Skip to content

The Eclectic Light Company

Macs & painting – 🦉 No AI content
Main navigation
  • Downloads
  • Freeware
  • All Macs
  • M1-M5 Macs
  • Troubleshooting
  • Painting
  • Mac Front Page

CFPasteboard

Explainer: Copy and paste, drag and drop

Two of the Mac’s defining features, how they differ, the roles of source and receiver apps, how they work, how transferable types can limit them, and their future in macOS.

January 10, 2026 Macs, Technology

Cut-Copy-Paste: Inside the Pasteboard/Clipboard

How these fundamental features work in macOS, using the pboard daemon and UTIs. With full log transcripts too.

May 12, 2020 Macs, Technology
Blog at WordPress.com.
Footer navigation
  • About & Contact
  • Free Software Menu
  • Macs
  • Painting
  • Downloads
  • SilentKnight, Skint, SystHist, silnite, LockRattler & Scrub
  • XProCheck, T2M2, LogUI, Ulbow, blowhole and log utilities
  • Mints: a multifunction utility
  • xattred, SpotTest, Providable, Spotcord, Metamer & xattr tools
  • Versatility & Revisionist
  • DelightEd & Podofyllin
  • Precize, Alifix, UTIutility, Sparsity, alisma, Taccy, Signet
  • System Updates
  • Spundle, Cormorant, Stibium, DropSum, Dintch, Fintch and cintch
  • Virtualisation on Apple silicon
  • Cirrus & Bailiff
  • Text Utilities: Textovert, Disclipper, Nalaprop, Dystextia and others
  • sysctl information
  • Extended attributes (xattrs)
  • 32-bitCheck & ArchiChect
  • Keychains & Permissions
  • PDF
  • VisualLookUpTest
  • Updates
  • Long Reads
  • Mac Troubleshooting Summary
  • Saturday Mac Riddles
  • Last Week on My Mac
  • Painting topics
  • Mac problem-solving
  • M-series Macs
Secondary navigation
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Join 8,962 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar