Windows desktop client is live today. Mac, Linux, and mobile are in beta or rolling out. On mobile, Relic is a browse-and-search lens rather than a background recorder, because phone operating systems do not allow apps to capture the clipboard in the background. If you work entirely on one machine and never sync, a local tool above is a simpler fit.
3. Avoid: cloud clipboards without E2EE
Windows Clipboard History with cloud sync enabled, and similar built-in or third-party cloud clipboard tools that do not publish a zero-knowledge architecture, fall into this category. They use transport encryption, which protects against interception in transit, but your clipboard arrives at a server in a form the operator can read. For passwords, tokens, private messages, and anything sensitive, this is a real exposure.
If you use Win+V, you can limit the risk by leaving cloud sync off in Windows Settings. Your history will stay local but will clear on restart and keep only about 25 items.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'private clipboard manager' actually mean?
It means one of two things. Local-only means your history never leaves your machine at all. End-to-end encrypted means your history syncs across devices but is encrypted on your device before it is sent, so the server only ever holds ciphertext it cannot read. Transport encryption alone, the kind every HTTPS site uses, does not qualify. The server can still read your clips after they arrive.
Which clipboard managers are genuinely private?
For local-only privacy, Ditto on Windows, Maccy on Mac, and CopyQ on any desktop are all genuinely private. Nothing leaves your machine. The tradeoff is no cross-device sync. For a private history that syncs, Relic encrypts every item with XChaCha20-Poly1305 on your device before anything is sent. The server holds only ciphertext and cannot read your clipboard.
Is Windows Clipboard History (Win+V) private?
No, not if you enable cloud sync. Windows Clipboard History with sync turned on sends your clipboard to Microsoft servers in a form Microsoft can read. Transport encryption protects it in transit, but it is decryptable on the server. If you leave sync off, your history stays local and is more private, but it clears on restart and keeps only about 25 items.
Does Relic see my clipboard?
No. Relic encrypts every item on your device using XChaCha20-Poly1305 with a key derived from your passphrase via Argon2id before anything is saved or synced. The server stores only ciphertext it cannot decrypt. Relic has zero-knowledge architecture: the server never sees your clipboard in plaintext.
Is an open-source clipboard manager more private?
Open source means the code is auditable, which is a meaningful trust signal. Ditto, Maccy, and CopyQ are all open source and local-only, so they are trustworthy on both counts. Relic is source-available on the roadmap but not fully open source yet. If auditability is your top concern today, one of the three open-source local tools is the strongest choice.