A universal clipboard for Apple products, you can copy content such as text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device, and then paste the content on another Apple device. But what should I do if the universal clipboard does not work during use?
Requirements for using the Universal Clipboard on Mac and iPhone
Make sure your device is running iPadOS, iOS 10, and macOS Sierra or later.
iPhones and iPads
- iPhone 5 or newer
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad (4th generation) or newer
- iPad Air or newer
- iPad mini 2 or newer
- iPod touch (6th generation) or later
apple computer
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MacBook (2015 or newer)
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MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
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MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
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Mac mini (2012 or newer)
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iMac (2012 or newer)
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iMac Pro (all models)
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Mac Pro (2013 or newer)
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Device must be within Bluetooth range.
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You must use the same Apple ID on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
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Make sure to enable W-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff on all your devices.
You're sure you've met all the requirements, but the Universal Clipboard still doesn't work, try the following solutions.
1. Turn off/on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
This is one of the fastest ways you can fix this problem. On the iPhone, open the Settings app and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth one by one. After 30 seconds, enable them again.
Same on Mac. You can find Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons in the top menu bar, in macOS Control Center on macOS Big Sur and later, and in System Preferences.
Second, enable Bluetooth tethering on your Mac.
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner.
- Select System Preferences.
- Click Share.
- Check the Bluetooth Sharing box.
2. Restart your device
To restart your iPhone, use the physical switch. You can also go to Settings → General → Shut Down. After a minute, turn it on.
On a Mac, click the Apple logo in the upper left corner and choose Restart.
3. Disable and enable Handoff
On iPhone or iPad:
- Open Settings and tap General.
- Tap AirPlay & Handoff.
- Turn off Handoff.
- After 30 seconds, turn it back on.
On a Mac:
- Open System Preferences and click General.
- At the bottom, uncheck the box that allows switching between this Mac and your iCloud device to disable it.
- After 30 seconds, re-check the same box to enable it.
4. Sign out of iCloud and sign back in
On iPhone or iPad:
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Exit.
- Enter your Apple ID password, then tap Close.
- You can keep a copy of Calendar, Contacts, Health and Keychain. don’t worry! These will sync back when you log into your Apple ID again.
- Finally, click Exit.
- Restart your iPhone or iPad.
- Go to "Settings" and tap "Sign In" at the top.
On a Mac:
- Open System Preferences and click Apple ID.
- Click Overview→Log Out.
- Restart your Mac.
- Follow the same steps to log back in.
5. Reset Bluetooth settings
- When you're in the Finder, hold down the option key and click Go in the top menu bar.
- Click Library.
- Enter your Apple ID credentials to log in.
Scroll down and click Preferences.
- In the search box in the upper right corner, enter the word Bluetooth. Click Preferences. You will see several files.
- Press Command+A to select all such files and move them to the Trash.
- Empty the trash and restart your Mac.
Once you're done, try using the Universal Clipboard to see if that works.
6. Reset iPhone network settings
Resetting your iPhone network settings will not delete personal data such as apps, app data, music, photos, videos, etc. However, any settings you customized or added, such as notifications, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN, etc., will return to their default state.
- Open iPhone Settings and tap "General".
- Tap Reset.
- Click Reset Network Settings and continue.
Once done, try using the Universal Clipboard again.
7. Reset your Mac's clipboard
First, here's how to view the clipboard on a Mac: In Finder, click Edit in the top menu bar and choose Show Clipboard.
How to reset Mac's clipboard using Terminal.
- Open Terminal on your Mac.
- Use the Applications folder Launchpad or by typing Terminal in Spotlight (press Command + Space Bar to access).
- Copy this command and paste it into Terminal. pbcopy < /dev/null
- Press Enter to clear your Mac's clipboard.
8. Update your Mac and iPhone
Finally, if nothing helps, update your device.
- To update your iPhone, open Settings → General → Software Update.
- To update your Mac, open System Preferences→Software Update.