PopClipAppearance
Troubleshooting
This page lists common problems and their possible solutions, as well as known issues with specific apps.
Solutions to common problems
| Problem | Possible Solution |
|---|---|
| Not all of the enabled actions are appearing in the PopClip bar. | This is normal, because actions only appear when they are applicable. See: Why are some actions not appearing? |
| Actions appear, but are not working properly. | This is a common problem just after upgrading macOS. Solution: Remove and re-add Accessibility permission. |
| Problem using PopClip in a specific app. | Check the App compatibility section to see if there is a known problem with that specific app. |
| Check whether you have excluded the app from PopClip. See: Excluded Apps pane. | |
| Try quitting and restarting that app, then quitting and restarting PopClip. | |
| PopClip bar doesn't appear when selecting text, in any app. | Check that PopClip is turned on. See: Turn PopClip On and Off. |
| Check that PopClip has Accessibility permission. See: Grant Accessibility permission. | |
| Check whether you can still trigger PopClip using its keyboard shortcut. See: Activate with a keyboard shortcut. | |
| Check whether you have customized your mouse pointer using an app like MouseScape or Cursor Pro. PopClip cannot appear automatically if you have a custom mouse pointer. | |
| Check whether you have set custom keyboard shortcuts for Cut, Copy and Paste. PopClip can only work if your systemwide keyboard shortcuts are the standard ⌘X, ⌘C and ⌘V. | |
| Check whether you are running both the Setapp and Standalone or Mac App Store editions at the same time. Only one edition should be installed at a time. | |
| Check whether you are using the 3rd party macOS extension "Add to Fantastical" which comes with Fantastical. This is in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Installed extensions. PopClip may behave unreliably if this is enabled. | |
| Check that you are running the latest version of PopClip. | |
| Try quitting and restarting PopClip. | |
| Try rebooting your Mac. | |
| PopClip bar disappearing too quickly. | PopClip does not disappear on a timer, but only when you move the mouse away, click, scroll, or begin to type. (See: Make popclip disappear.) Keep the mouse near the PopClip bar to prevent it disappearing. |
| A specific extension is not working. | Try downloading the latest version of the extension. (Note that extensions do not autmatically update.) |
| PopClip app launches but no user interface appears. | You may be using Bartender, Hidden Bar, or Vanilla or a similar app. Disable it or configure it not to hide PopClip. |
| PopClip has locked up / using 100% CPU. | Force Quit PopClip using Activity Monitor. If this happens repeatedly, please report it and any steps that cause the lock-up. |
| A "click" or "purr" sound when selecting text. | Check whether you are using either Alfred or LaunchBar, and have the clipboard merging feature enabled. The way PopClip works is triggering this feature, so you will need to disable it. The checkbox is "Fast append selected text" in Alfred and "Enable ClipMerge" in LaunchBar. |
App compatibility
The following table lists apps that are known to have problems with PopClip.
| App | Issue | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2Do | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Adobe, all apps (Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.) | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Alacritty | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Anki | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Apple Books | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Banktivity | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Bartender | May prevent PopClip's user interface appearing. Disable or configure Bartender as appropriate. | Can't fix |
| BBEdit 14.6.7 | Cut and Paste not appearing in PopClip bar. | Affects PopClip 2023.7. Fixed in PopClip beta, Build 4163 |
| Citrix Receiver | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Collectorz | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Crossover | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Cursor Pro | Using this app to change the mouse cursor will prevent PopClip working at all. | Can't fix |
| emacs | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Fanstatical | PopClip may behave unreliably if the macOS extension "Add to Fantastical", which comes with Fantastical, is enabled. This is in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Installed extensions. | To be investigated |
| Final Draft | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Hidden Bar | May prevent PopClip's user interface appearing. Disable or configure Hidden Bar as appropriate. | Can't fix |
| JetBrains, all apps (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.) | PopClip will not appear automaticallty, but can be made to appear by using the keyboard shortcut or AppleScript trigger. | Can't fix |
| KeePassX | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Kindle for Mac | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| MacVIM | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Mail Perspectives 2 | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Microsoft Word | In Word, text may be copied to the clipboard if you press delete or start typing after selecting text. As a workaround, you can add Word to PopClip's excluded apps list and trigger PopClip with the keyboard shortcut. | Can't fix |
| MouseScape | Using this app to change the mouse cursor will prevent PopClip working at all. | Can't fix |
| Mozilla Firefox | PopClip will fail with certain Firefox extensions installed. Ones know to cause problems are: Tiny Menu, Menu Wizard. | Can't fix |
| NeoOffice suite | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Oracle SQL Developer | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Parallels Desktop | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| PDF Reader | PopClip will not work in this app. | Affects PopClip 2023.7. Fixed in PopClip beta, Build 4197 |
| Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Preview | When viewing PDFs in Preview in High Sierra (10.13) and Mojave (10.14), PopClip will not work. | Fixed in macOS 10.15 Catalina |
| QuarkXPress | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| qutebrowser | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Revolver Office | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| ScreenPal | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Screens | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Sublime Text | Cut and Paste not appearing in PopClip bar. | Affects PopClip 2023.7. Fixed in PopClip beta, Build 4163 |
| Unity3D | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| Vanilla | May prevent PopClip's user interface appearing. Disable or configure Vanilla as appropriate. | Can't fix |
| vim | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| VMWare | PopClip will not work in this app. | Can't fix |
| VS Code | Cut and Paste not appearing in PopClip bar. | Affects PopClip 2023.7. Fixed in PopClip beta, Build 4163 |
Further information
Why are some actions not appearing?
To keep visual clutter down, PopClip's bar is intelligent; it only displays actions relevant to your current text selection and context. Here's a quick rundown:
Cut & Paste: They'll show up when you use PopClip in text-editing apps, like Mail or TextEdit. Don't expect them when selecting read-only text on webpages.
Open Link: Only visible when a URL is selected, e.g.,
https://apple.com/mac/.Dictionary: Appears when a dictionary word is highlighted.
Reveal in Finder: This pops up for valid local file or folder paths, like
~/Documents/.Spelling: For editable, misspelled words when there are correction suggestions in your set languages.
Extension-added actions: These also have specific conditions; they show up depending on their designed context.
If, after understanding the above, you believe an action should be visible but isn't, please provide details. Specify the action, the app you're in, and the exact text selected.
Remove and re-add Accessibility permission
The following procedure can help if PopClip is not working properly. It removes PopClip from the Accessibility permission list and then adds it again. It is most likely to be required after upgrading macOS from one version to another.
Quit PopClip
Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
In the list, highlight PopClip and then remove it using the "–" (minus) button. (Fully remove it, don't just uncheck it.)
Use the "+" (plus) button add PopClip again to the list.
