If Universal Clipboard is not working on Mac or iPhone, it is likely that one of these devices is not compatible with this feature or something is not configured properly on your iPhone or Mac.
Universal Clipboard Not Working On Mac
When you copy anything on a computer, the copied data is stored in a temporary storage location on the computer known as the “Clipboard” and this allows you to paste the data anywhere elsewhere on the device.
The “Universal Clipboard” feature in Apple Devices extends this concept further, allowing you to copy and paste content between multiple devices – Mac to iPhone, iPhone to iPad and vice versa.
Universal Clipboard still appears to be a work in progress and it is not uncommon to find it becoming glitchy or not at all working, even after being properly setup.
Before going ahead with troubleshooting steps, make sure that you are aware of the following limitations of the Universal Clipboard feature.
- Universal Clipboard remains active only for about 2 minutes, anything that you try to paste after 2 minutes will not work.
- While you can copy text from Mac to anywhere on iPhone, images can only be pasted into dedicated apps (Notes, Keynotes, Pages).
- The Paste function can be delayed, if the internet connection is not strong.
- Universal Clipboard works best on a WiFi Network
1. Make Sure Both Devices Are Compatible With Universal Clipboard
The first steps is to make sure that both your Mac (MacBook, Mac Mini or iMac) and iPhone are compatible with the Universal Clipboard feature.
According to Apple, the Universal Clipboard feature should work, if you have a Mac running macOS Sierra or later and an iPhone or iPad running iOS 10 or later.
2. Refresh WiFi & Bluetooth Networks
Sometimes, the problem is due to a glitch in either WiFi or Bluetooth Network on any of the two devices.
On iPhone: Go to Settings > WiFi > disable WiFi. Similarly, go to Settings > Bluetooth and disable Bluetooth.
Wait for 30 seconds and enable both WiFi and Bluetooth on your iPhone.
On Mac: Select WiFi Icon located at top-right corner and disable WiFi. Similarly, select Bluetooth Icon located at to-right corner and disable Bluetooth.
Wait for 30 seconds and enable back both WiFi and Bluetooth on your Mac.
3. Enable Handoff On Both Devices
Universal Clipboard feature requires that you Enable the Handoff feature on both iPhone and Mac.
On iPhone: Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff and move the toggle next to Handoff to ON position.
On Mac: Click on Apple Logo in top-menu bar > System Preferences > General and Enable Allow Handoff between this Mac and iCloud devices option.
4. Enable Bluetooth Sharing on Mac
Click on Apple Logo > System Preferences > Sharing and enable Bluetooth Sharing option.
5. Sign out of Apple ID on Both Devices
Sometimes, the problem is due to your Apple ID not being recognized by iCloud. This can be fixed by signing out of Apple ID on both devices and Signing back in.
On iPhone: Open Settings > tap on your Apple ID > scroll down and tap on Sign out.
On Mac: Click on Apple Logo > System Preferences > Apple ID > scroll down and click on the Sign Out option.
After this, Sign back into Apple ID on both devices. Patiently wait for the two devices to Sync and check to see if Universal Clipboard is now working between Mac and iPhone.
Important: Make sure that you are Signed in to the same Apple ID on both Mac and iPhone.
6. Reset Bluetooth Settings on Mac
Click on Finder Icon > select the Go tab in top-menu bar and click on Go to Folder option.
In Go to window, type ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost and click on Go.
On the next screen, right-click on com.apple.Bluetooth.xxx.plist and click on Move to Trash option.
Shut Down Mac > Wait for 30 seconds > restart Mac and see if Universal Clipboard is now working on your Mac.
