What does Naked Paste actually do?

It watches your Mac's clipboard from the menu bar. When you copy formatted text, from a web page, an email or a document, it swaps it for the same text without fonts, colours, sizes, highlights or links. So a normal ⌘V pastes plain text that takes on the style of wherever you paste it.

Do I need a different shortcut to paste?

No. Naked Paste cleans the clipboard itself, right after you copy, so ⌘V and Edit → Paste work as always, in every app.

How do I get the formatting back?

Right-click the menu bar icon to pause. Pausing puts the formatted version of your last copy back on the clipboard. Right-click again to resume.

What happens when I copy an image?

If the image contains text, Naked Paste replaces it with that text, so pasting gives you the words. Images without text stay images, and copying files in Finder is never affected. Turn off "Turn copied images into text" in Settings to keep every image as an image.

What does Copy Text from Screen… do?

It's in the menu bar menu. Drag over any area of your screen, and the text in it lands on your clipboard, ready to paste. It works even while cleaning is paused.

Can I keep formatting in some apps?

Yes. In Settings, choose "Only the apps I choose" and tick the apps that should get plain text, say Mail and Messages. Every other app gets the original, formatted copy.

What are fancy letters?

The 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑐, 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉 and 𝔣𝔯𝔞𝔨𝔱𝔲𝔯 lookalikes people paste into social posts. They're special symbols, not real letters, so they can't be searched and screen readers stumble over them. Naked Paste turns them back into normal letters and digits.

Does anything I copy leave my Mac?

No. Naked Paste has no internet access: macOS's app sandbox keeps it offline. It doesn't store what you copy either. It only holds your last formatted copy in memory, so pausing can give it back.

A Mac with macOS 26 or later. Naked Paste lives in the menu bar, with no Dock icon, and can launch at login.

Plain-text clipboard for Mac

Copy anything.Paste it clean.

A menu bar app that strips fonts, colours and links from everything you copy, and turns copied images into text.

Mac · macOS 26 or later

New Message

To: Design team

Launch Plan

Ship the new onboarding by Friday. Details are in the project brief.

Owner: Design team

Fonts, colours, sizes, highlights and links. Naked Paste strips them off the moment you copy, so whatever you paste looks like it belongs there.

Watch the formatting come off.

Highlights
Colours
Links
Fonts and sizes
Fancy letters

New Message

To: Design team

Subject: Launch PlanFormattedPlain text

Launch Plan

Ship the new onboarding by Friday. Details are in the project brief.

Owner: Design team

Ship it. 🚀

20 words · 110 characters

Try it right here.

Copy something from any page or app and paste it here. This page cleans it with the same rules as the app.

or press ⌘V · tryor try

You copy

Plain text

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬: we just shipped 𝟐.𝟎 🚀 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 to everyone who tested it.

You paste

Plain text

Big news: we just shipped 2.0 🚀 Thank you to everyone who tested it.

14 words · 68 characters · 17 fancy letters made plain

Copy text out of any image.

Copy a screenshot or a photo, and paste the words in it. Read on your Mac.

Invite.png

An image of a party invite: Rooftop, Team Summer Party, Friday 18:00 on the Level 7 terrace, bring a friend, RSVP by Wednesday

Untitled

Rooftop
TEAM SUMMER PARTY
Friday, 18:00 • Level 7 terrace
Bring a friend - RSVP by Wednesday

Copy Text from Screen… in the menu: drag over any area, and its text is on your clipboard.

Clean where you want it.

Everywhere, or only in the apps you choose. The others keep their formatting.

Pick your apps
Plain text in Mail and Messages, full formatting in Pages and Keynote.
Images, your way
Turn copied images into text, or keep them as images.
Set and forget
Launches at login and stays out of your way.

Naked Paste Settings

Naked Paste

Everything you copy pastes as clean, plain text.

Version 1.2

Clean copied text

Strips fonts, colors, links and fancy 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 or 𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑐 characters.

Turn copied images into text

Copy a screenshot, paste the words in it.

Launch at login

Tip: right-click the menu bar icon to pause or resume.

Clean in

5 apps selected. Copies made in other apps stay formatted.

Lives quietly in your menu bar.

No Dock icon, no window. Everything is one click away.

Right-click to pause
Need the formatting this once? Pausing puts your last copy back the way it was.
Count at a glance
The menu shows the words and characters on your clipboard.
Files stay files
Copying files in Finder is never touched.

It can't go online.

What you copy never leaves your Mac. No account, no tracking.

No internet access
macOS's app sandbox keeps Naked Paste offline. It can't send anything anywhere.
Nothing saved
Only your last formatted copy is held in memory, so pausing can give it back.
Read on your Mac
Text in images is recognised by Apple's Vision framework, on device.

Questions

Anything else? Email the developer.

Paste it clean.

Naked Paste for Mac, on the Mac App Store.