A text clipping is a small file macOS creates when selected text is dragged from an app to the desktop or Finder. It stores the dragged snippet so you can reuse it later.
This applies to Finder, TextEdit, and most Mac apps that support text selection.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if a .textClipping file appeared on your desktop unexpectedly, or if you want a quick way to save reusable snippets outside the clipboard.
Open a Clipping and Copy the Text
- Double-click the clipping file.
- A small preview window opens showing the stored text or image.
- Press Command + A inside the preview to select the text.
- Press Command + C to copy it.
- Paste into Mail, Notes, TextEdit, a document, or a form with Command + V.
- Delete the clipping file if you no longer need it.
Create a Text Clipping on Purpose
- Select text in Mail, Safari, Notes, Pages, or another app.
- Click and hold the selected text.
- Drag it to the desktop or a Finder window.
- Release to create a .textClipping file.
- Rename the file descriptively if you want to find it later.
Text Clipping Notes
Convert It to a Normal Text File
Open the clipping, copy the contents, paste into TextEdit, then save as a TXT or RTF document.
Avoid Accidental Clippings
If you create clippings accidentally while selecting text, use click-then-Shift-click selection when possible so you are not dragging the selected text.
Images Can Drag Too
Dragging images from some pages or documents can create image files or image clippings, depending on the app and source.
Search by Filename
Spotlight may not reliably search inside clipping contents, so rename useful clippings with meaningful names.
Sources
- Apple Support: Move and copy files on Mac using drag and drop
- Apple Support: Use TextEdit on Mac
- Apple Support: Copy and paste on Mac