Help   

  • Basics

  • What do I use CopyBucket for?

    You can use CopyBucket to copy and paste text, images, files, and other types of items for the purpose of easily accessing them later on the same computer or other devices. You can also easily share those items with friends and colleagues.

    Some common uses of CopyBucket are sending some text, image or file from one computer to another, sending some data to a colleagues, sharing code between programmers, storing a list of text items that you commonly reuse, etc.

    CopyBucket is easiest way to get data from one place to another. If you like to copy and paste, you will enjoy CopyBucket and a boost in productivity.

  • How do I get CopyBucket?

    First you need an account with CopyBucket. You can sign up for an account at www.copybucket.com.

    Once you have an account, go to www.copybucket.com/home (you may need to sign in with your username, which is your email address, and password). You will see links to download the macOS and Windows installers as well as a link to the iPhone app. After downloading the appropriate installer for your computer, double click it to begin installation.

  • How do I use CopyBucket?

    After launching CopyBucket, sign in using your email and password. If you haven't used the software before you will see an empty bucket. You can add items to this bucket using copy/paste. For example, open a text document and copy some text. Then go to CopyBucket and paste it. The text item will be added in the bucket and a small preview of it will be shown. You can do so with several other text items. You can also try to paste an image or a file.

    Later on, when you need an item you can select it in the bucket, copy it, and paste it somewhere else. You can do so using the standard keyboard shortcuts (⌘C on macOS and Ctrl-C on Windows). You can also use the menu items Edit > Copy, or you can use the icons on the toolbar. Hover over the toolbar icons to see a tooltip.

    Another way of getting items into CopyBucket is using drag-and-drop. For example drag a file from your desktop to your bucket and will be added there. It will also automatically appear on your other devices where CopyBucket is running.

  • How can I get a larger preview of my items?

    Select an item in the bucket by clicking on it, then hit the space bar on your keyboard. This will show you the full text (in the case of a text item) or a larger display of the image (in the case of an image item). To close the preview hit the space bar again.

    If you have many items and want to preview several, you can hit the space bar and then use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to cycle through the items in the bucket.

    NOTE: if you just want the items to appear larger in the bucket, go to the preferences/settings and drag the slider titled "Maximum height for each item".

  • How do I delete an item?

    You can use the X icon on the right of an item to delete it. You can also use keyboard shortcuts such as the backspace and delete keys.

  • What if I delete an item by accident?

    You can undo actions using regular undo shortcuts (⌘Z on macOS and Ctrl-Z on Windows). You can also redo actions with shortcuts (⇧⌘Z on macOS Ctrl-Shift-Z or Ctrl-Y on Windows).

  • Can I change the order of the items?

    You can reorder items simply by using drag-and-drop. Select one item and drag it to the location in the bucket that you want.

    If you want to select multiple items hold the key down on macOS or Ctrl key on Windows while clicking the items you want to select. Then you can drag them to the location you desire.

  • Buckets

  • What is a bucket?

    A bucket is a container for data items. When you first launch CopyBucket the "Default" bucket will be selected. Click the blue bucket selector to bring up the bucket selection drop down. You will notice there is also another bucket named "Received". This is where items received from friends will appear. You can switch between buckets at any time.

    You can also open new windows to view multiple buckets at the same time. Simply go to the menu File > New Window (or use ⌘N on macOS or Ctrl-N on Windows).

  • Can I create more buckets?

    You can create more buckets by clicking on "Manage Buckets" in the bucket selection drop down (the last item) or by using the keyboard shortcuts (⌘M on macOS and Ctrl-M on Windows).

    Click the + icon to create a new bucket. You will be prompted to enter a bucket name.

  • How do I reorder buckets?

    Select "Manage Buckets" from the bucket selection drop down or by using the keyboard shortcuts (⌘M on macOS and Ctrl-M on Windows).

    You can reorder buckets simply by using drag-and-drop. Select a bucket and drag it to the position you want. Its position will be reflected on all your devices.

  • How do I rename a bucket?

    You can rename the buckets you created by double clicking on their names in the "Manage Buckets" window, typing a new name and pressing the enter key.

    NOTE: you cannot rename the "Default" and "Received" buckets.

  • How do I delete a bucket?

    Select "Manage Buckets" from the bucket selection drop down or by using the keyboard shortcuts (⌘M on macOS and Ctrl-M on Windows).

    Select a bucket and click the (minus) icon. You will be prompted to confirm deletion.

    NOTE: you cannot undo this action. Once a bucket is deleted, its data items are permanently deleted from our servers and therefore cannot be restored.

  • Sharing

  • How do I share items with my friends / colleagues?

    First you need to add friends. Go to the menu File > Friends... (⇧⌘Space on macOS and Ctrl-Shift-Space on Windows), click "Add Friend", enter the email address of your friend, and click "OK". Once they have accepted your request you can start sharing data.

    There are 2 ways to share data with CopyBucket:
    • Send a single items
    • Share a bucket (see next question)

    To send a single item, right-click it and select "Send to Friend" from the context menu. You can also use a keyboard shortcut (⇧⌘D on macOS and Ctrl-Shift-D on Windows) or the toolbar icon with an arrow. Then select your friend from the list and press "Send".

    When you send an item to a friend, a copy of this item is created and will appear in their "Received" bucket. Note that you cannot undo this action. Even if you delete your copy, your friend still retains their own copy in their "Received" bucket.

    To share an entire bucket, please refer to the next question.

  • How can I share an entire bucket with a friend?

    In addition to sending single items you can share entire buckets with friends. This means that they have access to all the items in the shared bucket, and they can view new items as you add them. If you delete or reorder items, the change will also be reflected on their side. In essence, the bucket remains synchronized on the devices of all the bucket members.

    NOTE: you can only share buckets that you have created. You cannot share your "Default" and "Received" buckets. The fastest way to share a bucket is to first select it from the bucket selector drop down menu and click the bucket sharing icon in the toolbar.

    You can also access sharing settings from the "Manage Buckets" window:

    Click the + button or "invite friends to this bucket" hyperlink. Select the friend you wish to invite to this bucket and click "Invite". Once your friend accepts the invitation they will have access to this bucket and its content.

  • How can I let my friends view a bucket without changing its content?

    You can change a member's permissions at any time by going into the bucket sharing settings for a specific bucket.

    With the bucket currently selected (in the bucket selection drop down menu) click the bucket sharing icon.

    Locate the user whose permissions you wish to edit. Then click in the second column (permissions) to choose "View". The member's permissions will be updated so that they can only view (but not modify) the content of this bucket.

  • What kind of bucket sharing permissions are available?

    1- View – The member can only view the bucket and copy items from it. The member cannot paste items, delete items, or reorder items.

    2- Edit – The member can add, delete, and reorder items.

    3- Edit/Invite – The member can add delete, and reorder items, and can also invite other people to join the bucket.

  • How can I leave a shared bucket that I was invited to?

    If you someone invited you to a shared bucket and you have accepted the invitation, you can still choose to leave the bucket at any time.

    Simply go to the "Manage Buckets" window (⌘M on macOS or Ctrl-M on Windows), select the bucket in the list and click the (minus icon). You should see a confirmation dialog asking you if you are sure you want to leave that bucket.

  • Advanced

  • Can I edit the items in a bucket?

    Yes, you can double-click an item to open with your system's default editor. When you save, the item will be synchronized and the updated item will be available on your other devices.



    If you do not have edit privileges in a bucket, you may not edit the items in it.



    Your may also right-click and item and choose "Open With..." to open it with an editor or viewer of your choice. For example you may open some text in Microsoft Word or an image in Adobe Photoshop.

  • What are the quickest ways to access items?

    There are different quick access methods. Note that each item in the bucket is numbered, the top item being item number 1 (see the label on the left of each item).

    Method #1 – Quick Copy
    You can copy an item by number using Quick Copy. The shortcut for Quick Copy is the same as regular copy but with an added shift key.
    On macOS use ⇧⌘C
    On Windows use Ctrl-Shift-C

    You will then be prompted with the Quick Copy dialog, in which you can enter the number of the item to be copied. So if you type the number 3 and press enter, the third item in your bucket will be copied to the clipboard. Quick Copy is convenient when you want to keep your hands on the keyboard and avoid using the mouse to select an item.

    NOTE: There is also a Quick Cut command:
    On macOS use ⇧⌘X
    On Windows use Ctrl-Shift-X

    It does the same as Quick Copy but also removes the item from the bucket after it has been copied. If you do this by accident, you may restore the item using the Edit > Undo menu item.

    Method #2 – Copy by Position
    This is the fastest way to copy an item. If the item you wish to copy is one of the first 10 items in the bucket you can use the key with the item number to copy it. On Windows use the Ctrl key and the item's number.

    For example, to copy the third item use ⌘3 or Ctrl-3. To copy the 9th item, use ⌘9 or Ctrl-9. To copy the 10th item use use ⌘0 or Ctrl-0.

    Method #3 – Double clicking
    You can change the CopyBucket preferences so that double-clicking an item will copy it. In the general preferences look for the "Double-click to" drop-down menu towards the bottom. After changing this setting to "Copy Item", you will be able to copy items to the clipboard by double-clicking them.

  • Can I search for an item?

    If your bucket has a lot of item you may wish to use the search feature instead of scrolling through the entire bucket.

    Use ⌘F on macOS or Ctrl-F on Windows. You will notice that the bucket selection menu will be replaced by a search field. Start typing what you are searching for. It could be some text that is contained in a text item, it could be a file name, or a file type. If you are searching for images you can enter "image" or an image format such as "png" or "jpg".

    To close the search box use the ESC (escape) key on the top left of your keyboard.

    NOTE: you can search for items and then use Quick Copy or Copy by Position to quickly access them.

  • What are the colored circles on the left of each item?

    The circles indicate the status of an item.

    Yellow: the item exists locally but has not finished uploading to the server.
    Green: the item exists locally and has been uploaded to the server (and is therefore accessible on your other devices).
    Red: there was an error downloading the item.
    Gray: the item's data has not been downloaded to the device. You may re-download the item by right-clicking it and selecting "Re-Download".

    You can hover on the circle to get more information. For example while an item is uploading (yellow) you can hover on the yellow circle and get an estimate of the upload progress.

    If you hover on a red circle you will see more details about the error.

    NOTE: if you see a lightning icon in the circle it means the data is loaded in RAM (which means it will be very quick to access because it is in fast-access memory). To clear an item from RAM you may right-click it and choose "Clear from RAM".

  • Can I make my bucket window always visible?

    If you want the bucket window to remain on top of all other applications, go to the File menu and select "Always on Top". Now, no matter which application you switch to, that bucket window will remain visible. This will allow you to easily access your data items and even drag-and-drop items from it and to it.

    You can also use the following shortcut to toggle this feature on and off: ⇧⌘A on macOS and Ctrl-Shift-A on Windows.

  • How can I add or create screenshot items?

    You can add any image or image file to your bucket. However CopyBucket has special built-in Screenshot feature.

    Click the "New Screenshot" toolbar icon or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ESC on macOS or Ctrl-Shift-K on Windows. You will then be given the option to take a screenshot of the entire screen or to select a portion of the screen with your mouse.

    If you want to directly go to selecting a portion of the screen use the shortcut ⇧⌘ESC on macOS or Ctrl-Alt-Shift-K on Windows.

  • How do I know how much storage I am using?

    • Current bucket size:
    At the bottom right of every bucket window there is an indication of how much storage space this bucket occupies on the server.

    • Overall account size:
    If you want to see the total storage used on your account go to File > Account Info... This menu item will bring up a dialog with account details, including available storage and used storage. If you wish to get the exact size in bytes, hover over the "Used Storage" number.

    • Each bucket's size:
    If you want to know the size breakdown per bucket go to the "Manage Buckets" window (⌘M on macOS and Ctrl-M on Windows). The size column on the right shows each bucket's size. At the bottom of the table there is also a total size label. If you hover over this label you will see how much of this storage is used on your account, and how much is used on your friend's account (the size of shared buckets is only accounted for on the bucket owner's account).

  • How can I find out which of my devices are connected?

    Use the menu item Window > Show Client Devices...
    You may also use the shortcut ⌘L on macOS and Ctrl-L on Windows.

  • Can I add items and not upload them?

    You can put CopyBucket in offline mode by clicking the status bar at the bottom of the window and choosing "Offline". This will disconnect you from the server and pause all synchronization of data. Any items you add after that will not be uploaded until you come back online.

    NOTE: When you come back online, new items will be uploaded to the server. If you do not wish to upload them, delete them before going back online.

  • Can I use CopyBucket with Apple's Universal Clipboard?

    Yes. If your iPhone, iPad or other Apple device is using the same Apple ID as your Mac, you can copy an item on your device and paste it directly inside CopyBucket on your Mac.

    You can also a copy an item in CopyBucket on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone / iPad.

    NOTE: Make sure bluetooth is enabled on the device and your Mac.

  • How do I make sure I have the latest version of CopyBucket?

    CopyBucket periodically checks if a new version is available. You will automatically be prompted to download and install it.

    If you want to manually check for updates go to the Help menu and select "Check for Updates".

  • How can I prevent automatic download of items from friends?

    Go to Preferences or Settings (under the CopyBucket menu on macOS and the File menu on Windows) and uncheck the box "Automatically download received items" (in the General settings tab).

    Now when friends send you items they will appear in your "Received" bucket with a "Download" button. When you want to download the item, click the button.

  • How can I prevent automatic download of executable items (apps / programs)?

    Go to Preferences or Settings (under the CopyBucket menu on macOS and the File menu on Windows) and uncheck the box "Automatically download executable items" (in the General settings tab).

    Now when you receive executable files in your "Received" bucket with a "Download" button. When you want to download the file, click the button.

  • Other

  • What settings can I change?

    Go to Preferences or Settings (under the CopyBucket menu on macOS and the File menu on Windows) to see available settings. Some of the settings include:

    • When to automatically open a new bucket windows
    • When to show notifications
    • When to play notification sounds
    • How to display rich text
    • Ask for confirmation on quit

  • How can I report bugs, issues, or general feedback?

    In the Help menu there is a "Send Feedback" feature. Type in your feedback and select the appropriate options at the bottom. If you do not wish to be contacted about this report, uncheck the checkbox at the bottom of the page.

    If you are reporting a bug please describe the steps used to create the issue. If we can reproduce the bug, it is much easier to find its cause and provide a fix.

Close