Basic Usage

This page will teach you the fundamentals of PopClip: how to get the PopClip bar to appear and disappear, and control when it can show up.

Make PopClip appear

Select text with the mouse or trackpad

PopClip runs in the background and waits for you to select text with your mouse or trackpad.

Try it: Drag the pointer over some text to select it. PopClip will appear automatically.

PopClip appears when text is selected using the pointer.

Didn't work?

If PopClip doesn't appear, check the Troubleshooting page for help.

PopClip will respond when selecting text by the following methods:

• Drag the pointer over the text.
• Double-click a word to select it.
• Triple-click to select a whole paragraph.
• Click once, then hold Shift (⇧) and click elsewhere to select between the two points.

Force PopClip to appear

In case PopClip does not respond, hold the Fn key or the Globe 🌐 key (depending on your Mac model or keyboard) while selecting the text. This provides an extra hint to PopClip that you are selecting text, and in many cases this will make PopClip appear.

Long press with the mouse or trackpad

To make PopClip appear without selecting text, you can long press the mouse or trackpad button. PopClip appears after you hold the button for 0.5 seconds.

A long press makes PopClip appear without a a selection.

Activate with a keyboard shortcut

In PopClip's settings, you can set a keyboard shortcut for making PopClip appear.

When activated with the keyboard shortcut, PopClip appears in keyboard control mode. PopClip's bar will respond to keyboard input as follows:

Key	Action
Arrow keys (←→, ↑↓)	Change the highlighted action
Return (↵), Space bar	Perform the highlighted action
Esc key	Dismiss PopClip

Selecting actions using the arrow keys and Return.

Works always!

PopClip's keyboard shortcut works even when PopClip is turned off, or disabled in the current app.

Activate with AppleScript

For integration with other tools, you can also make PopClip appear using AppleScript.

Make PopClip disappear

After PopClip appears it will stay on screen until you select an action. You can make it disappear without selecting an action by doing one of the following:

• Click anywhere outside the PopClip bar.
• Press any key: PopClip will disappear and the key you pressed will be sent to the app underneath. (Note: in keyboard control mode, some keys will perform actions within PopClip.)
• Move the pointer away from the PopClip bar.
• Scroll with the mouse wheel or trackpad.

Prevent PopClip appearing

Sometimes, you might want to prevent PopClip from appearing automatically. There are a few ways to do this:

• Disable auto-appear completely, by turning PopClip off in settings.

• Disable auto-appear in a particular application, by adding it to the Excluded Apps list in PopClip settings.

• To suppress PopClip temporarily, Hold down the Command (⌘) key while selecting text with the mouse or trackpad.