Why did Pasta stop pasting on my Mac?

macOS sometimes forgets Pasta's permission after an update. Your card is still copied, so Command-V works. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility (Device Control and Data Access on macOS 27) and switch Pasta on, or remove it with minus and add it back.

Pasta's Google sign-in is stuck on Waiting for the browser. What do I do?

Click Try again under the Google button and start over. Google shows its account picker so you can choose the right account. Email and password sign-in works too.

Why does macOS ask for my Keychain password for Pasta?

Versions before 0.3.9 kept the sync key in the Keychain. Click Always Allow, or update Pasta: since 0.3.9 the key lives only in memory and the prompt is gone.

What if a Pasta update fails?

Pasta shows Update failed, Download it. Download the latest version and drag it into Applications to replace the old one. Your history and settings stay.

Why is there no copy sound in Pasta?

Check that Settings, General, Copy Sound isn't set to Off and that your Mac's volume is up. Since version 0.3.13 sounds play even when the panel is hidden.

Docs · Troubleshooting

Docs

Troubleshooting

Fixes for when pasting stops, Google sign-in gets stuck, macOS asks for your Keychain password, an update fails, or there's no copy sound.

Pasting stopped working

Your card is still copied, so ⌘ V works right away. What stopped is Pasta pressing it for you. macOS sometimes forgets Pasta’s permission after an update, and Pasta will say so with “Pasta can’t paste for you right now”.

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. On macOS 27 it’s called Device Control and Data Access.
If Pasta is off, switch it on.
If it already looks on, select Pasta and remove it with −. Then click +, add Pasta from Applications, and switch it on.

Rather not give the permission? Choose Just copy from now on, or turn off Paste for Me in Settings. Enter then copies the card and you paste with ⌘ V.

Google sign-in is stuck on “Waiting for the browser”

Continue with Google opens your browser. If you closed that tab or picked the wrong account, Pasta keeps waiting. Click Try again under the button and start over. Google always shows its account picker, so you can choose the right account. Signing in with email and password works too.

macOS asks for your Keychain password

Versions before 0.3.9 kept your sync key in the Keychain, so macOS sometimes asked “Pasta wants to use your confidential information” after an update. Click Always Allow to stop it asking. Better still, update Pasta: since 0.3.9 the key lives only in memory and the prompt is gone.

Pasta was opened from the disk image

If you open Pasta from the disk image instead of Applications, it asks to move itself there. Click Move to Applications. Pasta needs to live in Applications to keep itself up to date. If the move fails, quit Pasta, drag it from the disk image into your Applications folder, and open it from there.

An update failed

If Pasta can’t install an update, the panel footer says Update failed · Download it, and Settings → About says Update Failed · Download. Click either to download the latest version, then drag it into Applications to replace the old one. Your history and settings stay put.

No copy sound

Check Settings → General → Copy Sound isn’t set to Off. Picking a sound plays it, so you can hear if it works. Also check your Mac’s volume. Since version 0.3.13, sounds play even while the panel is hidden; on older versions, update Pasta.

A copy didn’t show up

Copies from password managers, and copies an app marks as concealed, are skipped on purpose. See Privacy and secrets.

A copy showed up that you didn’t make

From another device: with Universal Clipboard (Handoff), what you copy on your iPhone, iPad or another Mac lands on this Mac too. Pasta labels those cards “Another device”. To stop it, turn off Handoff in System Settings → General → AirDrop & Handoff on either device.
An old card jumped to the top: some apps copy the same thing again on their own. Pasta moves the existing card to the top instead of adding a second one.
Terminal programs: a terminal can let the programs running in it set the clipboard (in Ghostty, clipboard-write). Those copies show up with the terminal's name.

Pasta writes one line per clipboard change to its log in ~/Library/Logs/com.automatique.pasta/: which app was in front, which app said it made the copy, whether it came from another device, the kinds of data copied and what Pasta did with it. Never what you copied. The log stays on your Mac; send us the lines around the time it happened if you want us to look.