CopyQ is a cross-platform clipboard manager that tracks, stores, and organizes clipboard history across multiple formats. It functions as a desktop productivity tool that captures text and image data, allowing users to search, filter, and categorize items into tabs for efficient retrieval. The application maintains a persistent history archive and provides tray-based access for quick interaction with stored content.
The software distinguishes itself through an extensive automation engine and command-line integration. Users can execute custom scripts to transform, format, or process clipboard data automatically upon capture. The interface is fully scriptable, enabling programmatic control over window geometry, shortcut management, and the execution of automated workflows. These capabilities allow for deep integration with terminal environments and external scripts.
Beyond core management, the application includes security features such as encrypted storage for sensitive items and configurable monitoring restrictions to exclude specific applications or data patterns from the history. It supports synchronization between the system clipboard and primary selection buffers to ensure consistent data availability across different operating systems.