Copy on your iPhone and paste on your Mac with Universal Clipboard

Why it happens

Universal Clipboard is part of Handoff. It passes what you copy from one device to the other over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but only between devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If Handoff, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off on either side, nothing arrives.

How to fix it

1. On your Mac, open System Settings > General > AirDrop & Continuity and turn on Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.

   General›AirDrop & Continuity

2. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap General, then AirPlay & Continuity, and turn on Handoff. Older iPhone software calls this page AirPlay & Handoff.

3. Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on, on both devices, and keep them close together.

4. Copy something on the iPhone, then within a minute or so press Command-V on the Mac. It works the other way too: copy on the Mac and paste on the iPhone.

Still not fixed?

1. Make sure both devices are signed in with the same Apple Account. On the Mac, your name at the top of System Settings shows which account it uses. On the iPhone, tap your name at the top of Settings.

2. Turn Bluetooth off and on in Bluetooth settings on the Mac, and in the Settings app on the iPhone.

   Bluetooth

3. Turn Allow Handoff off and on again on the Mac, and Handoff on the iPhone. Then restart both devices.

4. Update both devices. On the Mac, install any waiting update in Software Update.

   General›Software Update

5. If Handoff and Universal Clipboard still never work between your devices with everything on, contact Apple Support.