Copy That
Setup guide

How Copy That works.

Press a button on your iPhone or Apple Watch, talk, and the words are pasted on your Mac. Here’s how to set it up, in five steps and about five minutes.

  1. Step 1

    Get the Mac app

    Install the free Copy That app on your Mac. It lives in your menu bar and does the transcribing and pasting.

  2. Step 2

    Finish setup on the Mac

    The first time it opens, Copy That checks iCloud, downloads its speech model once (about 1.5 GB), and asks for Accessibility so it can press ⌘V for you.

  3. Step 3

    Get the iPhone app

    Install Copy That on your iPhone (free). Use the same Apple Account with iCloud on your iPhone and Mac. For Apple Watch, unlock it once in the iPhone app ($4.99).

  4. Step 4

    Tap or hold, and talk

    Tap the big button to start and tap again to send, or hold it while you talk. Walk around, it works on any network.

  5. Step 5

    It’s pasted on your Mac

    Your Mac turns it into text and pastes it where your cursor is: Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, any text field. With auto-paste off, it’s on your clipboard, just press ⌘V.

Step by step

  1. Get the Mac app

    Install the free Copy That app on your Mac (macOS 15 or later). It appears as a small icon in your menu bar; there’s no window to keep open.

  2. Finish setup on the Mac

    The Setup window walks you through three checks:

    • iCloud: sign in to iCloud on the Mac. Recordings travel through your own private iCloud.
    • Speech model: downloads once, about 1.5 GB. Keep the Mac online until it’s ready.
    • Auto-paste: allow Copy That in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility so it can press ⌘V for you.

    You can reopen it any time from the menu bar icon → Setup….

  3. Get the iPhone app

    Install Copy That on your iPhone (free). Your iPhone and Mac must use the same Apple Account with iCloud turned on. When the Mac app is running, the iPhone shows your Mac as Ready.

    Want to leave your phone in your pocket? Unlock the Apple Watch app once in the iPhone app for $4.99. No subscription.

  4. Tap or hold, and talk

    Tap the big button to start, and tap again to send. Or hold it while you talk and let go to send. It works on Wi-Fi or cellular; your phone and Mac don’t need to be on the same network.

  5. It’s pasted on your Mac

    Your Mac transcribes the recording on-device and pastes the text wherever your cursor is: Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Cursor, ChatGPT or any text field. If auto-paste is off, the text is on your clipboard; press ⌘V. Recent recordings are in the menu bar icon, click one to copy it again.

Troubleshooting
My iPhone says “Mac offline”.
Make sure the Mac is awake, online and Copy That is running in the menu bar. Turn on Open at Login in its menu so it’s always there.
Nothing arrives on my Mac.
Check that your iPhone and Mac are signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud on. Open Setup… from the menu bar icon to see what’s missing.
The text is copied but not pasted.
Allow Copy That in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, and check that Auto-Paste When Ready is on in its menu.
The first recording takes a while.
The speech model downloads once (about 1.5 GB). After that, transcription runs on your Mac and is quick.
Do I need the Apple Watch?
No. The iPhone app does everything for free. The Watch app is an optional one-time $4.99 unlock for talking without taking your phone out.

Still stuck? Email [email protected] and a real person will answer.

Works with
Claude CodeOpenCodeCodex CLIGemini CLICursorAiderClineWindsurfGitHub CopilotZedWarpChatGPTClaude desktopany text field