To export your clipboard history from an iPhone, open Clipboard AI, tap the gear icon for Settings, and choose Export Clips under Data. The share sheet then offers a JSON file of your clips to save in Files, AirDrop, Mail or any other app. iOS has no clipboard history of its own to export, because the system clipboard keeps only your latest copy. Export Clips is free on every plan, and Clipboard AI Pro adds iCloud sync as a backup that keeps up with every new clip.
Why iOS 27 still has nothing to export
iOS 27, released in September 2026, added a paste suggestion above Apple's keyboard, but it previews only your latest copy, so there is still no history to export. A history has to come from an app that saved your copies first. Why the iPhone only saves one copy explains the design behind the single clipboard slot.
Export all your clips from Clipboard AI
- Open Clipboard AI and tap the gear icon at the top of the home screen to open Settings.
- Scroll to the Data section and tap Export Clips.
- In the share sheet, choose where the file goes: Save to Files, AirDrop, Mail or another app.
The file is named ClipboardAI_Export_ followed by a number and ends in .json. It holds one entry for every clip in the app, with the clip's text, its category, whether it is pinned, and the date and time it was created. One entry looks like this, with line breaks added for reading:
{
"content": "https://example.com/lisbon-hotel",
"category": "Links",
"isPinned": true,
"createdAt": "2026-10-05T14:03:22Z"
}The export covers whatever the app holds: your last 10 copies plus 5 saved clips on the free plan, or your whole library with Pro. A copy you never saved is not in it, and on iPhone each save is one action, such as switching to the Clipboard AI keyboard with the globe key.
The file is text only. An image clip appears as an entry whose text is just Image, with the category Images and no picture, and the file carries no custom names, Collections or text read out of screenshots.
Export one clip or a set of results
You do not have to export everything. To send one clip, open it from your history and tap Share. The share sheet receives the clip's text, or the picture itself for an image clip.
To send a group, ask for it in plain words. Ask needs iOS 26 or later and an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence: tap the magnifying glass, tap the sparkles at the end of the search field, and type something like "hotels I copied for the trip". Under the answer, Share sends every matching clip as one block of text, and Copy All puts the same list on your clipboard.
Pick the method that fits
Each way of getting clips out of Clipboard AI, where to find it, and what you end up with:
| Method | Where | What you get | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export Clips | Settings > Data > Export Clips | One JSON file with every clip's text, category, pinned flag and date | Free |
| Share one clip | Open the clip, tap Share | The clip's text, or the picture for an image clip | Free |
| Share Ask results | Search, sparkles, then Share | Every matching clip as one block of text | Free, on iPhones with Apple Intelligence |
| Export a day on Mac | Show all clips, Export on a day's header | A text file of that day's clips | Free |
| iCloud Sync | Settings > iCloud Sync | Clips (images included), saved clips, names and Collections on your other devices | Pro |
Back up continuously with iCloud Sync
An export is a snapshot from the moment you tap it. For a backup that keeps up with every new clip, open Settings in Clipboard AI, switch on iCloud Sync, and sign in to the same Apple Account on each device. Clips (images included), saved clips, names and Collections all sync, and they live in your own private iCloud database, not on a Clipboard AI server. Sync is part of Pro, and the Help Center's iCloud sync guide walks through it.
Sync mirrors your library, so it protects you from a lost phone but not from a clip you deleted on purpose. If clips do not show up on another device, check that both use the same iCloud account with sync on, tap Sync now, force-quit and reopen Clipboard AI, and update the app on every device.
A free log from Shortcuts
If you would rather not install anything, a two-action shortcut can log your clipboard to a note whenever you run it: Get Clipboard, then Append to Note. It records only what is on the clipboard at the moment you run it, so run it before your next copy replaces the last one. The steps are in how to see clipboard history on iPhone.
Keep an exported file safe
The file is plain text and holds every clip in the app, including any code or password you saved. Move it somewhere you trust, check it before you share it, and delete the copies you no longer need.
Export before you use Clear All History, which erases every clip except your saved clips and Collections, or before you switch on auto-delete, whose shortest window is 30 days and which clears older history by the same rule. A deleted clip is erased on the spot, with no trash and no undo. The deleting clips guide lists what each option erases and what it keeps.
Where a full iPhone backup fits
This page cannot promise what a full iPhone backup restores. Clipboard AI's Help Center does not say how a restore treats the app's local history, so treat an export file and Pro sync as your backup, and a device backup as a bonus. Does an iPhone backup include the clipboard? covers what Apple says about the system clipboard.
More on keeping and finding what you copy is in the iPhone clipboard guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import an exported file back into Clipboard AI?
No. Neither the iPhone app nor the Mac app has an import function, so the JSON file is for keeping or moving your clips elsewhere. To bring clips onto a new iPhone, turn on iCloud Sync with Pro before you switch, install Clipboard AI there, sign in with the same Apple Account, and tap Restore Purchases in Settings if Pro does not appear.
Is exporting clipboard history free?
Yes. Export Clips works on the free plan. Clipboard AI Pro removes the free limits and adds iCloud sync and Collections for $19.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, or $34.99 once for Lifetime. Prices are as of October 2026.
Can I export clipboard history from a Mac?
Yes, one day at a time. Click the Clipboard AI icon in the menu bar, choose Show all clips, then click Export on a day's header in the timeline. The Mac saves a text file with the time above each clip and a line of three hyphens between clips. Image clips appear only as an [Image clip] line with a timestamp.
Can I back up my clipboard history automatically?
Yes, with Pro. iCloud Sync copies each clip to your other devices through your private iCloud database as you save it. Export Clips has no schedule: it is a manual snapshot, so run it before you clear history or change phones. The free plan has no automatic backup, only the files you export yourself.
